Posted on 08/28/2004 6:19:28 AM PDT by B4Ranch
Double Edged, Double “Tongued”
I read that an American theme park wanting to open in another country had to essentially dispense with its American features for that country’s culture. Fine, but why build an American park? Before I go even farther here, know that I am not opposed to immigrants, minorities, alternative groups, or cultural/religious/politically differences, but that I am disturbed at how we’re made to be “politically correct” to every group in existence when we are first Americans!
My father emigrated from Italy at eleven. He did it properly, he did it legally. He rode a boat that today would challenge even today’s strongest. Landing at Ellis Island, the clerk, who didn’t understand Italian, bestowed his own version of my dad’s last name upon him and all my father’s future generations; he accepted it. He found himself attending school at the same time working menial jobs to help his parents who didn’t speak English. After fulfilling the strict Naturalization rules of the 1930s, he became a proud American.
He seldom found schoolmates, co-workers, grocerers, or doctors who spoke Italian. He didn’t have the luxury of picking up directions for, say, assembling a coffee table for my mother, sleds for my brother and me; no literature was written in both English and Italian, or English and any other language, for that matter. He never demanded to be accommodated as a foreigner during his school years, or in any minority situation. He attended school daily, earned his high school diploma (GRE while in the Army), and served his country as a medal-earning Merrill’s Marauder. He understood that he was desiring to live in a country that wasn’t his by birth, and so it was his responsibility to learn the country’s language, get a job and respect that job, assimilate into the culture and adopt the mores, rules, and values of the new land. He expected nothing from his neighbors, his employers, the government.
Part of this assimilation was attempting to not stick out as a guest in the New World but rather to embrace the people and their ways. He never expected special treatment, or attention to his beliefs, his culture, or inclusion in American activities, textbooks, or films, or theme parks. I can’t imagine him getting together a group of Italians–Americans or immigrants–to protest an American parade as a way of dictating that his culture be featured. In fact, he mastered English so well that you had to listen hard to detect an accent. Yet he was taunted for being a foreigner, slammed for being “different.” His goal of wanting to become one of them-- not make them become him--never wavered. He and my mother and relatives never taught our generation the beauty of the Romance language lest it “mark” us; it wasn’t considered beneficial for American-born children to be bilingual; uniformity brought opportunities in the land where anyone of anyplace at anytime could become anything they wanted with honesty and sweat.
What happened? Suddenly we’re worrying about offending anyone with backgrounds different from ours. We feel compelled to provide literature in multiple languages; to provide special consideration in hospitals, churches, even theme parks for those not of our soil. When we Americans are told that we cannot create something strictly “American,” that it has to take in other worlds, something’s wrong. We are rapidly losing our identity, culture, sovereignty in attempt to please everyone.
So here’s a thought. Let’s start by making English the national language. Let’s do embrace visitors and citizens-to-be to our country while making them understand that they are not entitled to our native-born rights and privileges until they meet regulations after living here a good long time. Let’s take a serious look at hiring foreigners when Americans can do the same job, and let’s review the visas of those who have been in this country too long on a work or school permit. Let’s bury the sins of our fathers’ fathers–those who treated others so sinfully--and start anew without the past always hanging over our heads and preventing solid, trusting co-existence. Let’s stop catering to every single minority and alternative group just to please them. We are built on democracy...majority is supposed to rule. Giving up the Lord’s prayer in school because one woman complained isn’t majority rule. And most of all, those who come to our country should be made to understand in the most tactfully way that they are, after all, bound to fit into our country and not visa versa.
Nan DeVincent-Hayes, Ph.D
I would be proud to have anyone like her as a daughter.
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I came here from Cuba as a Pedro Pan kid in 1961. In a few months I could speak English. It's served me well. (For one, I can read FreeRepublic.)
I used to argue with my parents who thought it was funny that in Miami there were signs in store windows that said, "English spoken here." I believe that all immigrants should learn to speak English, and they should become Americans, not just on paper, but in spirit.
Even before adolescence I understood that to have a nation, you need shared values and a common language.
I wonder if the Democrats and multiculturalists who are doing our society such harm, REALLY think what they're doing is right, or whether they just figure language is another way to use a wedge issue for their own gain. Sadly, I think I know the answer.
Their efforts to balkanize us are more examples of their hate for America and their arrested development. You'll see it in the demonstrators at the convention this week. They have such seething disdain for our nation and such resentment of authority. They haven't reached emotional puberty.
On election day, I will think about all the other Cubans still under Fidel's tyranny, who wish they could enjoy the freedoms that liberals abuse, and I will think of all that I love about this great and generous country. Then as a proud and grateful American, I will cast my vote to re-elect President George W. Bush. OhMike
The author is making a brilliant point that the leftists have diluted American culture with their insistence on "diversity". If you choose to leave your homeland and emigrate to American to become an American citizen, become an American citizen. Don't do it half-assed and expect us to acknowledge your native language or the traditions and practices of your homeland. If that's what you want - GO HOME!!!
If you want to be one of us, learn English, learn our traditions and practices. You can still observe traditions from your native land, if you choose (we're always looking for a reason to party!), but don't expect us to reject OUR traditions in favor of YOURS!!! We have a proud heritage, too!
Except for the Native Indians, we are all immigrants. True American Patriots have the Spirit in their hearts that you hold so dearly.
>>"I believe that all immigrants should learn to speak English, and they should become Americans, not just on paper, but in spirit."<<
Gee, thanks for making the effort to check all those checkboxes to spam all the state topic lists. Of course, that's why we subscribe to them -- to keep from missing something specifically related to the state(s) that interest us.</sarcasm>
Well, except for that whole "We're a democracy, majority rules" stuff, not a bad 'essay' at all...
Even we are immigrants... It's just we got here several thousand years earlier than most ;0)
"several thousand years"
Uhhhh! I don't think America is several thousand years old .. is it ..?? Did I miss something ..??
Ahh, but we American Indians have been here on Turtle Island that long ;0)
Oh geeeeeez .. that's not fair!
I have helped several and will continue to help Cuban political refugees. Nice post and keep up the good work.
Hasta la vista, tonto.
Espa~nol.........
I consider your incremental destruction of the American traditions and way of life a virus epidemic. Be it any nationality that comes to America to become a citizen, not just those from mexico. Most come here from their former country to become an American and to embrace the freedoms and wealth we enjoy. To come here, legally or not and demand we adopt the ways of a few at additional costs in all aspects of our lives makes your kind a burden not an asset to our country.
Heritage is a fine thing for any immigrant and is to be respected and honored. As to New Mexico....did ya vote for the polidiot that punked you and yours by having "two" official languages ? If such were really anything more that PC which you seem to swallow very well.......if it were truly an "official" language every speed limit sign over there would say "Límite De Velocidad" in addition would it not.
As "La Voz de Aztlan" your ambitions are clear and understood....... bring help as you'll need it.
El pendejo has been banned.
I wish the Mod had allowed the person to stay awhile. I was hoping that we could get into a nice debate about what the US Constitution and the various State Constitution say, how they take supremecy over the UN Charter and international opinion.
One language in a country helps people become more easily assimilated into the culture of that country.
Rather than turning America into a European style nation where traveling 200 miles requires the traveler to speak and understand another language, we have the same language in almost the entire continent. (From the Mexico border north to the North Pole.)
"we are all immigrants"...........On that I will disagree....I was born here. Maybe you ment we are all the result of immigration.
WordNet Dictionary
Definition: [n] a person who comes to a country where they were not born in order to settle there
Webster's 1913 Dictionary
Definition: \Im"mi*grant\, n. [L. immigrans, p. pr. of immigrare
to go into: cf. F. immigrant. See {Immigrate}.]
One who immigrates; one who comes to a country for the
purpose of permanent residence; -- correlative of emigrant.
Syn: See {Emigrant}.
Mohow se va......:o)
The final insult was realizing that our government was complicit in this giveaway, not for our benefit, but for the benefit of the slave labor lobby. When Americans see their construction jobs and service jobs going to illegal aliens who work for peanuts, they realize that their pay scale that they depended on to support their families is lost forever. The resentment is growing in the border states, and it is spreading. Most of our elected officials don't care because it's not affecting them. There are few who are actually representing the people who elected them because they're paid off by big business slavemasters.
Hasta La Vista, es-pan-ol...
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