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Learn Our Language
December 30, 2008
This is a headline story right here! It has to be one of the top issues in the country today. I am referring to the "Press two for Spanish" issue. Why is this even an option? If someone wants to become an American badly enough, they should take the initiative to learn the language that is spoken here: English. I mean, does the government not know that by allowing a language barrier to exist inside our country, they are potenially limiting the progression of the country. There should not be a need for any type of translator in our country. How can we be called the top country in the world if the citizens within it are not able to communicate freely? "Press two for Spanish" is also one of the most annoying statements that can be uttered over the phone. Spanish is not the only problem either. It is all the gibberish and nonsense that has to be endured before actually having the opportunity to speak to a customer service officer or telephone operator. I believe that Americans need to keep it simple. Diversity is grand, but when it pertains to the language, there is a problem. I have a simple solution that will unify our country and tear down the language barrier: Learn our language or go home!
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This article has 201 comments.
Ok. . . Let me pick my words carefully when commenting on this article of yours; everyone is entitled to an opinion. I believe that you are very close-minded on this topic. America is one of the most diverse countries in the world. I find it ironic that you are writing a very blunt opinion article while you are not open to other people. It's just a language; why do you care so much if people speak different then you anyways? Next will you start criticizing people with accents? And I don't understand why you are even just focusing on the Spanish language in this, there are many other languages that are spoken in America other than Spanish; which by the way I think is a wonderful language even though my primary language is English. You must think about your family history. When your ancestors came over from another country think of how much your life would be different if they were turned away for not speaking English. The primary language is English in this country I understand, but what if that changes? Due to the fact that more and more people come to America each and every day and most of them who speak Spanish, Spanish could easily become the primary language. Then it would say "Press 2 for English." How would you feel about that? Then there would be a lot of people telling you to learn their language "or go back home." I doubt you would listen to them. . .
jayr831 said...
on Mar. 20 2010 at 11:19 am
i disagree with this article because everyone has the rite to be somewhere and not learn their language if they dont want to .Highschool students can choose whatever language they want to learn based on their nationality and what languages they speak in their households and whatever they speak at their homes that should be the type of language they should learn not someones elses language .Many people around the world are the same its just we are diffrent skin types and have diffrent languages then others this does not mean that we are pessimistic human beings.
in my point of view you should have expressed yourself in a less disrespectful way and have more respect towards other races.if you understood the diffuculties that other people go through you may have change in your opinion .People who do not speak english feel oppressed for not being able to communicate with others .People in the U.S try their best to be successful with their own customs .My expierences to learn english was fairly easy due to my family ,but i i understand what other people go through to be here in the U.S .
in my point of view you should have expressed yourself in a less disrespectful way and have more respect towards other races.if you understood the diffuculties that other people go through you may have change in your opinion .People who do not speak english feel oppressed for not being able to communicate with others .People in the U.S try their best to be successful with their own customs .My expierences to learn english was fairly easy due to my family ,but i i understand what other people go through to be here in the U.S .
jayr831 said...
on Mar. 20 2010 at 11:12 am
i disagree with this article because everyone has the rite to be somewhere and not learn their language if they dont want to .Highschool students can choose whatever language they want tot learn .It is based on their nationality and what languages they speak in their households and whatever they speak at their homes that should be the type of language they should learn not someones elses language .Many people around the world are the same its just we are diffrent skin types and have diffrent languages then others this does not mean that we are pessimistic human beings.
in my point of view you should have expressed yourself in a less disrespectful way and have more respect towards other races.if you understood the diffuculties that other people go through you may have change in your opinion .People who do not speak english feel oppressed for not being able to communicate with others .People in the U.S try their best to be successful with their own customs .My expierences to learn english was fairly easy due to y family ,but i i understand what other people go through to be here in the U.S .
in my point of view you should have expressed yourself in a less disrespectful way and have more respect towards other races.if you understood the diffuculties that other people go through you may have change in your opinion .People who do not speak english feel oppressed for not being able to communicate with others .People in the U.S try their best to be successful with their own customs .My expierences to learn english was fairly easy due to y family ,but i i understand what other people go through to be here in the U.S .
Serafin Leon said...
on Mar. 19 2010 at 10:01 pm
You should not be writing like this about the hispanic people. Stop being ignorant and think about how many hispanics live in the u.s. Their at re problebly hispanic people liveing in your town and you talk to them. There might also be a hispanic person liveing next door. Not all hispanic people are all the same. Some are educated with potential in their lives. Some hispanic people are in an adverse situation an thy come to this country for a better life. You would also do the same. You should not tell them to go back, because your family or ancesters migrated to this country too. You should not have animosity against the hispanic or other people because this is a free country and people can talk whatever language they want. There might be adversity between you and the hispanic people but at the end we are all humans. You should not be that close minded. Being like this will get you nowhere. People will think that you are rasest agenst others.
berto said...
on Mar. 17 2010 at 11:46 am
Their is a diverse group of people who are ignorant about how difficult it is to learn a second language. I agree with the author when he says that people should learn another language. I also agree that people should learn English. However, I disagree with his argument that people who do not learn English should leave America and return to their Native countries. If he was in our position, he might have a different opinion. He would know what it felt like to be criticized and oppressed for not speaking English well. He might become more compassionate and sensitive to the plight of second-language learners.
I agree with this person because he says that people should try to learn english. I know that he is right because people who do not know can succed and get better jobs. Speaking both English and Spanish, is a neccesary skill today. Now that I am able to speak English, I can clearly see its benefits. I still strongly object to the author's animosity toward non-English speakers, however having been in that situation in the past, myself.
I agree with this person because he says that people should try to learn english. I know that he is right because people who do not know can succed and get better jobs. Speaking both English and Spanish, is a neccesary skill today. Now that I am able to speak English, I can clearly see its benefits. I still strongly object to the author's animosity toward non-English speakers, however having been in that situation in the past, myself.
Marcelaa said...
on Mar. 17 2010 at 11:00 am
Your article is the most ignorant article I have read. You have no clue what us Latino's really have to face. If we came to America it was because here there is more potential fo us to succeed. Your animosity towards Latinos is nonsense baceause you are not completely surrounded by us therefore you do not understand how we truly are. Latinos are strong humans because we have the urge to come over here to get a better education in life.
America is full of diversity and you just have to learn more about us Latinos. My family is a Latino family. My parents grew my sisters and I up to believe that everyone is equal. She purposely put me in a private school so I could grow up tolerant to another race other than Latino. You as a U.S. citizen should try to learn more abut Latino culture and see that we struggle for the same issues as you probably do. We should all be considered equal.
America is full of diversity and you just have to learn more about us Latinos. My family is a Latino family. My parents grew my sisters and I up to believe that everyone is equal. She purposely put me in a private school so I could grow up tolerant to another race other than Latino. You as a U.S. citizen should try to learn more abut Latino culture and see that we struggle for the same issues as you probably do. We should all be considered equal.
MelissaCamacho said...
on Mar. 15 2010 at 1:42 pm
I disagree with your opinion, Many people who want to achieve came to succeed with their family. Also they do not have the time to learn english. Many have to work in order to provide food for their family. People struggeled to get in this country and it is ignorant for you t be writing this.
While i was reading your opion made me feel alienated beacuse I come from a mexican family. My parents both came to this country to make their lives more easy and momentous. You are being extreamly racist. You would not like it if you had to migrate to another country, and have people insult you. You would feel unwanted and would not want to be around those kind of people.
While i was reading your opion made me feel alienated beacuse I come from a mexican family. My parents both came to this country to make their lives more easy and momentous. You are being extreamly racist. You would not like it if you had to migrate to another country, and have people insult you. You would feel unwanted and would not want to be around those kind of people.
Did you THINK when you were writing this? I mean really. I had a freind who was visiting from another country and couldn't speak english. she had to make a phone call used that "Press 2 for Spanish" it helped! We have that system for people who have just come into America or are visiting. Did you think of that? or just that everyone should speak one language? Honestly, I think people that go off about things like that are iggnorant and don't like waiting for 2 seconds while the call says that. don't think about yourself. what if you went into a Hispanic nation and made a call and it said "Press 2 for english"? You'd be thanking the lord that you didn't have to try to translate everything.
Ruby Martinez said...
on Mar. 8 2010 at 12:06 am
Your artice is the most rediculous article i have ever read. You are completley ignorant to others feelings. Reading your article made realize outside my communitiy there is so much raceisim. I strongly disagree with your opinion because i am latina and to me it is completlry fine knowing just one language. You created so much animosity in me towards you and other people out there the same or similar to you.
With your rude comments you are trying to encourage others out there to opress lations and other races. Just because you would not help out to translate english to spanish speakers does not mean no one would. We go through adversity trying to make a decent living and to have you being extremelry intolerent does not help at all. I do not know how you could be so mean to tell people learn your language or go home. Hopefully one day someone will make you realize you are wrong and that without us here you would not have affordable food that you consume everyday.
With your rude comments you are trying to encourage others out there to opress lations and other races. Just because you would not help out to translate english to spanish speakers does not mean no one would. We go through adversity trying to make a decent living and to have you being extremelry intolerent does not help at all. I do not know how you could be so mean to tell people learn your language or go home. Hopefully one day someone will make you realize you are wrong and that without us here you would not have affordable food that you consume everyday.
Miguel L. said...
on Mar. 7 2010 at 9:50 pm
Why would you not want Latinos in your community they provide many of your people with fruits like strawberries. To me this brings animosity to me and many other Latinos. There are many Latinos that are facing adversity. You should not talk about my heritage like that just because your from a different heritage. This is not tolerant because there are many of my people that know how to speak English.
To me this is somewhat racism it can cause anguish to others and cause anger. I agree with some of it because I have seen my family fave diversity. It makes me mad because my whole family are Latino. You should not of been racist when writing this because then everyone is going to try to send them back were they were born. That is not right there are Latinos facing many problems already and oppression. If only you knew what we are going through so you should not write these things about my heritage. I know your wrong about what your saying, or you do know know what it is like to go through the things we go through.
To me this is somewhat racism it can cause anguish to others and cause anger. I agree with some of it because I have seen my family fave diversity. It makes me mad because my whole family are Latino. You should not of been racist when writing this because then everyone is going to try to send them back were they were born. That is not right there are Latinos facing many problems already and oppression. If only you knew what we are going through so you should not write these things about my heritage. I know your wrong about what your saying, or you do know know what it is like to go through the things we go through.
Bree<3 said...
on Mar. 5 2010 at 2:07 pm
While reading "learn our Language" I realized you are closed minded and I have animosity towards you. You have clearly been raised way differently than I have. People like you are ignorant and do not have a clue about latinos. Maybe where you are from, there is not many latinos. Okay, yes, maybe latinos should practice their english, but that does not give you the right to tell us to go home if we donot learn english.
Sometimes I wonder what it is like to be so closed minded and ignorant like you. You may think im just another mexican and I should go home. Well, I have something to say to you, I am not going anywhere, so get used to it. The latino population is going up and there is nothing you can do about it. So go ahead and and write another article about how you want everyone to speak your language and if they do not then to go back to their homeland, but that is not going to happen. Unlike you, I have the potential to get over the language barrier.
Sometimes I wonder what it is like to be so closed minded and ignorant like you. You may think im just another mexican and I should go home. Well, I have something to say to you, I am not going anywhere, so get used to it. The latino population is going up and there is nothing you can do about it. So go ahead and and write another article about how you want everyone to speak your language and if they do not then to go back to their homeland, but that is not going to happen. Unlike you, I have the potential to get over the language barrier.
LearnOurLanguage said...
on Feb. 12 2010 at 11:23 am
I can almost agree with you. You are correct in saying that there is nothing wrong with learning about other cultures; it can be quite enlightening. Also, it would be fun to be able to communicate across a variety languages. However, that was not the point of the article. When it comes down to the functionality of society, everything would run more smoothly if people were able to communicate freely and without the impairment of a language barrier. If I were to move to Japan, it would be respectful for me to learn Japanese in order to be able to communicate, rather than hoping I run into someone else who speaks English. It is an act of common courtesy for those who want to be involved in American society to at least learn the American language: English.
malursy said...
on Feb. 12 2010 at 12:30 am
i don't completely agree with this. the "main" language is english, yes, so it's best if immigrants (illegal or not) learn the language. however, i think it'd be best if americans started expanding their horizons and learned other languages too. english isn't always going to be the "lingua franca" of the world. my friends from other countries can speak at LEAST 2 languages. my friend from morocco speaks french, arabic, and english fluently and she's learning korean. people say foreigners are bilingual because they're closer to other countries. when did learning become a bad thing? is it really going to hurt you to try to learn another language? are you that lazy and self-absorbed that you don't want to try to learn about other cultures? i've been taking spanish for almost 4 years now and i've only GAINED from the experience. it's fun when i'm in public and the mexicans next to me think i can't understand what they're saying. it's like a game sometimes. i'm constantly learning new things and thinking about things in different ways and from new perspectives. i've also gained a better understanding of english because of spanish. i also want to point out that, in my experience, the people who are "speak english or go home" are less educated than people who are wanting other languages. also, i know people with english as their second (or third) language who speak it better and more grammatically correct than monolingual english speakers. so, would you really lose anything by LEARNING SOMETHING NEW? thank you.
MisplacedTexan14 said...
on Jan. 25 2010 at 5:48 pm
I agree. They don't have to stop speaking spanish, but if they want to prosper in America they need to learn english. Isn't it akward when you meet someone and they barely speak english? When I lived in Argentina, everyone in my family worked hard to learn the language. Being on vacation is different. What the author is talking about is living here. If I were to move to China, yes, i would try to learn the language. People in other countries don't like it when you can't understand a word they say when you come to visit. This isn't a racist paper, it is just saying that in America, we speak english and it would make everyone happier if everyone who moved here (notice I say moved here, not vacationed here) could speak it too.
LearnOurLanguage said...
on Dec. 9 2009 at 9:45 am
I do not believe my article is one related to racism at all. I even point out that diversity is grand, diversity of culture, that is. I identify the language barrier as a hindering factor in our country's prosperity. Can a realization such as this be considered ignorant or racist?
Thank you for contributing to the "buzz" as you labeled it. I appreciate your opinion.
Thank you for contributing to the "buzz" as you labeled it. I appreciate your opinion.
This is ridiculous and I can not believe the amount of people who agree with this. It is ignorant and borderline racist for you to complain about diversity and tell people of other cultures to "go home," based on "press two for Spanish." Believe me I would tear this article apart but frankly I don't want to waste my time on something that was written just to be "controversial." You didn't write this as your opinion; you wrote it as a means to generate buzz without realizing what you are writing about. That's all I am going to say. Cheers.
proud2b said...
on Nov. 17 2009 at 6:35 pm
my opinion on the issue is that it's less of a hassle for someone who does understand english to listen to a couple easy words and press a button than for the service to not be offered and someone who does not understand english to attempt to understand what is being said. it's a minor inconvenience and it really says something about the patience and understanding of todays youth if they can't put in even a minimum amount of time and effort into insuring someone else has an easier life.
Sunshineyday said...
on Nov. 16 2009 at 4:30 pm
I think that most people who live in America ARE learning English or at least trying if they don't know already. It's just that you can't learn in one day. Some people are even refugees, so they can't spend extra time at home in their mother land studying lest they get shot or blown up.
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