In America we speak many languages...

No, you are right!
An ESL class in my town is around $35. There's no excuse. And in schools they cater to the non-English speaking children.

I love America, and I love being in a melting pot as I'm a 'mutt' myself, but geez. I think the term is ethnocentric...they think their land is the best and yet they come here to make $$ (often to send it home).

leah, I have to tell you this. Most people do understand,speak and read English while in this country. Some take the classes,because they need to read and write for applications. We have a lot of Haitians on third shift maintenance,they speak english well,but prefer their own language . You are right about them sending the money back to their country.

Leah, I'm with you. People who move here should learn English, as our grandparents did (mine were also from Russia). I taught ESL for years and I loved the job and my students and, on that basis, I was eager to teach their children and beccame a high school teacher whereupon I became aware of the many more people here who don't have the time for ESL classes. Nevertheless, we should not cater to them. I'm against having our voting materials etc. in other languages. If you can vote, you should at least be able to read English! It's those who don't take ESL classes who are the problem, and it makes teaching their kids that much harder.

I left CA when I could no longer get a decent job because I wasn't bilingual. I was born here, why do I need to speak Spanish? I used to volunteer for an organization that offered free ESL classes. I know enough of the basics to do general customer service in Spanish, which used to lead a lot of the non-English speakers to my cash register. I think it is wonderful to be able to communicate in several languages, but if you live in America, American should be one of them!

I used to tutor ESL kids in college and they made it thru in 4 years just like the rest of us. They may have come in without the best study skills, but they left with not only English skills, but with a degree so they could send more $$ to their home country. My college has a sister school in Japan, and you can bet all of those kids come here speaking better english then some of the folks that are native-born americans.

Tamara,
I agree!

And btw, in my town not all of them vote or care to, thus that's why we had to turn down a federal grant for a new library last year--not all of the residents vote, and I think the ones who live off my tax $$ (no offense to welfare recipients) are less likely for whatever reason to vote.

The other day on FM Talk they were talking about how 100 or 200 years ago if you had told a farmer, a furniture builder, and a clothing maker that they would have to give 50% or greater of their earnings to the government they would have laughed their way out of that town meeting. Did you know that EVERY dime you make from Jan 1-May 1 (or June 1 for some) goes right to the government if you figure it out that way. It's true.

I know this is a whole other issue (welfare) and in my article I'm talking about folks for whatever reason treat me like a piece of shit in my own country while I'm shopping in their stores.

Today in my Cingular Wireless store the same thing happened (another chain example). I was the English speaker, all the rest (and the help) were speaking NOT English and I got ignored for 25 minutes. They can take my $100+ cell phone bill and shove it. I should not get treated like a 2nd class citizen in my own country.

Wow, Aileen, wow. You almost made me lose my delightful BBQ dinner. That is a shame, and I hope you found a great job where you ended up. A job where you could speak English. I know where you're coming from, I'm one of the only people at my workplace (in Bedford, MA--home of the oldest USA battleflag mind you) who is not bilingual. Or tri-lingual.

They took the time to learn English to better serve our clients and did not bitch and moan while doing it either. They have famlies to feed. :)

Well there you go...this article has a low rating and that must mean that people don't care about this issue (kidding)

Hmmm.

Leah - Your article reminds me that annoymous people on Gather.com seem to think the rating has to do with whether they agree with the article. Not so. Your article is well designed with a nice hook at the end. I gave you a 10.

This is a topic that has become more and more a problem. Some it is the natural first generation culture clash. But much is the immigrant not wanting to invest the time to learn English or the American culture while wanting the benefits of the culture. The other half is a fear by them of losing their own idenity and parent culture.

Problems with an accent can be frustrating but not insurmountable .... works better face-to-face.

My oldest daughter is fluent in English and Spanish and can get by in social settigs in Farsi. This was a distinct advantage to her and to Macy's where she worked part-time and summers while in college. She was able to make more sales than most because of her outgoing personality and willingness to work hard at helping customers.

Thanks Anita! You rock :)

You're right about them not wanting to invest. My friend is going thru a horrible divorce w/ a Columbian woman who just wants her (and her mother) to live off my friend's $$ and not get a job in our country. The USA is kicking her out in December unless she gets a job. So she'll just be another illegal mooching off some guy (he already spotted her with a new guy at a bar). She's a beautiful Columbian woman who has no desire to work in this country OR learn the language, and yet she thinks she has every right to be here.

And btw, good for your daughter...she wanted to help folks not in her language, unlike the shopkeepers I've come accross as of late...

I am so with you leah! I ordered chinese the other night, and the person on the phone was driving me crazy! I had to reapeat everything twice or three times and then it was still wrong when I got there.

But God forbid we say anything about it, because then we are prejudice.

Yes Mandi, I agree. *looks at Iceland brochures that came in the mail and wishes everyone was as kind as the people there*

Christopher,
I wish I knew Portuguese. It's a major language in the town that I live and I belive that my favorite place to eat (Brazillian) would be all the better if I spoke the language. Also, I would be able to get my groceries bagged correctly if I spoke Portuguese.

And I really need to check out Ellis Island again. "Give us your poor, your hungry..." most likely does not mean: "Give us your stubborn and stuck-up"

Leah;
this is a short article I published months ago here.. the melting pot concept means that YOU MELT.. keep your own culture at home, but learn this one...

Idea??? write up every rude biz that you encounter with your local better business bureau. All it'd take is a form letter on the PC. EVERY one.. We all do that and the BBB's will send over a report to the biz's.


Immigration or colonization?

When the much looked down upon Europeans went to another land, refused to learn the language or follow local customs, and carted away back to their homes everything they could get it was called colonization..
***
Now we have people who are 'seeking a better life', but in reality just moving the lives they had here if possible.
Just because there is not a governmental organization or religious entity overseeing this, is it any less colonization?

L.

Lloyd,
Have you ever heard of the book Letters from a Nut?

It's great, and really gives some fine examples of letters. I've always gotten responses from my letters (and coupons!). We have a binder here at home. I tell my husband it keeps up his writing skills.

The only letter we never heard back from was to the MA State Parks (no surprise there, but the non-response prompted me to join Mass Audubon).

I don't think they are moving here for a better life all of the time.

There's a form on the BBB site, I can just paste in my form letter.

It just hurts when it's places I love, and places I spend lots of $$ at.

too true Leah...

Thanks Lloyd! Be strong, that's my motto as of late. :)

My mother didn't speak English until she was 7 years old and the authorities threatened her parents with jail time if they didn't send her to public schools -- even though my grandfather spoke English very well, Yiddish was the only language that my grandmother and grandfather had in common.

They lived in a community of folks who spoke Yiddish, who felt isolated and marginalized by the rest of New York City society. It wasn't because they didn't speak English. My grandfather spoke English to the folks who came to his tailor shop, but he was always a Jew.

People who experience prejudice learn to expect it. The people who come here from other countries are often fleeing conditions you can't imagine, being (most of us) white and middle-or-better income Americans. Often, if they do speak English, they are shy to speak as badly as they do -- because "real Americans" will treat them as mentally defective if they can't speak well, or even have an accent.

In Montreal, it's no different. If you go into a craft shop where there are no price labels, be sure to ask the price in French -- preferably good Quebecois French -- or the price will be 25%-50% higher. In another country, you don't know the culture -- you may not know when you are experiencing differential treatment, with someone smug behind a smiling face and kind manner.

Are some of us kind to immigrants? Yes. Are some folks overseas kind to us? Yes. Is the world full of kind people? No.

One last word: English is not, and has never been, the official language of the US, any more than Christianity has been our established religion. Check your history books. Teddy Roosevelt was the last person who nearly successfully pushed for an official language, best of my recollection.

So if you want people to love it or leave it, try loving the US, not our language. If you want to communicate with Americans, there are hundreds of classes out there -- almost as many as ESL -- for you to learn a few. I recommend Spanish first, these days, and then perhaps check with your local municipality about what's spoken most where you are. Perhaps it would be interesting to learn French, Russian, or even Senegalese? Most Americans only speak one language -- that makes us shockingly ignorant on a global standard.

Be careful of an attitude of entitlement. We are all immigrants. Check with your grandparents and see if this isn't a controversy that raises its head every generation. In Boston, it's been Dutch and Germans, Irish, Italians, Blacks, Hispanics, and a few lesser "incursions" in between. You talk about "insurrections?" Think of the fact that the Irish were considered to be scum bringing their "lives" with them from Ireland -- and then look a generation later at Boston politics. Same with the Italians (Mayor Menino, anyone?). Why, in 1960, by ghod, we elected the son of one of those rascal Irish politicians to president of the United States!

Somehow, people forget what a controversy that was.

This is a natural process. Chill. Slow down. Learn something. React after thinking about facts, rather than with your gut. Whenever you feel "They don't belong here" fall back a few generations and try that sentiment on for size again. Either your ancestors were owning slaves or paying immigrants pennies a day to support their own family's fortune...or they were slaves or immigrants sweating to make their own place here in the face of grinding prejudice.

Shava,
They all belong here. But the issue of respect goes accross all nationalities. The lack of respect comes from lack of being raised right. You are doing such a good job with your own son, and I know people can learn a lot from you. :)

I don't let it get to me too much...but I wanted to share with all of you that I feel it's getting worse. Yes, I grew up in a single stoplight town. Yes, here I am living now in the biggest town in America (I kid you not) for the past 11 years. I'm proud to live here, to support the children in my community (as I don't have kids of my own).

I'm proud of where I come from and how hard I had to work to get out of the hills of Western MA (I love them dearly and visit once per month).

But here I am...and I'm only going to spend money in a shop if the owner offers respect. A simple Hello in any language is a fine start. :)

I'm sorry you were so annoyed and put out and hope that giving vent to your anger has eased it somewhat. In London I have come across whole blocks of flats where none of the woman spoke English - frustrating when I was there to interview them.

Moya,
Yes--that would be. How did you handle that?

I think sometimes this problem is that business owners hire people who speak little English. These employees often work very hard for low wages. All of the Dunkin' Donuts in my area now employee Brazilians who are wonderful workers but sometimes have a lot of difficulty with English. I have found that it has helped me to be able to say "thank you" in portuguese (the language of Brazil). Occasionally as I go through the drive-thru, I will get an employee who has great difficulty understanding the order and I will get coffee with sugar which I cannot stand to drink. I think patience is in order as much as possible. I also remember that when my Irish immigrant great-grandparents came to this country, people had difficulty understanding them and there were signs in the windows saying "Irish Need Not Apply." Kindness and respect on both sides must prevail. The shop owner who did not acknowledge your presence doesn't deserve your business not because she is foreign but because she is rude.

Clare,
I agree!!

Well written article. My view is different to yours because I'm a Jamaican living in Jamaica. I will not see things as you do because although many languages are also spoken here, our situation is different. The official language here is English. All official, business, commercial and technical communication are in English. All schools classes are in English. However most of us grow up speaking Jamaican Creole. English is a foreign language to most of us. It took me several years of constant practice to get it right (hurray for grandmas). My children speak English and had to learn Creole.

A foreigner here therefore has a problem. They usually learn English, but find that most of their customers have difficulty understanding them. Most of us understand, but do not speak standard everyday English, but the foreigners often mispronounce it.

What we and the foreigners do, is exercise tons of patience and ask for help.

My suggestion to all the world is: Learn English; become very proficient in it. No matter where you live in the world, it will greatly enhance your earning potential.