Asians and the VA Tech shooting

[Beauty Mark]

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a group of immigrants bringing their home cultures with them.

Yeah, hence Little Italy, sections of town where you know the Irish live, Greektown, etc.

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The fact that "Must Speak Spanish" is on so many requirements for employment in Southern California these days is testimony to the fact that a large population of immigrants is not assimilating into the mainstream.

I agree that people in the US should learn English. I've seen resistant factions in languages other than Spanish; some East Asians I've met are very resistant to learning anything but the bare minimum of barely understandable English.

This is completely OT from the original point, but should English be a requirement to enter the US? One of my friends had idea that English shouldn't be required but that you shouldn't expect the people around you to speak your native language.

 

[Raerae]

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Originally Posted by Ladybug10678 I disagree that it is entirely about that. I think it's indicative of the fact that there are a lot of NEW immigrants (legal and illegal) that haven't yet learned English. I'm sure there are a considerable number of Spanish speaking immigrants that choose not to learn English (I think they tend to be female and older which I think is a societal issue), but I also know that there are a lot of people who are learning. The problem is, learning English as a second language is freaking hard! Jeez, I know native born Americans who can't even speak the language well. It can be a lot of hard work to learn another language.

Personally, I dont think, "OMG English is hard" is a escuse. And I think all the catering we do to the hispanic immigrant population in California only further eliminates the need for immigrants to learn our "hard" language quickly. The fact EVERY phone number to most large business in California has, "para espanol, prima numero dos" on it's phone menu just makes it easier for hispanics to not assimilate.

I'm pointing out spanish speaking immigrants because in light of my expierence with non native speakers, they tend to be the ones that struggle the most with English. Living in LA, I encounter non native speakers from around the globe and across cultures. And the vast majority of immigrants who dont speak spanish as a first language, are ABLE to communicate in English. It might not be perfect english, but we are able to communicate. I can order Thai food from the Thai Restaraunt up the street, with Thai writing all over it's windows, even though the older Thai woman I'm speaking with who always answers the phone, talks with a heavy accent, and REALLY bad english. I can go to the Arabic market a few blocks away, and the people working there, can help me find the foods I want to buy.

On the contrary, if I pick up my phone at work, and it's a spanish speaking individual, they ask me if I speak spanish. Even though I answered the phone in english. So when I say no, they eigther hang up the phone, put their 5 year old who speaks english on the phone to translate, or very rarely, attempt to speak english. Yes I do encounter many hispanic immigrants who speak english, some good some bad. It's not all of them. And I REALLY appreciate those who have made the effort to learn, even if it's not easy to communicate. But I truly do believe that all the catering we do to the hispanic immigrant population, only hurts them in the long run.