This Land is Whose Land?!

[mandysee_mandydo]

I had to respond to this email that was sent by one of my family members because I really felt the need to educate and enlighten. The whole idea of people being up in arms about people speaking non-English languages and wanting to sing the national anthem in Spanish just really irks me. Here is my email response:


I don't usually do this but this sort of thing just kinda bugs me. Sorry _____! It's nothing personal and you know I love you dearly. Once upon a time our families were all immigrants and they brought a great deal of their culture and language and heritage with them. My family came from England, France, Germany and Ireland (talk about internal conflict!). Much of what we see in America as popular culture these days derived from something in another country.

Unless we are prepared to speak the language and follow the customs of the Tsalagi, the Dine, the Abenaki, the Lakota or any of the other First Nations that originally called this land home (or go back to our ancestral lands if we do not wish to follow those customs), we should be accepting and tolerant. This is a whole wide big world we live in with lots of room for us all to live peacefully and get along. If you don't like that someone is speaking a language you don't understand, learn the language! I did. I find it sad that most developed, "civilized" nations in the world REQUIRE school children to learn multiple languages yet we in America seem to lack that aspect of civilized society. We are stuck on this flawed ideal of being a one-language nation.

In the words of the Lakota: Mitakuye Oyasin! (We Are All Related)

Comments

[merrick42.livejournal.com]

I pretty much agree with your points. Its very hypocritical of us these days to hit out at people for not speaking english (especially when a number of our ancestors didn't).

There's only argument that I can even remotely support for the learning of "english" by requiring new immigrants or those who live on the border with Mexico and thats to establish a lingua franca in the court and educational systems to facilitate communication. At the same time, I know its a short-sighted system and could be worked past by actually encouraging diversity in the workplace, for example...to actually hire the person who can speak english, spanish or one of the pidgins crossing spanish with the local native language.

Personally, I have no problem with hearing the national anthem in Spanish, Lakota, Ugric, Esperanto or ancient Sumerian. Hearing it in another language, hell learning it, should be a requirement in schools right up there with learning about diversity or the whys behind historical events and geography. Inclusion fosters community, that thing the right-wing desperately wants to promote but never actually does anything about.

Unfortunately, a lot of these whack-jobs are using the language argument to hide their racist or classist beliefs, which frankly makes them even worse to my eyes. I wonder if anyone has explained to most of the border-state rights that everytime we get into a war, its hispanic peoples contribute heavily to troop numbers because we helped them out in the 1860s against the French?

[srturtle.livejournal.com]

What surprised me the most about the email was that it was from a family member very close to me and one that generally is fairly accepting of others. I don't think she meant it to be all whacked out, but still it was a bit surprising coming from her.

It seems mostly directed at Spanish-speaking peoples. I wonder how many of these people would tell their French-Canadian relatives to speak English or go home? I wonder if the outcry would have been the same if it were someone wanting to sing it in French or some other language?

[aunrea (from livejournal.com)]

It's funny that America seems to be an English only country yet we have no official language(s)!

[srturtle.livejournal.com]

Yeah, for some reason people have this false pretense that we're an English speaking nation and that everyone must spek English. As you point out, we have no official language.

[futuresuperhero.livejournal.com]

Nicely done - not sure if the recipient will appreciate it ;) but I think it's important to present the level-headed opposition to arguments like these, which you did very nicely!

[srturtle.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I just hope I didn't upset the person who sent it to me. I love her very much, but it really isn't something I can let slide. I had a lot of Hispanic friends and acquaintances growing up and if it weren't for them I would never have taken an interest in learning Spanish or any other languages. I also wouldn't have found the culture as fascinating.

And for those who take insult to the national anthem in another language as if it were an affront to the ideals of America, I would claim it as otherwise. I think Americans should be flattered that people from other parts of the world want to come here and "sing praise" to this country in the way they best know how. Not that I'm all flag-waving yay America because I'm far from it, but it's a perspective that I think is closer to reality and often neglected. Immigrants are just as happy as if not happier than us to be here and to be citizens. How could that be insulting?

[ciliandis.livejournal.com]

I'm not for an official language, or anything like that ... personally, my problem is with the people who treat anyone who doesn't speak their own language like an idiot - i.e, the Puerto Ricans who would come up and do landscape work in the summer, come into the gas station where I worked, talk to me in Spanish, and then get annoyed and angry when I told them, very politely, that I didn't speak Spanish.

People can speak whatever language they wish, but ... it doesn't matter to me where you're from - it's not an English-language issue, for me. It's a respect issue. If someone doesn't speak your language? Don't get insulted. Do your best to communicate politely.

Really, I think so many problems could either be solved or at least alleviated in this country if people would remember their manners.

[srturtle.livejournal.com]

I agree wholeheartedly. I think in this age of the entitlement mentality people are so caught up in what everyone should do for them that they forget what they can do for others. As a consequence, manners suffer.

I'm very glad my parents taught me to be polite and respectful. I don't always remember it, but I like to think I'm better than average these days.

[aunrea (from livejournal.com)]

I think they should at least have language lessons available for elementary school and not just high school. I do believe they should require it but at least having it available (in the public school system, that is) if a child wishes to take a language. It was requires in my high school to take one language class, but I took 3 years of French even though I got not so great grades. I took it because I wanted to learn other languages and France was a place I really wanted to visit. If they had Italian lessons available I would have taken that too. Although Italian was the first language I ever spoke. I really wish my parents had kept me speaking it after we moved to the US when I was 3. I think I would be able to speak Italian today if they did (but at a 3 year old level probably ;) )