Why are people so prejudiced against a message in another language?

Question

What do some people really have against Hispanics and the French? I mean, it is uncalled for to hate an entire group of people, both of whom have beautiful cultures and languages. I have never met a French person I didn't like, unless they were from Quebec. Hispanics have always been nice to us, except for one but she was a self-declared drug dealer who needed a jail sentence. I don't understand messages like 'If you speak Spanish, go home to Mexico.' 7 million Hispanics serve the American economy illegally and deserve equal rights and protection. Why Bush won't let them sing 'The Star-Spangled Banner' in Spanish and some people oppose bilingual education. I think this is rude and prejudiced towards minorities.

Answer 1

Some Americans think the same way. I must thank you. But some others prefer to be on the hatred side.
To me, it is like those other Americans are so used to be in war, that they need a war against whoever they find different. Media supports that behaviour. And it is easier to say that Mexicans are a plague than to call Europeans that way, in a country that is of immigrant origin. What is American culture? British tried hard to kill the REAL American culture. This what they call American culture is a huge mix of other countries' cultures (carried in by all immigrants and passed onto their kids who obviously were American from that point), not the original one, which they would never support. Or what? Can someone here tell me which languges were spoken in the area where you live before America existed?
About the Frenc, well... media again. The "If they are not with us, they are against us" way of thinking is so narrow-minded that only the same Americans hating Mexicans can have. Or have you found thatthose two things are not present in a person at the same time?

Answer 2

Prejudice often arises from a limited understanding, but sometimes what looks like prejudice is not. I don't mind hearing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in Spanish, but after living and working and serving and teaching with Latinos for about the last 16 years now, off and on, I don't want the Spanish version to become a replacement for the English version. I am playing a computer game now to learn more about French, and I have nothing against the French, either. I'm not sure what you are referring to when it comes to Quebec, unless you mean it was just one person you didn't like. We can all work on tolerance, I think. I would like to see something in the way of having immigrants take a basic English class (at least!) within the first 3 to 6 months of arriving here. I actually think bilingual education is a good idea, because if you know two languages well you have that many more opportunities to work with more people. However, I think now that students will only speak one language and have less than a passable fluency in another.

Answer 3

I tried learning Spanish... didn't like it very much. Then I tried French, which was even worse :(. Then came along German. Which sounds pretty cool, and it was easy, IMO.

Well, the world is a twisted place. I can try to put myself in their point of view, and I still dont understand them at all.

What's even more ironic is that there are a few North Korean refugees who come to the US, and they are treated a lot more differently. The government provides them with adequate food/housing/clothes etc, until they adapt to capitalism.

Oh about the French... I don't like the fact that they screwed up the English language so badly. They're the reason that we have spelling mistakes! :(

Answer 4

because I want to read what is written. here and every else. This is America English is our language. If I went to a french country and they are writing in french then I would expect to learn and write french because that is there language. English is our language in their own home they can talk in their language to each other. We have to keep English here in America other wise in the future English will not be the language we make it to easy to come into this country .It is to easy here it has nothing to do with prejudice but it has to be earned when my ancestors came to this country they had to learn to talk English and write English but yes they still talked Italian at home. That is why so many illegals come here because they know they can find there way around press 1 for English press 2 for Spanish vice verse. Every thing is written in English and Spanish. Even on potato chip bags. Now about the star-spangled Banner If your in this country and you call yourself an American Citizen then you sing it in English. Show how greatful you are to be free. About bilingual education I'm for it while they are learnig english english should be number one to learn they can learn their language at home.
When I look in the paper for a job 70% says bilingual I have to go back to school to learn a new language no way unless the goverment plans on paying for it.

Answer 5

Why only Spanish? Maybe the Star Spangled Banner should be sung in all languages. Bilingual education...how about learning all languages? English is the common bond. What if I don't want ot study Spanish? Should it be forced on me? Why give preference to Spanish? With all the outsourcing to India, maybe we should all learn Hindi so we can communicate with them. I don't think it is rude or prejudiced. It is just common sense. Imagine sitting there and listening to "Press 1 for English, press 2 for Spanish, press 3 for Chinese, press 4 for Japanese. press 5 for Hindi,.......".

Answer 6

Oh, I am so honored to answer this question. Personally, I like mexicans. Well, all the ones that I've met so far. The problem that I have is that they come to America and wave their Mexican Flag. Hey buddy, you want to come and live here, show it! I'm glad that you have pride. Thats awesome. Now have some pride in the country that you want to live in.

Okay, now for the Friech. Imagine just getting you butt handed to you for.. oh, I don't know, lost count, and suddenly, soldiers started falling out of the sky. They don't speak your language. They bath. But they do have a mission. To defent the country that you couldn't. That happened only 65ish years ago. How did they forget about that. I truly hope that France gets invaded again. The only problem is, who would do it? I think we killed off all the German Testosterone over the course of two World Wars.

Answer 7

Why are so many people prejudiced against speaking English?Minorities should learn to speak the language of the majority and respect the laws,rules and social customs that the majority follow.Then they would be able to exercise their rights to be a little different without creating friction. Language can bind a nation or divide it.The choice is in the hands of everybody.

Answer 8

The nature of the way this question is posed is misleading and a little insulting. Laguage purity is not an "American" thing as suggested by the references to Bush.

Consider, France has laws on the books requiring all comercials to air on French television to be in French (1). The French government has made French the official language of France for use by all governmental functions, local and national (2), though this is not enforced for private functions.

From my personal experience in Quebec as an IT Consultant, I can tell you that all computer systems purchased with an OS preinstalled MUST have the French language set as the default language, though English or Spanish can optionally be installed as well (in our experience it usually wasn't). All street and billboard signs had to be in French... some included English in smaller letters as well, but not all.

I do not condone or support bigotry of the form "Speak english or go home", but I do firmly believe that a government has the right to support it's own culture. I would not be opposed to a law that required all US government documents to be in English while I would oppose a law that REQUIRED all US government documents to be available in another language. If they determine that it would be helpfull in thier area, I have nothing against PROVIDING the documents in another language, just with the REQUIRING of it.

And I'd be curious how many other countries allow their national anthem to be sung in a foreign tounge at government/public/educational functions. My guess is none, but please correct me with details if possible.

If you want to sing the National Anthem at your private function in whatever language you want, that's fine... but at a governmental function, you're representing America, and America's language is English. This isn't bigotry, it's patriotism.

And I also take the stance that opposing bilingual education is stupid. As much as we love America, we live in the world and should be able to interact and converse with it. However, MANDATING bilingual education would be a violation of the parents rights to determine how their children are to be taught.

And your comment that "...Hispanics serve the American economy illegally and deserve equal rights and protection" is laughable on the surface. If they are here illegally, they do NOT deserve equal rights and protection. I agree that they deserve SOME protection from bigotry and personal injury, but they are BY DEFINITION criminals. If this strikes you as bigotry, check the definition. If you don't like the law, petition or campaign to change it. But don't pretend that AT PRESENT, they aren't breaking the law.

Bush may be extreme in some of his statements. But the basic sentiment is expressed by politicians in every nation at various times in the world -- "we want to protect our culture".

Questions like this show bigotry and prejudice against America.

Answer 9

I can't figure out how people live every day taking care of all the responsibilities they have and have time to hate anybody or have any predjudice against any race. We should be thankful to be able to have the freedom to have a choice about what we like, but Christianity doesn't teach hatred, and I don't believe any religion does. It doesn't take long to learn who you want your friends to be, and it's not people who hate everybody else. I don't understand any hate messages, and I'm not a pacifist. I'm a Christian and we are taught not to hate. Hatred affects our health which causes people to have heart trouble, arthritis, kidney disease, everything else. We each have a choice of whether or not to hate, and I believe even one can make a difference, so I choose to embrace life and living it to the fullest.

Answer 10

I am half-Hispanic.

You had me until "7 million Hispanics serve the American economy illegally and deserve equal rights and protection."

That is completely asinine. Illegals don't deserve the same rights and protection as American citizens or legal immigrants.