Why are all the childrens cartoons pushing Spanish on them?

Question

As I sit home with my sick kids today I've heard more spanish speaking cartoons and such then I ever have. I don't know how to take that...Should I be offeneded or am I offending someone else? Should I really care? It really doesn't bother me except that I speak English in America and don't understand any other language.

Answer 1

You should not care that much because it is very helpful for a child's mental development to learn different languages. The only problem is that cartoons should also teach other languages, not just Spanish.

Answer 2

Perhaps the cartoons are sensitive to the fact that there are 26 countries in the world that claim Spanish as their primary language. There are more Spanish speakers than English speakers roaming the planet right now.
On a more local level, the cartoon creaters are probably also realizing that Spanish-speaking people will be the majority of the American population in the next 20 or so years. That's not opinion. It's a fact based on the projections of the US Census. How are our children going to compete - let me take that back - survive without knowing Spanish?!
As for the fact that they are young and are still trying to grasp the English language, the best time to teach another language *IS* when they're young. Studies show that the older you are, the harder it is to learn a new language. I would be pretty happy that my kids were going to be prepared for adulthood by learning Spanish.

Answer 3

I think it's wonderful. I think that in the globalized world in which we live it is becoming extremely important that children learn more than one language. Not only is it a great skill, it opens up so many doors, makes it easy to travel, doubles or tribles the books and movies you can watch and read, not to mention te music, and it is a great skill to have when looking for jobs. If you have a problem with the cartoons though, just turn them off or change the channel, but I don't see why you need to feel offended by the networks trying to teach kids an incredibly valuable skill.

Answer 4

If it makes you feel any better, a lot of the shows shown in the rest of America (I mean, Mexico, Perú, etc) are US shows. We don't take that as offensive: it's an opportunity to learn and get to know different cultures.
I am Mexican and I was exposed -like most of my townspeople- to your country via TV and radio. I studied English in school for more than twelve years. I am glad I can now master English because it opens more doors to knowledge. I also speak German, which has been a truly wonderful treasure, because it has shown me things that otherwise would have remained hidden from me. There's nothing wrong with being offered an extra language.

Answer 5

Have you all heard about global economy ??? Are you aware that our childrens are going to compete against Europeans, Japanese and South American childrens speaking at least 2 languages, and most of them 3, 4 and 5 different languages ? Have you been to Central America ? There is some huge road panels in Costa Rica saying : Speaking only two languages is not enough to succeed in life... You should not only push your childrens to learn Spanish, but also Chinese, Japanese, German, French and so on. If we all stare at our nostrils and do nothing, others will become more competent and push us down. Has America became that sick as to worry about his childrens learning too much ? And don´t worry about cultural assimilation, America is still far of that !

Answer 6

They do it for the same reason they put spanish on the labels of goods in the store now. They are going for the audience/customers they'd miss otherwise. I wouldn't be offended. I wished I knew more spanish than "tres cevesas, por favor" and how to count to ten. I remember when they added spanish to Sesame Street years ago. Nothing major, and it's good to learn. So, it's not something which should offend you.

Answer 7

You should be glad that the cartoons are teaching your kids something that you obviously do not think is important enough for them to learn. Right now the Spanish speaking population is on the rise and it will eventually become a very important language in the US.

Answer 8

I know. I think kids in America need to first understand English before trying to master Spanish also, don't you? I believe it only confuses them when they see cartoons trying to teach them both at the same time.

Answer 9

The hispanic population is rapidly growing in the United States, faster than any other. Spanish is being worked into children's curriculum as they may need to speak it years from now.

Answer 10

I think they are trying to help teach them spanish early for when they have to go to school and learn it. I also feel that we are in America and should speak english, but I don't think that we are ever going to win that fight.