Why do Hispanic immigrants insist we should learn their language and assimualte into their culture?

Question

But never vice versa?

It seems to me that Hispanics are the only ones that moan and complain when it comes to learning English and assimilating. No other immigrants seem to have a problem with this.

Answer 1

Excuse me? We do assimilate...I am first generation Hispanic and I have learned perfect English. You are misinformed and need to ask yourself why stereotype Hispanics this way? I don't expect you to embrace my culture, or speak Spanish....I guess what you fail to understand is, that recent immigrants take time to assimilate. It is their children, such as in my case, who later assimilate....

Answer 2

I do not deny what was done to the native populations in this part of the world. I do however say, its in the past let it go.
But, we should also learn from the past.
When the Spanish, the French, and the New nation of the United States were in the process of their conquest they knew that they had to force the natives to learn their language and accept their new culture.
This is why they insist we change and learn their language and culture, it is a conquest to them, they need to undermine us and force us to assimilate.
Independence WI had a population of 1,100 people, it has always been a town of mainly Polish immigrants and their descendants.
Yesterday I read a help wanted ad for their preschool program.
They need a new teaching assistant, and one of the requirements is that the person MUST speak Spanish to be considered for the job.
America WAKE UP, we are being invaded and our Government doesn't care.

Answer 3

Actually there are quite a few immigrant communities that speak their Old World language. My grandfather born & raised in Iowa spoke Dutch until he started school. His wife didn't speak Dutch, so although his son could understand spoken Dutch, Norwegian & German ... all spoken as first languages by American born kids, he spoke only English until he was stationed at an USAF base in France where he and his wife became fluent in French.

Where I am at in Eastern WA, I hear spoken & see written, Arabic, Vietnamese, Russian, Serbian, Bosnian & Japanese, just to name a few. My fiancee and her daughter speak Tagalog & Cebuano. Fiancee also speaks Pilipino English which is NOT American :P Daughter is learning English at school

The visibility of Spanish is due to the intense lobbying for action against Cuba and the legalization of Latino workers from Mexico, Central America & South America.

American French has been spoken on the Gulf Coast and in New England and the states that once were the French territories of Canada continuously since before the US was founded.

English is the trade language, the language of the Federal Government & most (but not all) the States, Territories & Possessions that collectively form the UNITED States of America.

Americans speak many languages, including English. The unique dialect of each is known simply and collectively as American. To make sure you will understand another American, you need to specify American English, American French, American Spanish etc. Several languages do not have non-American forms, Pennsylvania Dutch for instance has drifted so far from it's Low German roots that it can no longer be considered an American Deutsch ... it is like the Scots language of Robert Burns a unique language in it's own right that is pure American. (Scotch of course is pure Scottish :P )

For examples of English only Americans, who cannot understand spoken American English when it is (ab)used by monolingual, English speaking Americans, I recommend the PBS documentary entitled "Do You Speak American?"

God Bless America, the land that we love (no matter the language we use to express this sentiment)
Fritz

Answer 4

The issue is much more complex than simply Mexicans not wanting to assimilate. There is nothing wrong with foreigners wanting to hold on to their ethnic backgrounds when settling in America. Except for "native Americans", everyone here has some kind of foreign ethnic background, and if you go back far enough, they probably have one too. One of the issues complicating immigration reform and the assimilation process as it relates to Mexico is that some Mexicans firmly believe that America stole what is now the American southwest from Mexico, so assimilation is not needed, and they have every right to cross what they see as an illegal border and occupy America. Other immigrant groups, such as Asians, don't have this issue. America is multicultural, and one trip to the California DMV will show you that not just Mexicans, but Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, European, and many other cultures are firmly represented here in the form of multilingual documents and publications. There are entire cities devoted to single ethnicities. Little Saigon leaps immediately to mind. Immigration is a hot issue, but only because of the illegal abuses of it, which may I remind you is not just a Mexican issue. Mexican immigration, legal or not, is the most visible because Mexico is one of only two countries that America shares a border with, and is the most culturally and linguistically different. And I'll bet you wouldn't know a Canadian immigrant, legal or not, if he was standing right next to you.

Answer 5

It's only the ILLEGAL Hispanic immigrants who want us to learn Spanish and assimilate into their culture. Legal Hispanic immigrants have no problem learning English and assimilating into our culture...since it's a small sacrifice to make for a better life here.

[To all the posters saying immigrants do assimilate]

Yes. The legal immigrants do assimilate and do learn English. We appreciate it and welcome you with open arms into our country. Although the original poster was rather vague and made it sounds like all Hispanic immigrants are the problem. That isn't true, as we all know.

However, the illegal immigrants are the ones who don't want to learn English or assimilate.

It's the illegal immigrants who protect and march waving the Mexico flag and shouting about Mexican pride in Spanish that are the problem.

It's the illegal immigrants who want all government business conducted in Spanish so they can understand it are the problem.

It's the illegal immigrants who want government documentation published in Spanish as well so they can understand it are the problem.

Answer 6

Historically, groups of immigrants have integrated and assimilated into our culture. Take the Vietmanese for example, only their elderly did not assimilate well. Most of these groups of legal immigrants learned English quickly.
However, with the latino illegal aliens and their supporters, there is a false belief that the US "owes" them and that the culture and nation they abandoned to come here is somehow "superior". If it was so superior, they would not have come here, period. The legal immigrants I know, except for latino, consider it rude not be able to speak English and very wrong to denigrate our nation. A legal latino immigrant I met recently still does not speak English after being here 8 years or if he does, he chooses not to do so, and has his child speak English for him. No other group, legal or illegal, has proven so resistant to our language, culture and law. The other groups do not have LaRaza or MECha spouting their racist bs either.

Answer 7

Why do white individuals worry change such a lot ? Never-the-much less, white America inter-marries with Hispanics way more (a million.four Million 2000 census) than with every other U.S. institution by way of a long way. This entails each genders in ruffly identical numbers. These 2 information recommend an attractiveness of Hispanics that Asians & blacks (either one of the latter are at minimize numbers & lopsided in desire of 1 gender) wouldn't have. They are assimilating in essentially the most fundamental manner.

Answer 8

They expect us to learn their language and assimilate into their culture? News to me. Seems more to me that they like to keep to themselves. I don't know anybody who was ever told they had to speak Spanish or embrace Hispanic culture.

And another poster makes a really good point--about a third of the US spoke Spanish before English got there. Is this really about anything but jingoism on English-speakers' part?

Answer 9

First, Hispanics were here before the anglos,, second nothing was giving to them by the anglos other then have their land taken because their titles were in Spanish, If some should assimilate language why should the Hispanics assimilate English why not French for that matter or Russian, should nt the new comers assimilate the existing language.?After all the language is Spanish in California, Oregon , Colorado, Texas, before English came here. Now knowing more then one language is a sign of education and knowledge shouldnt those in migrants from Europe learn both languages.?!!!

Answer 10

I work in an organization that hires legal Hispanics. Many are not English proficient. Because we are in a niche service organization whose customers are solely senior citizens who are no bilingual., we want to help train and teach our employees Enlgish so they can serve our customers... We do so at our own time and expense (eg, we are willing to pay their salaries as they are in English class.)

I have been shocked and dismayed at the reactions of some (not all). Some are grateful and appreciative. But not all.

But yes I have been told "You learn to speak Spanish, why should I learn English" more than once.

Absolutely stupefying.
But it is these fringe types that create the anger and frustration many Americans feel toward Hispanic immigrants (both legal and illegal). If we hire you to do a job, and are willing to pay and train you to have the skills (including Language) to do the job, and you still copy this kind of attitude.

Unconscionable.