Why English Should Be The Official Language

Dakstang

WC's Resident Redneck

My argument is that English should be made the official language of the U.S.

I don't feel that people that are born in the U.S. should have to adapt to new comers. They should have to adapt to us. That is the way that our ancestors before us did and it was much harder for them. They didn't have near the amount of access to materials to learn English.

If people don't get jobs because they don't know English, they would learn it fairly quickly.

chops

The country I am talking about is the United States of America. From the beginning of this country all of the laws and rights have been written in english. Most of the public school's teach primarily in english. No matter what people spoke before it was a country, so technically we should speak english.

Danny Diamond

Founder/Admin

*side note, I am moving this to the debate forum as its certainly sparked enough debate*

I agree with Chops.

In Quincy there are freaking Chinese signs everywhere, CVS stores have shit written in Chinese etc etc. In the town next to mine everything is written in Spanish. If I moved to China, I would sure as shit start learning Chinese.

Stick with one language.

Fuck diversity. When people got off the boats to the Statue of Liberty did they say "Hello Juan Rivera Gomez, would you like to choose Spanish, English or Russian as your primary language?" No they said "Hello Juan Rivera Gomez, you are now John Smith and you best be learning the language or your ass aint getting a j.o.b."

I went into Store24 the other day and was looking for those Crystal Light packages that you pour into water, almost every convienent store around here has them these days. The barely speaking English guy behind the counter first looked at my quizzical, then pointed at cigarettes, I said "No, Crystal Light" he then pointed at '5 hour energy shots' said "NO. CRY-STAL LIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!! Its a powered drink" He then pointed at donuts, apparently he heard powdered.

I said "You have got to be fucking kidding me" and went to the store across the street and got my Crystal light off the big fat lazy white guy that said "Yeah, that shits over there" and pointed right at it.

What's worse is when American companies have people from India doing their customer service from their homeland of India, but thats another story for another day.

Also, not to be a smartass, but alot of you guys are still young and full of hope, once you get out there and spend some of your 30's trying to find ANY decent job out there you will get a little jaded like the rest of us.

God

Super Moderator

God has noticed that Americans seem to think they are the centre of the universe & the world revolves around them.

Native Americans did not speak English.
Chris Colombus & Co. were commisioned by Spain to sail the Atlanic when they came across your country.

Your lucky to even be speaking English.

Dakstang

WC's Resident Redneck

The point is that we do and have done so for hundreds of years.

Anyone that chooses to live and work in the country should have to speak English as well.

God

Super Moderator

Why? You are immigrants too. What gives you the right to tell other people what they have to do?

Dakstang

WC's Resident Redneck

And as immigrants we were forced to give up our native languages in the quest for a better life.

That is just the way it is.

We cannot expect 300+ million Americans to learn Spanish. We can expect a much smaller number of immigrants to learn English. They are coming to America seeking a better life so they should be willing to do what it takes to accomplish that.

It is only logical.

God

Super Moderator

No-one forced your forefathers to give up anything. I dont know where your forefathers came from but if they didnt speak English there they were not held at Gunpoint to learn English. They choose to. Thats the differance. Your forefathers had the choice, some chose English, others didnt. Thats how you get diversity in countires. Its nothing to do with the current crop of immigrants, they are just an easy blame target because you dont like other people not being the exact same as you (I dont mean you personally btw). Why cant the current immigrants speak whatever language they choose? As already said, if a Mexican learns English & is then in a panic, he's going to speak Spanish regardless of what you want. I speak three languages, if im in France their is no way i'm going to stop & think of what fire is in French, i'm going to use English because its my first language. The only thing forcing people to learn English is going to do is further damage your reputation world wide while strenghting the assumption that Americans are pig headed & ignorant to everything outside their fish bowl.

Dakstang

WC's Resident Redneck

Our forefathers were forced to learn English because it was the only way they could survive in America. You can bet all you own that no one accomodated foreign language a hundred years or more ago. It is simply not feasible to have two languages in this country. If that was the way it were from the beginning like Canada for example, it wouldn't be so hard.

How do you expect people in America to learn a second language now? It is simply not feasible. And furthermore, why should that burden be placed upon us to do so to accomodate people coming to our country?

God

Super Moderator

Simple. ITS NOT YOUR COUNTRY! Your forefathers left another country & moved to what is now America. That does not make it yours.