Is anyone else a bit offended by the United States being taken over by the Spanish language? Customer service lines ask you to 'Press 1 for English' - why? I don't understand why people who move to this country aren't expected to know our language. I wouldn't move to France without knowing French!
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Name : Glenda K., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 36, City : Cincinnati, State : OH Country : United States, Occupation : hr administrator, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I agree 100%. Here in Columbus there was recently a fire that killed 10 people who did not speak English. Part of the tragedy was blamed on teh lack of communication between the fire department and the people in this particular neighborhood. Now there is talk that all public servants should learn spanish, to communicate withe the growing population here in central Ohio. WHY? As Glenda said, people that come here should all speak one language. I understand that at one time English wasn't the native tongue, and whites took over the land...i am aware of the flaws and crimes done by my ancestors, but this is the 21st century. I thinkit is cool if families would like to sit around the diner table and speak in their native tongue. It would probably be good for parent/kid bonding, but out in public the language is English and for the saftey and convience of everyone, we should all no it!!! I learned in elemantary school that European countries(and Japan) learned English, not to help tourists, but to be ready in case of occupation during the cold war. Any one who wants to enjoy all that this great county has to offer(mexican,eastern european, middle eastern, or who ever) should learn the language of the land.
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Name : Andy, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 30, City : Columbus, State : OH Country : United Kingdom, I do not understand why you take offense by Spanish. This country was founded on immigrants from everywhere. It is a reality that the Latino population has grown at a rapid pace in the recent years. The fact of the matter is that Spanish is spoken by Latinos and for some it is easier to read in Spanish than in English. Would you be offended if things were found in say, Japanese as opposed to Spanish?
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Name : Raquel, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Age : 31, City : Gary, State : IN Country : United States, Occupation : Secretary/ College Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, Glenda, I couldn't agree more! My problem with it is that while I do respect the fact that different races have different cultures, etc., in this country, we are represented by so many different cultures that really the only thing we all have in common is the language. And if we do everything in English and Spanish, then what's next? There is a very large Asian population on the west coast; do we do everything in Vietnamese or Chinese to accommodate them? I have no problem with learning other languages and in fact encourage everyone I know to do so, but I agree that if you're going to live and work and go to school in the U.S., you need to learn the language. Speak your native tongue at home or with your friends, but please try to make this concession to the country you've decided to make your home.
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Name : Melody, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 40, City : Kansas City, State : MO Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, I am also offended by the Spanish language taking over in the US. I am offended by employees at stores and restaurants speaking Spanish to one another right in front of me. If they are not ashamed of what they have to say, then they should speak English so everyone will know what they are saying. They could be making derogotory remarks about the company or the manager that would not be tolerated if they spoke them in English.
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Name : davidc, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 51, City : irving, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : marketing, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I, too, have noticed this, especially when I lived and worked in California for 13 years. Those who spoke spanish at my job got paid better salaries. There has been quite the internal debate going on in my mind...I believe in and am very proud of the 'melting pot' that is the United States, we are different from other countries in that regard. We are accepting and accommodating to all. That is a GOOD thing, normally...but at the same time, I would get very frustrated that I was expected to just conform to the Mexican culture rather than the other way around. I understand that it must be hard to move your family to a new country and try to start a new life, and in most ways I am glad we are making it easier for them to assimilate by making spanish speaking readily available, yet at the same time, I do wish they would try harder. It just seems to me that some (not all) are ungrateful and expect us to bend over backwards to accommodate them.
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Name : Dawn, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : Fibromyalgia/PTSD, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 40, City : New Britain, State : CT Country : United States, Occupation : Disabled, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class, I don't know about feeling offended -- more like unsettled. My husband and I went to a new Mexican restaurant in our area last week. We went through 3 servers before we finally got one who spoke enough English to converse with us beyond asking: 'Smoking or non-smoking?' or offering us a beverage. The waiter we finally got was young enough to make me wonder why he wasn't in school (high school). I guess I'm going to need to brush up on my high school Spanish.
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Name : Marie, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 36, City : Jeffersonville, State : IN Country : United States, Social class : Upper middle class, We have the opposite problem, too many Latino kids not knowing Spanish and hysterical people with fears like yours doing everything they can to drive any attempt to hold onto their language in the schools. Asking Latinos to give up Spanish is like telling all Jews they have to convert to Christianity to live in the US. It's the central part of the culture, even for people of that culture that might not choose to take part in it. Please, all you people who have such silly fears about Spanish speakers, THINK: You don't have this same fear about French speakers in places like New Orleans. You don't have this fear about Italians in places like New York. You don't have this fear of German speakers in places like Central Texas or Dutch speakers in Pennsylvania. The languages you do fear are Spanish, Asian languages, and Middle Eastern languages. What do they have in common that the first three don't? Their speakers are not thought of as 'white'. Fear of Spanish speakers or hostility towards them is badly disguised Racism with a capital R. And the fear is completely groundless, as I pointed out. The bigger problem is the forced assimilation you types favor. But unlike all the Eastern and Southern Europeans who were forced, threatened, and in a few cases actually LYNCHED (think about that, Glenda, non-English speakers have something in common with your ancestors), Latinos are politically strong enough to do something about it. The US Constitution and Declaration of Independence were published in English, German, and Dutch. German almost became the official language of the US, and many charitable groups and businesses a hundred years routinely provided services in Yiddish, Polish, Lithuanian, etc. The First Amendment does't say 'freedom of speech only for English speakers.' It says 'freedom of speech' PERIOD. You may not like it, but Latinos will fight you tooth and nail to keep you and types like you from trying to destroy our culture like much of the cultures of so many Eastern Europeans in this country were.
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Name : ACC25031, Gender : M, Race : Mexican and American Indian, Age : 38, City : San Antonio, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, I imagine that when the Pilgrim's landed in what they called Plymouth they couldn't speak a word of the Pequot tomgue. In the part of the country where you live there were Spanish speakers before there were English speakers. Many immigrants, including those who came against thier will, could not speak English. It would do most Americans a world of good to learn a second language.
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Name : Vail, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Mutt, Religion : Atheist, Age : 40, City : Philly, State : PA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, The United States has no official language and therefore all languages are fair game. If everyone here were to speak English, then this country would be called England. Wait a minute...there already is an England.
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Name : Danny27254, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, I am in no way offended by the increased presence of Spanish in the US. It is not taking over, there is simply a demographic shift taking place in America, and if it continues, America might someday be a bilingual nation. I am a Denverite, and there were Spanish-speaking folk in Colorado before my English-speaking ancestors arrived. How could I be offended by this? America will be an even better, stronger society as more and more of its inhabitants (especially English native-speakers) become bilingual, not because of a plot to take over, but by the reality of the situation. As for moving to a country without knowing its language(s): they are learning English. I moved to France and had to learn French. It is hard; it takes time. Be patient and learn a little Spanish; they'll want to talk to you in English more if you try a little Spanish on them.
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Name : Tom, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 34, City : Paris, State : NA Country : France, Occupation : professor, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, Yes, I am offended by it. I've found myself doing a few things that I'm actually ashamed of -- like saying I don't understand Spanish when I do. And its all due to just what you said -- so many Hispanics come here and seem to want the US to adapt to them, instead of them adapting to the US. Unfortunately, many State and Federal officials, in there desire to be re-elected, have begun to cater to these pressures. Plus there's the economic issues--so large a number of Hispanics wield a lot of money in aggregate.
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Name : Wayne24377, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 44, City : Parsippany, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I agree, we wouldn't be able to go to France, and have English taught in their schools, or am I wrong? What is really offensive is that you even get PAID more if you speak spanish or another language and job descriptions can request Bilingual employees? I could lose a job because I only speak English (which I don't I speak more, but only because for jobs I have had to learn)
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Name : Stephanie Smith, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hawaiian/Spanish/Native American/White, Religion : Christian, Age : 21, City : Twentynine Palms, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Homemaker/Loan Rep, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I find it also a bit difficult to understand, but we must also remember that, as the United States is still a very young country in relation to say, China, there is no 'original' language of the United States. We are a melting pot. Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the United States. Therefore it is only natural that some may need a choice. Perhaps, as citizens of the United States, we should make an attempt to understand and speak both languages, as many spanish speaking people have done!
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Name : Josh29126, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 24, City : Ashford, State : CT Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, I am not offended when businesses offer Spanish options to their customers or when people don't learn english right away, or even at all. Lots of immigrants throughout US history didn't learn english. This is nothing new.
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Name : Jennifer31045, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 30, City : San Jose, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Enginner, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
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