We are an English only country. We speak only English and demand every citizen to speak it and adopt the American culture. Now take that into perspective, think about it honestly, if we we’re to do that, what would happen to the culture that shaped America as it is today? The repercussions of making the national identity could be astronomical and deliver such a devastating blow to the infrastructure. Foreigners who immigrate here should not have to adopt our ideals or beliefs and be demanded to speak English if they do not choose too.
From Reinventing “America”: Call for a New National Identity” was published in 1998. The main point this excerpt argues what the ‘American’ identity should be today. Sadly, 13 years later none of the issues brought up in this book have been solved or are near to being resolved. At the end of paragraph 3, Martinez mentions an interesting anecdote that reads, “It seems nostalgia runs rampant among many Euro-Americans: nostalgia for the days of unchallenged White Supremacy – both moral and material – when life was “simple.” For the longest time, even to myself I always saw the yester days that have been described through the History Channel, stories from my parents and grandparents, & even old movies. It all used to be simple and life was just simpler. Until now, I only realize that is because of the white supremacy that took place up until the African American people we’re allowed to vote and desegregation began.” For a long time I saw this as being the truth, times we’re simpler, it seemed like there was less crime, less hate, the people could be trusted and America was the ideal country. Until I realized that there was the dark side to that history, and it included the oppression of so many races and religions to make this country strive.
Another major topic in Martinez’s reading mentions in paragraph 8 is the “English only” attempts to change the United States today. What she means is the general stance taken by white America to make everything that is done, like in businesses, make workers in all different areas of the workplace speak English, and even down to the education system. What is so amazing about this, she talks about this in 1998, and 13 years later, again we find ourselves facing the same issue. Even though despite the fact this nation holds promises, even in its own constitution, this protects freedom of speech, religion, and doesn’t say anywhere what the national language is or ought to be. There are plenty of places, Little Italy, Chinatown, Korea town, the South Side of Chicago (which is predominately Hispanic) and other various places that allow people of certain faiths, beliefs, or languages to live freely from the persecution to speak English or follow the ‘American’ lifestyle. Which is the irony of the idea, when White America demands that since this is her land, we need to speak her language, when since the nation was founded; it first of all was never just white people. An entire population of indigenous people lived here and ruled this land. So despite that, they demand their own culture, which in fact today’s true culture is not one, but many, because as an entire country, we are so diverse that any one language, religion, or lifestyle should not dominate or tell the other what to do. Furthermore, from what we discussed during class, despite how difficult it is to talk with someone, especially who is foreign, speaks none or very little English. We cannot tell them they have to learn English just to come to America. Our own constitution protects speech in its first amendment, while saying that is a bit of a stretch of the amendment, it can also be noted that nowhere in the US Code, Constitution, or Declaration of Independence, does it say that the national language is and always will be English. Since you can logically think, if I go to France for a long period of time, I ought to learn French just for the convenience of being able to communicate. On the other side of the coin, if you come to America, most people think that you should learn English. I’ll be the first to say you really ought to, but you do not have too for the reason that we have no established national language. So you create your own problems not learning English and are going to make your life difficult in the United States, but it is your own choice and your own freedom to make the decisions that determine your life.
The next reading was in “Hispanic in America: Starting Points” by Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, in paragraph 5, she brought up an interesting fact that I had no knowledge of before. That is that when the Cubans we’re forced to move here because of economic and political prosecution, because of Castro, they we’re given special rights to make citizenship and immigration simple. And she follows at the end of the paragraph, what about the other Central American citizens who suffer the same fate of persecution? Also, why stop at just Central America? Why not include South America, and even very far north. We are all one America, we should begin to act like it and ignore selfish values and practices. It is beyond frustrating when you look at the actual methods to immigrate here to America. The process is long and difficult, not only just to be here on a temporary visa, but if you want to stay here and be an actual American citizen, you literally go through years of paper work, have to take citizenship tests and essentially jump through hoops for our government just to be allowed to stay here. Ironically if you actually look at the tests, they’re full of so much U.S. history, that your average everyday American could probably not pass or otherwise barely do so. If you really think about it, why do we give them tests about things that most people that have been here and grown up here with their family longer then they can remember, it’s unfair to demand so much from a foreigner who just wants the freedoms that we so easily forget we have, that most people in other countries don’t. So then because it is tough to come here, there are two routes most people take, work or education visas, which can be reapplied for periodically, or as we see today, people just walk in through the front door and move on in. Which considering our immigration laws, and the penalty for breaking them, I would honestly just rather take the chance of being deported, and then have to go through the complete nonsense to become a citizen. Since the most that’s going to happen, you will be deported and sent back to your home country. If we look at this all into context we can clearly see that we should make becoming a citizen easier and start allowing the people who want to come here, come here. As a famous cartoon character Homer Simpson said, “Ah Ethnic town, where hard-working immigrants come to have dreams of being lazy, overfed Americans”.
The assimilation issue should not exist. Simply for the fact that if we would have implemented it years ago, or even now, we would begin to lose our culture. There would be a massive emigration out of the United States. We would lose so much more than most people understand. We can look at this into a simple perspective, if we made all the Chinese leave because they didn’t speak English, we would also remove most people who make Chinese food, or people who help import cheap Chinese-built toys. Just for that the effects of losing China’s business would such a devastation economic blow to both countries; it seems almost not worth collapsing our economy just because we want everyone speaking English.
We are a nation with an identity of many, not just one. The true American culture does not mean white and English speaking. It should not be demanded nor required. At the very most suggested, but we cannot force our ideals on another group, that is oppression, and definitely not what America has stood for over all these years. Assimilation will and never should be a topic today, tomorrow or in the future, every citizen deserves their freedom given to them.
Works Cited
Martinez, Elizabeth. "Amazon.com: From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and Reader (9780312451653): Stuart Greene, April Lidinsky: Books." Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 19 Jan. 2011.
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