Immigration (2 Viewers)

[ColinEssex]

See you learned THEIR language so you can speak with them. They didn't learn your so they could speak with YOU. That is my point exactly. You did what YOU had to do to fit in with THEIR country. That is what I wish others would do here. Learn the language of the country they are going too.

Many Europeans learn English and are highly fluent. In fact it puts us to shame when we almost "expect" foreigners to speak English to us even in their own country.
For example, Rak is Dutch yet his English is superb, I doubt thats his first language.

I can't see why you (Americans) are against learning a language - surely its also for personal development and enjoyment- the same as learning anything. If you went to Spain or Mexico on holiday (vacation) wouldn't it be nice to speak Spanish?

Col

 

[Rich]

See you learned THEIR language so you can speak with them. They didn't learn your so they could speak with YOU. That is my point exactly. You did what YOU had to do to fit in with THEIR country. That is what I wish others would do here. Learn the language of the country they are going too.

So I have to ask, which native Indian language did the immigrants to the US decide to learn, after all English is not the native language of the US and wasn't Spanish the original language in Texas etc.?

 

[selenau837]

So I have to ask, which native Indian language did the immigrants to the US decide to learn, after all English is not the native language of the US and wasn't Spanish the original language in Texas etc.?

I can't help the past, as well as it is Native American, not Native Indian .

I can't see why you (Americans) are against learning a language - surely its also for personal development and enjoyment- the same as learning anything. If you went to Spain or Mexico on holiday (vacation) wouldn't it be nice to speak Spanish?

I do enjoy learning other languages for enjoyment, not because I have too. Perhaps that is just my stuborn streak, but I don't want to learn spanish now. I would like to relearn french simply becuase that is my heritage. My dad's family is French Cajiun. from Louisiana.

 

[ColinEssex]

My dad's family is French Cajiun. from Louisiana.

"Deep down Louisiana close to New Orleans
Way back up in the woods among the evergreens
There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood
Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode
Who never ever learned to read or write so well
But he could play the guitar just like a ringing a bell

Go Go - Go Johnny Go"

One of the best rock n roll songs ever

Col

 

[Len Boorman]

I do enjoy learning other languages for enjoyment, not because I have too. Perhaps that is just my stuborn streak, but I don't want to learn spanish now. I would like to relearn french simply becuase that is my heritage. My dad's family is French Cajiun. from Louisiana.

Why French and not Cajiun

or is Cajuin not widely spoken

Queen's English is good to know

English Queen's are a different matter

L

 

[selenau837]

Why French and not Cajiun

or is Cajuin not widely spoken

Queen's English is good to know

English Queen's are a different matter

L

French is what my great grand parents spoke, and cajiun is more of a dialect if I am remebering correctly. Kind of like southern, but way thicker and harder to understand.

 

[selenau837]

"Deep down Louisiana close to New Orleans
Way back up in the woods among the evergreens
There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood
Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode
Who never ever learned to read or write so well
But he could play the guitar just like a ringing a bell

Go Go - Go Johnny Go"

One of the best rock n roll songs ever

Col

Yes, it is quit a good song.

You know my heritage could explain why I'm so sassy. Lol

However, back on immigration. As stated before America is a melting pot, comprised of many different nationalities, but we all speak Engilsh. The Native Americans are the only true Americans.

My main gripe is the refusal to learn English and the expectation of government help.

 

[Matty]

The Native Americans are the only true Americans.

It could be argued that Native Americans migrated via the Bering Strait.

 

[jsanders]

Part of the price we have to pay for our colonial past I'm afraid, I'm not bothered by immigrants, legal or illegal, I just wish they'd leave some of their unsavory customs behind when they come here

That is part of the problem here.


Due to the extremely robust Northern Virginia economy (That $1,200,000,000 cost of homeland security has to go somewhere) we are building tens of thousands of new homes. As a result of that, we have had an explosion of illegal workers. Now aside from all of the economic issues, we also have to contend with the inferior cultural ones as well.

Mexicans live in dirtier conditions and are much less apt to follow generally excepted rules of society. Such as NOT leaving your empty beer bottle in the middle of a parking lot, or in the street. You would not believe the trash these people have left everywhere. Northern VA used to be a place of cleanliness and beauty, until the Mexicans started taking over.

Another cultural norm for them, which causes many American women some stress, is their habit of staring at women, and making comments to them on the street. Both my daughter and my girl friend complain of this regularly.

 

[selenau837]

That is part of the problem here.
Mexicans live in dirtier conditions and are much less apt to follow generally excepted rules of society. Such as NOT leaving your empty beer bottle in the middle of a parking lot, or in the street. You would not believe the trash these people have left everywhere. Northern VA used to be a place of cleanliness and beauty, until the Mexicans started taking over.

I agree with you on this one. They generally will take a nice house, 3 bed room, 2 bath, and fit about 15 people into it. The yard gets bad and the house gets destroyed.

Another cultural norm for them, which causes many American women some stress, is their habit of staring at women, and making comments to them on the street. Both my daughter and my girl friend complain of this regularly.

I mean, I don't mind being admired while walking down the street. That is very flattering, but what they do is beyond admiration. It is ogeling, defilement, haressment. I will tend to avoid that situation. If I see a group of them, I will go WAY around to avoid that situation.

 

[selenau837]

It could be argued that Native Americans migrated via the Bering Strait.

Do you have a myth to destroy for that deary?

 

[Matty]

Do you have a myth to destroy for that deary?

I guess the myth would be that Native Americans aren't immigrants, but you could say they are indeed immigrants. There is a widely accepted theory that when the ocean levels were much lower, there was a sort of "land bridge" between Siberia and Alaska and that's where the migration happened.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Models_of_migration_to_the_New_World

 

[jsanders]

I guess the myth would be that Native Americans aren't immigrants, but you could say they are indeed immigrants. There is a widely accepted theory that when the ocean levels were much lower, there was a sort of "land bridge" between Siberia and Alaska and that's where the migration happened.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Models_of_migration_to_the_New_World

You could extrapolate that to all people of the world save a few Africans, going back about a quarter of a million years or so.

 

[selenau837]

I guess the myth would be that Native Americans aren't immigrants, but you could say they are indeed immigrants. There is a widely accepted theory that when the ocean levels were much lower, there was a sort of "land bridge" between Siberia and Alaska and that's where the migration happened.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Models_of_migration_to_the_New_World

I wouldn't call them immigrants, I would call them nomads. They went back and forth, but one day they got stuck. Therefor they couldn't go back. So officially they weren't immigrants because they didn't have a central place to live. They moved all over the place.

BTW, Matty i'll take my name back if you start trying to use your myth busting on me. *snicker*

 

[Matty]

I wouldn't call them immigrants, I would call them nomads. They went back and forth, but one day they got stuck. Therefor they couldn't go back. So officially they weren't immigrants because they didn't have a central place to live. They moved all over the place.

BTW, Matty i'll take my name back if you start trying to use your myth busting on me. *snicker*

Hey, I'm just throwing that out there. It obviously can be extrapolated to the very beginning of human existence but I just figued I'd raise the point.

Okay, back to the actual discussion... Sorry for the hijack.

 

[selenau837]

Hey, I'm just throwing that out there. It obviously can be extrapolated to the very beginning of human existence but I just figued I'd raise the point.

Okay, back to the actual discussion... Sorry for the hijack.

You didn't hijack it. You did your job as forum Myth buster. Keep up the good work, making us thing. For some it may be harder than others, but keep it up.

 

[Matty]

You didn't hijack it. You did your job as forum Myth buster. Keep up the good work, making us thing. For some it may be harder than others, but keep it up.

Thanks for the ego-boost.

I guess I'd say we don't really have a huge illegal immigration problem here in Canada, but we do have the bilingual issues. But that mostly just stems from the fact that this country has two official languages. I'm used to seeing French and English on pretty much everything I buy so it's actually quite odd to me to see american products with only English.

When I was in school, we were actually required to take French from 4th to 7th grade. Once you got to 8th grade, you could choose whether you wanted to take it or not. I took it the whole way, but dropped it for a computer class in 12th grade. My French instructor was not happy with me (I was getting 95s in that class and I dropped it). I sometimes wish I would have kept on with my French studies, because now I've basically ruled out my chances of getting a gov't job.

Now thinking about it, where I grew up there are a LOT of mennonite immigrants and when they go out in public they refuse to speak anything other than Low German (well, the Mennonite dialect). Even in the emergency room, my mother (who was a nurse) had to come in to translate for them because they just won't speak English. That kinda irks me.

 

[Rich]

Another cultural norm for them, which causes many American women some stress, is their habit of staring at women, and making comments to them on the street.

I thought the Italians had the same trait, plus one or two other cultures as well

 

[Rich]

I can't help the past, as well as it is Native American, not Native Indian .

I see, so who decided they were Americans and not Indians ?

and I see you guys have now sorted the problem out anyway so you can all sleep better tonight

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12184299/

 

[KenHigg]

Getting back on topic...

This was interesting: Link

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