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The Politically Incorrect Americanism of (Jessica) Alba, Pacino, and Arnold
Townhall.com ^ | 6/19/2007 | Mary Katharine Ham

Posted on 06/19/2007 12:27:58 PM PDT by Pyro7480

Hablas Espanol?

Jessica Alba doesn’t. Is there anything wrong with that? Apparently so.

The third-generation American and actress is under fire this week from fellow Latinos for comments she made to Para Todos magazine:

Alba is my last name and I'm proud of that. But that's it. My grandparents were born in California, the same as my parents, and though I may be proud of my last name, I'm American. Throughout my whole life, I've never felt connected to one particular race or heritage, nor did I feel accepted by any. If you break it down, I'm less Latina than Cameron Diaz, whose father is Cuban. But people don't call her Latina because she's blonde…

My grandfather was the only Mexican at his college, the only Hispanic person at work and the only one at the all-white country club. He tried to forget his Mexican roots, because he never wanted his kids to be made to feel different in America. He and my grandmother didn't speak Spanish to their children. Now, as a third-generation American, I feel as if I have finally cut loose.

My whole life, when I was growing up, not one race has ever accepted me, ... So I never felt connected or attached to any race specifically. I had a very American upbringing, I feel American, and I don't speak Spanish. So, to say that I'm a Latin actress, OK, but it's not fitting; it would be insincere.

She never felt connected to any race, specifically, but she always felt American. That doesn’t sounds like a bad thing, does it? And yet, it is, in the eyes of many activists.

One blog post on the comments remarks, “Guess sell-outs come in all races and sizes.” Another calls it a “disturbing hoard of quotes.” Another claims she “hates Mexicans.”

Comments about Alba’s comments include, “F**K YOU THEN, JESSICA…VIVA LA RAZA!!!,” “She should just change her last name to White, then,” and “I thought she could be a good role model for Latinas, but she is a fake, tryin’ to be white.”

Alba wasn’t trying to make a political statement. Instead, she sounds like she was trying to avoid speaking for an entire ethnicity and many recent immigrants when she barely speaks Spanish, and identifies as an American first. But because she didn’t reflexively take upon herself her ethnic mantle and collective responsibility, she’s bashed as a traitor to her race.

Elsewhere, a phenomenally successful first-generation immigrant was sharing his secret to success in America, which was much the same as the approach Alba’s college-educated grandfather took. When addressing the national Association of Hispanic Journalists, and responding to question about how Hispanics can improve academically, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said:

"You've got to turn off the Spanish television set" and avoid Spanish-language television, books and newspapers, the Republican governor said Wednesday night…

"You're just forced to speak English, and that just makes you learn the language faster," Schwarzenegger said.

"I know this sounds odd and this is the politically incorrect thing to say, and I'm going to get myself in trouble," he said, noting that he rarely spoke German and was forced to learn English when he emigrated from Austria.

The response from those in attendance?

"I'm sitting shaking my head not believing that someone would be so naive and out of it that he would say something like that," said Alex Nogales, president and chief executive of the National Hispanic Media Coalition.

Naïve, out-of-it, hateful, traitorous. There is a large segment of the country that believes it’s somehow disrespectful to emphasize assimilation among new immigrants to the country.

And, it’s not just among leftist activists and left-coast gossip bloggers that this idea prevails. Just last year, Sen. Harry Reid called a proposal to make English the official language of America “racist,”  despite the fact that a large majority of Americans support such a measure.

More recently, Barack Obama called the very discussion of English as an official language, “divisive” during a Democratic debate:

I have to say that this is the kind of question that is designed precisely to divide us. You know, you’re right: everybody is going to learn to speak English if they live in this country. The issue is not whether or not future generations of immigrants are going to learn English. The question is, how can we come up with both a legal and sensible immigration policy? And when we get distracted by those kinds of questions, I think we do a disservice to the American people.

But is everyone going to learn English, Sen. Obama? It seems that Schwarzenegger’s encouragement of English-language immersion for immigrants and Alba’s family’s decision to speak English only are put down in pretty harsh terms by folks on your own side of the aisle.

The movement to make English the official language of America is, in part, a response to the Left’s active discouragement of assimilation. Even the idea of the “melting pot” went out of style when I was in grade school, replaced in text books by the less offensive “mosaic.” You see, now we don’t do anything so gauche as melt into one, cohesive society. Instead, we are all obligated to hold onto our various ethnic and cultural identities and languages, building little barriers between communities, lest we be accused of “selling out” or trying to be too “white.”

There is certainly a way to assimilate without losing all touch with one’s culture. Being American does not mean being “white.” “American” is, by definition, many colors and characteristics. But the strength of America has always been in creating Americans of all colors and characteristics, not all colors and characters who happen to live in America.

The English language and cultural assimilation are unifying forces, economic passports, essential parts of preserving the American dream and all its blessings for everyone who comes to our shores.

When talking about comprehensive immigration reform, some have compared today’s illegal immigrants—the challenges and the prejudices they face—to legal immigration of Italians and Irishmen and others who came through Ellis Island just a few generations ago. But those same people conveniently overlook that anti-assimilation forces in America weren’t nearly so strong at that time.

Al Pacino is a second-generation American whose grandparents emigrated from Sicily, but despite living in his grandparents’ home, he speaks no Italian. Would anyone accuse that iconic Baby Boomer of being a traitor to his ethnicity? Well, he better watch out, if he keeps talking like this:

Explain to me what Italian-American culture is. We've been here 100 years. Isn't Italian-American culture American culture? That's because we're so diverse, in terms of intermarriage. Most everybody who's Italian is half Italian. Except me. I'm all Italian. I'm mostly Sicilian, and I have a little bit of Neapolitan in me. You get your full dose with me.

Alba, Schwarzenegger and Pacino have got it right. Their concern is with becoming successful, individual Americans, not with specious collective responsibilities imparted to them by their skin colors, accents, or surnames. As a result, they have all done both America and their ancestors proud. They are all walking, talking, acting illustrations of the American dream in action.

When considering legalizing 12 million illegal immigrants, Congress should consider seriously the fact that the walking, talking American dream is now politically incorrect. That doesn’t bode well for its survival.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: alba; alpacino; brownsupremacists; jessicaalba; laraza; liberalbigots; schwarzenegger; therace
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To: Anti-Bubba182
If they like Mexico they should have stayed there. They have plenty of natural resources and their country is a hellhole. All they or their leaders have is excuses as to why it is a hellhole.

Mexico has not had good government since it declared independence from Spain. The class that owns the country refuses to invest, refuses to share. What ought to be the richest country south of our border is not. They squander everything.

61 posted on 06/19/2007 2:08:32 PM PDT by RobbyS ( CHIRHOa)
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To: gcruse

I never said it originated with communists.
It is their goal to fracture our society every way possible, and it is succeeding.
Even Einstein understood communism’s threat to individuality, the hallmark of our freeedom.

“Any power must be an enemy of mankind which enslaves the individual by terror and force, whether it arises under the Fascist or the Communist flag. All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded to the individual.”

~ Albert Einstein ~


62 posted on 06/19/2007 2:12:33 PM PDT by b9
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To: Pyro7480

KEEP UP THE FIGHT, DON'T GIVE UP. . As I predicted they would try to resurrect it and call it something else. We have to keep our guard up. We need to keep the pressure up. We have no choice but to fight. The oligarchy wants cheap labor and a destruction of the middle class and the millionaire democrats want votes they can count on. A marriage made in HELL.

STAGE TWO is to go after the people who hire illegals. Start giving them fines and arresting them. Just catch ten or 100 of them on the nightly news. The magnet will dry up and most of the 12 million will go home by themselves.

As an addendum, we should anonymously call the IRS, people working "off the books" means taxes ain't being paid. Make anonymous fliers and hang them around the neighborhood, name names. It's time to embarrass these bustards, whether they give to the GOP or Rats, we don't need them.

CALL! CALL! CALL! CALL! AND KEEP CALLING TILL THE LINES FRY!

WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! TILL YOU RUN OUT OF INK IN YOUR PEN!

Bombard the Democrats as well, especially the ones that ran on an anti illegal immigration plank and the ones in marginal districts who could be vulnerable. keep pounding on them. This is a bipartisan issue not a Conservative or Liberal issue BUT AN AMERICAN issue.

STOP AMNESTY NOW!! WE CAN DO IT!!

The best way to stop Shamnesty

63 posted on 06/19/2007 2:14:05 PM PDT by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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To: B-Chan
As a member of the German-Scottish American race: I, B-chan, hereby accept you, Jessica Alba. That girl has the most charming smile I've ever seen.

My daughter has a dance instructor who could be her twin sister. Very attractive.

64 posted on 06/19/2007 2:15:57 PM PDT by r9etb
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To: B-Chan
As a member of the German-Scottish American race: I, B-chan, hereby accept you, Jessica Alba. That girl has the most charming smile I've ever seen.

My daughter has a dance instructor who could be her twin sister. Very attractive.

65 posted on 06/19/2007 2:17:31 PM PDT by r9etb
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To: b9

What do you think is the greater threat today?
Communists or Islamists?


66 posted on 06/19/2007 2:20:08 PM PDT by gcruse
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To: r9etb

px or gtfo!


67 posted on 06/19/2007 2:25:01 PM PDT by B-Chan (Catholic. Monarchist. Texan. Any questions?)
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To: Pyro7480
“I thought she could be a good role model for Latinas, but she is a fake, tryin’ to be white.”

Tryin' to be white? What race do they think were the Spanish who conquered Mexico and the Mayans and Incas? Mexicans are a mixture of Caucasian and Asian. "Latino" is not a race.

68 posted on 06/19/2007 2:26:57 PM PDT by montag813
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To: oakcon
Jessica Alba’s conservative!?

She is not. She is a liberal. But at least she is not P.C. like most liberals are.

69 posted on 06/19/2007 2:31:09 PM PDT by montag813
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To: Pyro7480

I may bot agree with he choice of political parties,but she is American 100% and I agree with her on this one.

Teddy Roosevelt would have liked her.

Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907. “In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.” - Theodore Roosevelt 1907


70 posted on 06/19/2007 2:34:26 PM PDT by BuffaloJack
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To: B-Chan

She's the one above, to the left.

71 posted on 06/19/2007 2:44:54 PM PDT by r9etb
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To: gcruse

That has NOTHING to do with my post, in response to this thread.
The refusal to assimilate into our culture has its roots in communist influence.
Divide and conquer.


72 posted on 06/19/2007 2:45:29 PM PDT by b9
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To: BuffaloJack

Fabulous quote.


73 posted on 06/19/2007 2:46:49 PM PDT by b9
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To: b9

Oh, please. The reluctance to assimilate stems from post-modernism’s diktat that all cultures are equal, so why should they take on ours? Of course, it’s nuts. But it isn’t some evil communist puppet master plotting your doom.

We have more serious things to worry about.


74 posted on 06/19/2007 2:54:27 PM PDT by gcruse
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To: gcruse

Like what?


75 posted on 06/19/2007 2:59:03 PM PDT by b9
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To: b9

Like what?

What at they looking for by lining people up for at airport boarding gates? Communist tracts?


76 posted on 06/19/2007 3:02:49 PM PDT by gcruse
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To: gcruse

You might find it interesting to google the name Lt.Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa.
FR has links also.

Former head of Romanian Intelligence he was the highest ranking communist to ever defect from the Soviet Union, and has a wealth of understanding about their long range goals to undermine every established institution in our culture ~ language, education, religion, marriage, health care, military...

And they are in no hurry. Apathy and indifference are their best friends.


77 posted on 06/19/2007 3:23:52 PM PDT by b9
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To: TonyInOhio

hmm. Mary Kat Ham sounds familiar....


78 posted on 06/19/2007 3:29:22 PM PDT by BurbankKarl
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To: bagadonutz
She was the best part of the Fantastic Four!

Last quote I read from Alba was some time back and it was about how she'd (paraphrasing) "cut any girl who went after her man" or some such crazy psycho-hose-beast speak. Reading this new quote, I've regained my respect for her. Now she only needs to don this comic suit for Fantastic Four Pt 3!

79 posted on 06/19/2007 3:37:26 PM PDT by Thoro (Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.)
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To: LiteKeeper

Many years ago (lol) I went to a boarding school where the rich Mexicans sent their daughters. The sole purpose was to make them learn English. They were not allowed to room with other Mexicans, they were put into rooms with American girls. I had a Latino roomate every year and by the end of each school year those girls knew how to converse in English.
It was amazing how quickly it was picked up when it was mandatory for them to only speak English.

Oh the good old days!!!


80 posted on 06/19/2007 4:42:13 PM PDT by estrogen (I)
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