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'You need to speak English': Encounters in viral videos show Spanish is still polarizing in the U.S.
Los Angeles Times ^ | May 28, 2018 | Brittny Mejia

Posted on 05/28/2018 8:46:14 AM PDT by artichokegrower

Natalia Meneses was shopping at a Walmart in Georgia this year when her 3-year-old daughter began a conversation that triggered an ugly experience.

The little girl did not blurt out a profanity or otherwise say anything inappropriate. She simply pointed out flower hair clips to her mother: "Mira, Mami!"

Overhearing the conversation that ensued in Spanish between mother and child, a woman snapped at Meneses, an American citizen who was born in Colombia.

"You need to teach this kid to speak English, because this is America and kids need to learn English," she said. "If not, you need to get out of this country."

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
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To: Hulka

I’ve got news for you. There are places you can’t get hired if you don’t speak Spanish.

If you can speak English, too ... that’s just a bonus.


21 posted on 05/28/2018 9:03:48 AM PDT by Dana1960
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To: artichokegrower


22 posted on 05/28/2018 9:05:26 AM PDT by Iron Munro (If Illegals Voted Republican 66 Million Democrats Would Be Screaming "Build The Wall !")
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To: artichokegrower

Sounds like my cleaning woman. She’s Colombian and has expressed anger at the Spanish language she hears around her.


23 posted on 05/28/2018 9:05:37 AM PDT by miss marmelstein
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To: Still Thinking

Not in my wife’s experience as a elementary school teacher.
The kid may be able to understand English and “speak” it, but it is not clear and in many cases not understandable.

And how else’s explain why forms and telephone trees are in Spanish, and my bank a few months ago had nothing but Spanish signs in the lobby, and voting signs are in Spanish but you must master English to become a citizen and vote.

And at Kelly AFB in San Antonio I personally saw in this huge office three generations of the same family plugging in numbers and they could not speak English worth a darn. This office had a Hispanic male in charge that spoke English and would translate into Spanish for them and spoke to them in only Spanish.


24 posted on 05/28/2018 9:06:52 AM PDT by Hulka
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To: 38special

Oh please? Those same jobs won’t hire you unless you speak English.


25 posted on 05/28/2018 9:08:17 AM PDT by Hulka
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To: artichokegrower

I used to do volunteer mediation. I mediated once between two cousins. Both has immigrated from Honduras ten years earlier. The man spoke good English. The woman spoke none. They were both illegal. Ten years and she had no English and no papers. I told the supervisor I would not mediate in that type of situation again. I also volunteered in a help center where I gave legal advice. The clients were all screened for citizenship and English. Eastern Kansas.


26 posted on 05/28/2018 9:09:00 AM PDT by Mercat
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To: CaptainAmiigaf

Great post!

Well stated.


27 posted on 05/28/2018 9:10:56 AM PDT by Hulka
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To: Dana1960

I’ve got news for you—not true what you said. Unless of course you are referring to field pickers. Great future.


28 posted on 05/28/2018 9:14:42 AM PDT by Hulka
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To: artichokegrower
Townsend said nothing until she was in her car with her family, when she told them to never be ashamed of who they are.

"Who they are" are people who reject the native population and its language, and insist on identifying themselves as a separate population. If you want to live with us then join us and use our language. If you do not want to join us then leave.

29 posted on 05/28/2018 9:15:28 AM PDT by Petrosius
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To: artichokegrower
My supplemental health insurance when it sends my statement has two extra pages in it for all these languages just in case I am one of these nationalities. Grrrr!!!!

Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Korean, Lao, Khmer, Punjabi, Farsi, Polish, Portuguese, Cushite, French, Creole, German, Hmong, Illocano, Italian, Japanese, Amharic, Arabic, Chinese.

30 posted on 05/28/2018 9:16:25 AM PDT by Spunky ("Immigration is a privilege, not a right." President Donald Trump)
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To: Dana1960
"There are places you can’t get hired if you don’t speak Spanish."

How right you are. Most City positions won't hire you unless you speak Spanish, like where I live.

31 posted on 05/28/2018 9:20:11 AM PDT by Spunky ("Immigration is a privilege, not a right." President Donald Trump)
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To: artichokegrower

Speak English. Not Spanish. Not ebonics.


32 posted on 05/28/2018 9:20:34 AM PDT by bgill (CDC site, "We don't know how people are infected with Ebola.")
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To: Hulka

My ex is a Spaniard. She has only spoken Spanish to her daughter, who was born and raised American. As a result of going to English speaking school, and her mother only communicating to her in Spanish, the girl remains fluent in Spanish, with English as her primary language (and accent). Where I draw the line is with those who refuse to learn English. A friend has a wife who is Colombian and speaks practically zero English in spite of living here several years. You want to live here and get along, speak English!


33 posted on 05/28/2018 9:21:20 AM PDT by bk1000 (I stand with Trump)
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To: JayGalt

Why is a stranger’s conversation in any language any business of the surrounding people? We’re not writing of terrorist plots here. Is eavesdropping some sort of civil right that I am not aware of?


34 posted on 05/28/2018 9:25:21 AM PDT by lastchance (Credo.)
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To: bk1000

Well stated.


35 posted on 05/28/2018 9:25:31 AM PDT by Hulka
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To: morphing libertarian
Yeah, you. If they're coming here, come here legally, and learn the language. If not, go back to where they came from.

You might be "morphing", but you're still libertarian.

36 posted on 05/28/2018 9:25:36 AM PDT by LouAvul (The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.)
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To: bk1000

Had a story on the local television news. Cannery shutting down due to costs of operation. Interviewed a woman who had worked their 20 plus years. They had to have a translator for Spanish to English.


37 posted on 05/28/2018 9:27:30 AM PDT by artichokegrower
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To: artichokegrower

As usual media ignores the other side of the story. I went somewhere to eat the other day and server spoke no English. She literally refused to serve me unless I spoke Spanish, even laughing about it, so I went elsewhere. They come here and for decades have been demanding we speak their language while refusing to make any effort to speak English. One Spanish speaker gets triggered it makes national news. Meanwhile millions of English speakers are told every day they can’t speak English anymore because it is intolerant and racist.
This scenario does not end well.


38 posted on 05/28/2018 9:28:23 AM PDT by Axamari
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To: umgud

Wow. So you’ve never met a bi-lingual doctor or pastor or police officer? You simply assume the daughter of an American foreign born citizen will not be able to obtain any status above lowly laborer? You are showing extreme ignorance.

If only my father who grew up speaking German and English had known the fate of the children of foreign born citizens; he could have gone right to sausage making school and skipped the whole attorney thing.


39 posted on 05/28/2018 9:29:10 AM PDT by lastchance (Credo.)
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To: LouAvul

i rely on fascists like you to troll the public and listen into what language people are speaking. suggests you stay out of armenian and russian neighborhoods, you might get worse than slapped.


40 posted on 05/28/2018 9:31:32 AM PDT by morphing libertarian ( Build Kate's Wall)
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