Posted on 07/09/2002 10:43:24 AM PDT by Tancredo Fan
Singer's remark riles Hispanics -- Greeley debates 'English' comment
By Michael Riley
Denver Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 09, 2002
A country western singer who told his audience at the Greeley Independence Stampede that immigrants should learn to speak English ignited an emotional debate in a community that has seen an influx of Hispanics over the past decade.
Warner Brothers recording star Chad Brock said Monday that his comments were meant to express his "pride in being American." But Hispanic leaders said they were racist and the failure of Stampede organizers to condemn them shows the refusal to embrace newcomers.
Brock stepped on stage Friday to belt out hits like "Lighting Does the Work," but he salted his performance with some sharp opinions.
In a speech between sets, Brock said he was tired of having to adapt to the widening influence of the country's newcomers. "You are coming to our country. We don't speak Russian. We don't speak Spanish. We speak English here," Brock told an audience of 7,000, according to the Greeley Tribune. While many Hispanics in the audience walked out, people who attended the event said many non-Hispanics cheered.
Brock, a former pro wrestler, said Monday that the comments came out of an honest patriotic fervor, inspired in part by a recent court decision declaring the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional.
"I'm not a racist. I wasn't directing the comments toward any particular group. I was speaking my mind as an American" during the Fourth of July holiday, Brock said.
"But I had no idea there were so many Hispanics in Greeley," he said. "I didn't mean to offend anybody."
Hispanic leaders said "offend" doesn't even begin to cover it.
"His comments were bigoted, inflammatory and hateful," said Roberto Cordova, a local college professor.
The issue goes deeper than Brock, said Jorge Amaya, director of the Northern Colorado Latino Chamber of Commerce. "The problem isn't what Brock said. The problem is that our community leaders didn't step up to condemn it."
At a news conference Monday, the Hispanic leaders demanded an apology from city officials, the event's corporate sponsors and Stampede organizers. They said this isn't the first time the Stampede has offended the city's growing Hispanic population.
Citing poor ticket sales, Stampede organizers last year canceled the fiesta section of the annual event.
Stampede marketing director Kyle Holman said organizers wanted to make the fiesta more inclusive and renamed it Family Night.
"Mr. Brock has the right of free speech just like every other American," Holman said. "But his opinion aren't necessarily the opinions of the Greeley Stampede."
But some here said they share Brock's sentiments.
According to census figures, Greeley's Hispanic population nearly doubled in the 1990s, as immigrants, many with limited English skills, took jobs in the region's meat packing plants and feedlots.
As the ethnic makeup of schools and neighborhoods shifts, some residents say they feel left out. Language has become both a divide and a flashpoint.
"If we're going to communicate, everybody needs to speak the same language," said Billie Messner, a patron at a local coffee shop.
Greeley City Manager Leonard Wiest said the city is working to accommodate newcomers.
Brock said Monday that while he's sorry if his comments offended anyone, he won't apologize.
"I had the guts to speak out, but I think a lot of people feel the same way," he said.
Why? Are they going to be billiards experts? Of course, English should be taught in the schools; english can be picked up at the local pool hall.
They also have their Spanish language media, where I can bet this singer is being called every name under the sun.
That's right. I'd like to find out how these whiners became citizens without knowing English. Chances are the majority of these folks are illegal alien criminals, in which case they should be deported to wherever they snuck in from.
Well all I can say is that if these 'Hispanics' were offended by what he said then that means that they shouldn't have been offended. *** unless he said it in Spanish, they were hearing English.
It would seem that these people agree by learning English that is
So have I. Yesterday I asked my sister, "Why do people come to America and want to turn it into the 3rd world cesspool they ran from?". She said, "I didn't know, but they're about to turn me racist."
If minorities don't want to be hated, why do they try so hard? I don't want to hate anyone. I just want to live without having my life made harder by others.
I refuse to accommodate, anymore, those who insult me, and the people who fought for this country, by not having enough respect to learn our ways. I have had it, they can through my a$$ in jail, because the next person, wanting my service, who asks me if I speak Spanish, is going to get a lesson in gratitude.
No one's trying to control what they speak at home. It's when they want to speak to those of us who don't feel we should have to learn Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Lebanese, Turkish, Urdu, Yucatec, Nahuatl, Serbo-Croation, Icelandic, French, Russian, Lithuanian, Greek, Ebo, Swahili, Portuguese, and Tagalog to accommodate the quivering, delicate sensibilities of all the immigrants who come to America. Just you wait till the day that some Spanish-speaking Mexican gets screwed over at the welfare office because the Chinese-speaking social worker doesn't speak Spanish, and said Mexican issues forth in a hissy fit, "Necessitas aprendre espanol!" (or whatever) and gets called a racist for it. I will be laughing somewhere, you can bet your sweet patooty.
Ooh. Good point.
People like Brock have been irritating for years. The Conservative attempt to run off Hispanics (and other minorities) seems to be quite successful.
The Liberal attempt to pander hasn't been so successful though. It's easier to insult than to pander.
40 posted on 7/9/02 11:11 AM Pacific by Doctor Stochastic
I don't know about other people, but I get sick and tired of reading or hearing this slop. It's about as dishonest as it gets when addressing the problems of immigrants.
First of all, who's trying to drive off anyone who comes here legally, supports themselves, tries to learn the language and keeps their surroundings in a clean and pleasant condition?
As a United States citizen I should have some say in what happens to my nation. If immigrants cannot support themselves, what happens to my community as they move in, in vast numbers? If one family cannot support themselves, what's the end result? The answer is that more than one family will wind up occupying a single family dwelling. The property will degrade. Soon you have a depressed area. This is the "seeding" of regions of poverty into our nation. What is the benefit of that?
These folks obtain government services. They cannot and do not buy automobile insurance. They do not pay for their children's schooling. Not only are the vast majority of them here illegaly, but they refuse to learn the language, refuse to learn or adopt our customs, refuse to respect or even display our flag. Why do you not see this as a problem that needs to be addressed?
Now despite this, people such as yourself come here to state that conservatives attempt to run off hispanics and other minorities. What do you base that on? Who of us have tried to drive away any lawful citizens? Please give examples.
The fact is you are too shallow to address real world problems. So instead of learning about the issues and addressing the problems that do exist, you slander those who are trying to raise awareness about them. Not only are you content to remain an ignorant fool, you demand that those who are well versed with the problems shut up, so everyone else can remain one as well on this topic.
Nice work, if you can find it...
You're right; the language people speak in their homes is their business. However, if immigrants want jobs and want to do business in America, I don't think it's too much to ask that they learn to speak English. It's a small price to pay for reaping the fruits of this country.
Cordova isn't really a 'professor'. He's a Chicano Studies 'professor'. Many of these 'professors' are staunch supporters of anti-American gangs like MEChA.
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