My Grandmother lived here for 70 years and never learned to speak English. She was a wonderful and courageous woman, but she lived her life in a very small circle that included her family and a few friends on the block where we lived. Most of them came from the same small town in Italy.
Her sister, my Zia, learned to speak English very soon after arriving in 1921. She also had the love of her family and friends in the neighborhood, but her life included the larger cultural and commercial world beyond our small community.
Those of us who think that immigrants should assimilate into American culture without losing their unique ethnic heritage should not feel at all defensive about it. Those who shout the loudest about diversity are the ones who are trying to ghettoize new Americans for narrow political reasons.
We'll be rooting for Team Italia this Sunday, but only because Team USA has been eliminated.
Interesting thoughts.
Those who think the word "assimilation" is some kind of horrible idea are those in the position to "help" i.e. control those who haven't assimilated--and can think and act for themselves.
One doesn't have to give up one shred of their ethnic heritage by learning the language of the nation one has moved to--that's just absurd. I thought all these libs thought learning was the greatest thing in the world--somehow, learning a language of your community is a BAD thing, though!
You'd think liberals wouldn't want The Man to hold people down by limiting their ability to exchange ideas and information. Wouldn't someone who was AGAINST recent immigrants be telling them "Don't learn English"? Instead, the libs are the ones telling people "Don't learn the language of the political and business class--stay ignorant of what the people with power are saying."
I agree with you. And I'll sum it up with:
The Melting Pot made America a great nation. Diversity divides it.
I'm not rooting for anyone. Soccer is UNAMERICAN!
Despite the fact that I detest soccer, I'll be rooting for Team Italia this Sunday...but only because there is no word for "victory" in the French language and a win by the French in anything might actually trigger the apocalypse.