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Title: Eleanor Clift on Immigration: 'A Lot More Americans Are Going to Learn Spanish and That's a good thing"
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URL Source: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-s ... ing-learn-speak-spanish-and-th
Published: Apr 26, 2011
Author: Noel Shepperd
Post Date: 2011-04-26 13:04:11 by HAPPY2BME-4UM
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Views: 123
Comments: 3
"A lot more Americans are going to learn to speak Spanish, and I think that's a fine thing." So said Newsweek's Eleanor Clift Friday in the middle of a "McLaughlin Group" program devoted in its entirety to looking at how America is responding to a growing Hispanic population as well as an ongoing economic expansion in Latin America (video follows with transcript and commentary): JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, HOST: Will the growing Hispanic population assimilate as readily into the American melting pot as earlier immigrant waves like the Irish and the Italians did? Yes or no? PAT BUCHANAN: Took the Irish almost a hundred years to do it, John. I think that it's going to be more slowly because the culture… MCLAUGHLIN: You do? BUCHANAN: …much more different. Yes I do. MCLAUGHLIN: Even though the United States today is multiracial? BUCHANAN: The United States, people are moving into enclaves, John, by race and ethnicity, all over this country. MCLAUGHLIN: “Irish need not apply” was the sign in the window when this date nation was dominantly what, UK settled? BUCHANAN: No, this was dominantly British, in this country. MCLAUGHLIN: Dominantly British, right. But it’s not dominantly British. BUCHANAN: But it took, John, it took generations before the Irish were fully assimilated. MCLAUGHLIN: Because of the setting into which they came! This setting today is different. BUCHANAN: John, take a look… MCLAUGHLIN: It's multicultural! It's multilingual. BUCHANAN: It is not. John, look, you got a multicultural… MCLAUGHLIN: Eleanor. BUCHANAN: Go ahead. Interesting debate between Buchanan and McLaughlin that likely could be easily argued from both sides. We are indeed a more multicultural nation than we were in the 19th century when waves of immigrants came from Ireland. However, one could make the case that the illegality of so many of the Hispanic immigrants in the country today creates a larger hurdle for their assimilation. Even so, Clift's addition to the conversation was a rather typical liberal view concerning Americans learning to speak Spanish implying that it's the citizenry's responsibility to aid immigrant assimilation by becoming more like them. In previous centuries, it was the immigrant's job to learn English in order to facility his or her acculturation. Unfortunately, in recent decades, this concept has been tossed aside not just here but in Europe as well where countries are mandating cultural changes to avoid conflict with an expanding Muslim population. More and more it's the natives that are required to assimilate rather than the new arrivals. Makes you wonder what America looks like when it's all over.
Eleanor Clift on Immigration: 'A Lot More Americans Are Going to Learn Spanish and That's a Fine Thing'
ELEANOR CLIFT: I don't think the wave of the future is racial and ethnic enclaves in this country. I think people are and will assimilate, but I also think a lot more Americans are going to learn to speak Spanish, and I think that's a fine thing.
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#1. To: HAPPY2BME-4UM (#0)
Unfortunately, in recent decades, this concept has been tossed aside not just here but in Europe as well where countries are mandating cultural changes to avoid conflict with an expanding Muslim population. More and more it's the natives that are required to assimilate rather than the new arrivals. Therein lies, as Shakespeare put it, "the rub". Cultures are composed of people sharing common viewpoints on language, morality, science, and the arts. The intrusion, or insertion, of a large body of illegal immigrants speaking another language and having a different set of viewpoints towards the world is a disruption to the existing culture. Race is only a minor factor as the real determinants are those shared values, language, and viewpoints. Language is a means of communication of one to another. When that is not a shared commonality adjustment becomes much more difficult. Religion and moral viewpoints are also important. The morality of Islam is much different than the morality of Christendom. In some ways it is stricter on sexual matters but it is also more degrading of women. The Hispanic intrusion is that of poorly educated individuals who share some common moral viewpoints but they are at best semi-literate even in their own language. So, what we have now is not a melting pot but a melange of discordant elements. That is exactly as is intended by our would be masters because the existing culture of America is one of intolerance to tyranny. That has been eroded by the degradation of the education system, indoctrination into false history, and the flood of illegal immigrants speaking another tongue and thus unable to communicate with the vast majority of the people already residing here. We may well have to learn Spanish - in self defense.
I had a good talk with the local museum curator this afternoon, she's a retired newspaper reporter/columnist. She lamented the fact that illegal mexicons don't assimilate like her grandparents did, i.e. learn English and "become AMERICANS".
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Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestEven so, Clift's addition to the conversation was a rather typical liberal view concerning Americans learning to speak Spanish implying that it's the citizenry's responsibility to aid immigrant assimilation by becoming more like them. In previous centuries, it was the immigrant's job to learn English in order to facility his or her acculturation.
#2. To: Original_Intent, X-15, Eric Stratton, Itistoolate, christine (#1)
#3. To: HAPPY2BME-4UM (#2)
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