cartoon by David Horsey, 2009
As a long-time expat in France, I need to pose several unanswered questions which have been causing me some sleepless nights, lately:
1) When some groups of people demand that they intend to take America back, who exactly do they feel has invaded and whose culture do they feel has come and colonized our own?
2) When did this begin?
3) Are Native Americans demanding this? Americans of European descent? Of African descent? Of Asian descent?
4) Who are they talking about?
5) When I read that some other groups are demanding that they get their country back, who exactly is demanding this? People who are victims of our previous foreign relations? Reluctant immigrants and other refugees perhaps?
6) Who are they talking about?
I would appreciate the feedback, since it is probably apparent to you that I have become completely out of touch.
School me on this one people!
(Post script :. I have just been informed that America does not actually have an official language. “ English is the de facto national language of the United States, with 82% of the population claiming it as a mother tongue, and some 96% claiming to speak it "well" or "very well".[3] However, no official la nguage exists at the Federal level. There have been several proposals to make English the national language in amendments to immigration reform bills,[4][5] but none of these bills has become law with the amendment intact.” Wikipedia
People…help me on this one as well…
Which English are they talking about? American English? British English? Canadian English? Australian English?
What are they talking about?
It appears to me that the majority culture for hundreds of years were so preoccupied with repressing minorities and policing foreign nations that they forgot to give themselves an official language! Geeez...)
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Boomer Bob
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Comments
rated with hugs
The quibbles are often meaningless to me when the only thing that needs to be 'taken back' is the unchecked greed and gluttony. Everything else about America is either just fine or will heal and rebuild in due course. We are pretty good at rising to the occasion and taking care of each other.
They actually had a vote on which language to teach in pubic schools back near the turn of the century and English won over German by one vote....*snicker* that would have been interesting.
" Taking our country back" is a euphemism for a return to the values of a mythical age where families consisted of a mother, father and a couple of kids, where middle class families (which was pretty much everyone) could live comfortably, where government was a barely noticeable presence, where gays and visible minorities knew their place and didn't stir things up, basically, all the things that one learned in the school that Pete Seeger sings of:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VucczIg98Gw
When Bob Dole was running for president against Bill Clinton, at some point he came out in favor of making English the official language of the United States. I went to my French teacher that day and said, "he just lost Florida." And he did.
I had in mind all those highly educated Cubans. Highly. Educated.