The United States is a country of immigrants. Everyone knows this. It is the melting pot of the world. This diversity should be embraced, understood and appreciated. I am proud to be an American, and proud of the fact that America is represented by a multitude of races, skin colors and languages. Spanish is the second most common language spoken in the US and it is only natural that it be offered in touch-tone phone services. If Spanish speaking people were not contributing to our economy and calling customer service lines for assistance then we would have some serious problems. So if it pisses you off that there is an option to press "2" for Spanish then you need to get over yourself. Try to get out of your American bubble and realize that an estimated 358 million people in the world speak Spanish as their first language and only 350 million who speak English as their first language. Get with the program.
And of course I could leave the whole arrogant, anti-immigrant, "my family immigrated here legally in the early 1900's, why can't yours?" topic to another blog but I am so beyond annoyed right now that I can't. Maybe your family came here legally from Europe, but please understand that the immigration process from one hundred years ago cannot be compared to that of todays.
When my ancestors immigrated here from Switzerland, the only "process" they were put through was a check for communicable diseases and the challenge of purchasing a one-way ticket to come across the Atlantic by sea. Please stop comparing your ancestors to modern day immigrants. It's pointless and you sound like an idiot.
Too much rum and coke.
:steps off soap box:
Love this post!
ReplyDeleteAmen!
ReplyDeleteThumbs up!
ReplyDeleteIts always good to let it out, so preach on sista.
ReplyDeleteEspecially when your touched so deeply by the situation its hard to over look stupid people.
Right on! You go girl!
ReplyDeleteSay it, girl!!! :D
ReplyDelete~*~
Ceri
I cannot agree more. I am currently in the process with my husband... I stumbled across your blog and wanted to read it from the beginning. I miss my husband dearly, the process has been painful and confusing.
ReplyDeleteIt is impossible to have a truly "rational" discussion about immigration in the United States because for most, an economic, social, or status privilege is at stake. So, we get this tired meme of immigration "reform" blocked only by a bigoted evangelical "white" folk motivated only by a single-minded fear of the dark-skinned other. While I am certain this describes a certain segment of the American population, it's unfair to ignore the real fears related to loss of economic, social, and other status privilege. This does not take away from the fact that most people immigrating to the United States have real and sometimes heart-breaking challenges that they are trying to deal with in the best way they know how. However, it's unclear whether the endless stream of arrivals here at a time when there are essentially no jobs for the vast majority of current American citizens does anything to solve the overall problem. Moreover, to me, at least, it's unclear whether our government's use of "free trade" agreements has had any impact on alleviating poverty in places like Latin America and East Asia, but it may in fact have increased poverty in the United States. All of these things being the case, I think it's understandable large segments of the European/Anglo-American population would look on "immigration reform" as potentially harmful to their statuses and privileges as American citizens at best. I realize this is a selfish attitude, but nationalism and capitalism, in order to function, requires self preservation (not in the negative overly ego-istic way but in the positive, self-enlivening way) in order for individuals to help others, to give others the privileges they have. If the entire economy collapses, who benefits?
ReplyDeleteWell said....
ReplyDelete