San Francisco --
This advice comes from Arnold Schwarzenegger, an immigrant himself from Austria when asked Wednesday night at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists when he was asked how Hispanic students can improve academic performance.
" "You've got to turn off the Spanish television set" and stay away from Spanish-language television, books and newspapers ... "I know this sounds odd and this is the politically incorrect thing to say and I'm going to get myself in trouble," he said. "But I know that when I came to this country, I very rarely spoke German to anyone.""
Schwarzenegger's comments did not sit well with some of the audience members.
" "I'm sitting shaking my head not believing that someone would be so naive and out of it that he would say something like that," Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, said Thursday, immigrants need Spanish-language media to stay informed and "function in this society" "
Pilar Marrero, the political editor for the Spanish-language newspaper La Opinion, chuckling that many Hispanics to not have time to learn English, "they're too busy working"
Rafael Olmeda, president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) said most most members would agree with the governor statements.
" "Most people I've spoken to walked away believing that he was trying to say that we must learn English to succeed in American society," Olmeda said. "
In the past, Schwarzenegger has been criticized by Democrats when he said that Mexican immigrants who "tried to stay Mexican" when they come to the US are urged to learn English and US history and "to make an effort to become part of America."
good advice from somebody who has been there, e.g. Schwarzenegger. "I very rarely spoke German to anyone."
However, negative statements such as "many Hispanics do not have the time to learn English" and being offended by feeling that they "MUST learn English to succeed in American society" are not exactly helping to make a positive impact on immigration issues.
4 comments:
Arnold is right. If you want to succeed in this country - learn English and assimilate. Resistance in futile.
I saw Sesame Street on Sunday but it was in Spanish and I couldn't understand it. And it wasn't on a Spanish channel. All the labels on my cans of food are in Spanish and English. Who is assimilating? Looks like we are and it is costing us more than the price of citizenship.
more and more jobs are requiring you to speak Spanish.
even if you go to the White House web site, it has an option for Spanish.
I do not see any options for Portuguese, Vietnamese, Japanese or French.
like Laura said, who is assimilating, and why should we have to learn Spanish?
The very fastest way for this country to wind up in the toilet is for us to be bilingual. It is critical that English be the official language of the United States. My ancestors came to the US from distant shores as well. They came to be AMERICANS and to speak ENGLISH. Not to wave the flags of another country and demand their "rights".
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