You can live in your little world and pretend it's not there or not really that bad if that makes you feel better.
Sandy, I don't know if anyone in this thread has suggested that these families are looking for a free ride. We have however sympathized with their situation as do you--even though many here are not Mexican Americans. Nor have we denied the existence of racism. Only that unsafe, porous borders are dangerous and that citizen rights belong to legal citizens.
We do not deny that many Mexicans assume jobs that most Americans don't want to do, but not all are the Home Depot workers. In the work I do, I meet them virtually every weekend and know that they are construction workers, hotel service people, pool installers, etc, and these definitely are jobs that legal Americans would take. We want these hard-working, law abiding Mexican people to have these jobs. We just want them to assume the same civic responsibility everyone else does and become legal. If they refuse to do so, it cannot simply be ignored.
If your child was hungry and you had no money to buy food what would you do?
Exactly what they do. Except that, unlike many of them, I would either try to come here legally--or do so as soon as possible after arriving. With all possible compassion, I still ask, "Why don't they?" I admit I don't understand the answer. Maybe there are good ones. Maybe it is, as I've suggested, because it's very difficult (or expensive) to do so. And if that's the case, then I'm all for fixing that.
My position does not focus upon the plight of poor Mexican people and questioning their motive for coming here--but instead on the problems that result from open borders and illegal residents. Broaching this subject does not mean that I am pretending racism "isn't there." It's just not the point of this issue.
You would do that only to the extent you are linguistically capable, and circumstances availed you of opportunity.
If a person was "linguistically capable" of learning one language, he can learn another. Easily? No. To the extent that he might become superbly fluent? Perhaps not. I do not blame a person who's just arrived here who can't speak English. But, again in my weekend employment I meet many, many illegal (and legal) Mexican familes, and some who've been here for twenty years or more hardly speak a word.
My daughter worked at a few Starbucks in Southern California when we were there. One thing she was amazed at was that frequently, when a non-English-speaking Spanish speaker would come in, they would express angry irritation that often there was noone behind the counter who could understand their language. Unlike you, Six, I do see a difference between immigrants from former times and many current Mexican immigrants.
Growing up in Detroit, I came to know many such immigrants--first and second generation. They all learned to speak English to a greater or lesser degree--and most of them refused to let their children speak their former language in the household. "We are Americans now. Speak English!" they would say. I'd say this was also the case with Mexican immigrants in former times--but not as much now for some reason. Are there not free English classes for new immigrants? There always used to be.
Truth is, I don't think it should be a law that they learn English. But I also don't think (as someone else pointed out) that I should have to press 1 to continue in English. If someone doesn't want to learn the language, it should be their burden--and if they choose to accept it, so be it. But the fact that so many don't learn English today demonstrates a changed mindset. One that wishes to maintain allegiance to ones former country, speak that language, and wave it's flag.
