Speak English or Die!!!!...well, at least if you want to eat.

[Corona Gigante]

Welcome to America! Now either speak english, or leave

I'm a little confused by this bumpersticker and I'm wondering who it's directed at. Obviously not people who can't read English (note use of capital 'E'); it can only directed at those annoying folks who can read (and presumably speak) English perfectly well, but choose not to simply to annoy the rest of us. Personally, I just try to rise above such pretty irritations. Don't you realize that by paying so much attention to them, you're just encouraging them?

Would it make you any happier to know that an ability to read, write, and speak English is one of the requirements for naturalization as a US citizen?

[WooferBearATL]

Originally Posted by Da Klugs

That's English they speak in downtown Phillie? Who knew?

Was just there a few weeks ago and what a beautiful night time environment. So many great places in a 3-4 block area... surrounded by places you don't want to wander off into regardless of your native tongue.

OH my gosh! I was thinking that. I spoke with two people in New York this past week and I could not understand a damn thing that they were saying. I had to keep asking them to explain what they were saying.

[Wetterhorn]

One of the main reasons immigrants should learn to speak English is economic. English speakers can get much better jobs. Not learning to speak English in the USA is dooming one to poverty. Sure, there are exceptions, but on the whole English is the gateway to economic wellbeing.

Bilingual education where children really don't learn English also hurts the kids in the long run.

As you can tell, I am very politically correct.

[rumballs]

Originally Posted by Da Klugs

Was just there a few weeks ago and what a beautiful night time environment. So many great places in a 3-4 block area... surrounded by places you don't want to wander off into regardless of your native tongue.

Philly, beautiful???
Musta been a pretty dark night!

[cigar no baka]

The fact that many can and choose to refuse to learn English is a symptom. The disease is that they have reached a critical mass where they can now afford to refuse to learn English. We are being invaded, it needs to stop now. Our national sovereignty is at stake as well as our culture. And if we're not careful, so is our national borders. There are outspoken Mexicans who openly speak of retaking the American Southwest. If 50% of the people living there are Mexican nationality, have they not achieved that without firing a shot? Has it not happened by default?

[Aaron]

[SIZE=3]Mexico handed Iran its ass today in the World Cup[/SIZE].

I declare a 24-hour holiday observed by a moratorium on demands to speak English.

I'm going to eat some Mexican food today!

You may not want to be downwind of me tomorrow...

[ky toker]

as long as the government uses tax dollars to provide free classes for immigrants so they can learn english.

They already do!

Originally Posted by WooferBearATL

OH my gosh! I was thinking that. I spoke with two people in New York this past week and I could not understand a damn thing that they were saying. I had to keep asking them to explain what they were saying.

I flew thru JFK and damn near missed my flight because I couldn't understand what the hell the Airport lady was telling me. Not sure what those people speak.

[688sonarmen]

It's pretty messed up that people think that this is not a big deal and choose to just ignore it.That is exactly how owr freedoms have been slipping away little by little every day for years now. Our culture of being fat and lazy seems to have pushed us to the point of not caring unless an issue effects us personaly or if we are attacked on our own ground. If 2 million illeigals decided to come accross the boarder tomorrow all at once instead of in a time period of a few weeks and fllood YOUR town with every language other than english then it would be a big deal. Freedom is never taken away in one day people.

[Corona Gigante]

Originally Posted by 688sonarmen

It's pretty messed up that people think that this is not a big deal and choose to just ignore it.That is exactly how owr freedoms have been slipping away little by little every day for years now. Our culture of being fat and lazy seems to have pushed us to the point of not caring unless an issue effects us personaly or if we are attacked on our own ground. If 2 million illeigals decided to come accross the boarder tomorrow all at once instead of in a time period of a few weeks and fllood YOUR town with every language other than english then it would be a big deal. Freedom is never taken away in one day people.

What freedom do you feel is being taken away from you when an immigrant choose not to learn English?--or puts off learning English until some time in the future?

[Aaron]

Originally Posted by Corona Gigante

What freedom do you feel is being taken away from you when an immigrant choose not to learn English?--or puts off learning English until some time in the future?

I think the proper onus is on the transmitting person who wishes to be understood having to exert more effort in an obvious way than the receiving person of that communication.

Foreigner with scrap of paper or $2-booklet with key daily phrases politely struggling to be understood and who has at least mastered the words "please", "help" and "thank you" gets my positive attention. Foreigner who comes across with an attitude of "yeah, this neighborhood and store will be mine in 10 years" deserves a rude smackdown. Foreigner who struggles one day to place an order, returns another day knowing how to say "You make good food" is going to earn a whole heap of slack.

I expect to be treated the same way when I'm abroad.

[688sonarmen]

Originally Posted by Corona Gigante

What freedom do you feel is being taken away from you when an immigrant choose not to learn English?--or puts off learning English until some time in the future?

I see it all as the same in the fact that that illiegals dont have to do anything to get freedom. They just have to jump the boader. And put off learning english until a later time? Give me a break. How can any human be expected to respect anything if it is given to them? I see than I am going off the subject here so I will stop at that.

[StudentSmoker]

Press one for English
Para Espanol primer numero dos.

[Corona Gigante]

I don’t mean any disrespect to anyone here, but

Some of the people who seem to feel the most strongly about the language issue seem to be the same ones who are either not able to, or refuse to, take the trouble to follow the most basic rules of spelling and punctuation correctly. In my humble opinion, and I’m not talking about anyone specifically, but if you think Shakespeare is “gay”, if you haven’t cracked a book since high school, if you can’t spot at least half a dozen grammatical and syntactic errors every time W opens his mouth, then you need to pick another stick to beat up on immigrants with. You have no right to complain about anyone else’s use or abuse of the English language.

Speaking as an immigrant myself. Just my . Take it for what it's worth.

[pistol]

Originally Posted by Corona Gigante

I don’t mean any disrespect to anyone here, but

Some of the people who seem to feel the most strongly about the language issue seem to be the same ones who are either not able to, or refuse to, take the trouble to follow the most basic rules of spelling and punctuation correctly. In my humble opinion, and I’m not talking about anyone specifically, but if you think Shakespeare is “gay”, if you haven’t cracked a book since high school, if you can’t spot at least half a dozen grammatical and syntactic errors every time W opens his mouth, then you need to pick another stick to beat up on immigrants with. You have no right to complain about anyone else’s use or abuse of the English language.

Speaking as an immigrant myself. Just my . Take it for what it's worth.

I like cheesesteaks! BTW, you have a few comma splices in there; those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones! Who else likes cheesesteaks?!

[ky toker]

When I was in Germany, I learned German and spoke pretty darn good because I kept trying to do so.

When a group of us went to Italy, a couple people had handbooks to use and we did our best.

Respect, courtesy and adjusting to culture.

Some don't give a damn and just want to bleed others for what they can get; leeches. Others do.