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Old 04-04-2007, 05:58 AM   #112 (permalink)
dc_dux
 
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Location: Washington DC
Quote:
Originally Posted by ubertuber
Isn't there really only one person talking that way?
Uber..perhaps so, but I have seen other comments like "I really don't understand why they refuse to learn when the rest if us did" or "they dont want to assimilate and want us to accomodate them."

IMO, these are oversimplistic generalizations with no basis in fact and bring us no closer to solutions.

To those who have so vocally expressed such opinions on illegal immigration...I would ask again...what exactly is the "basic argument and premise" that you have laid out? That illegal immigration is wrong? I agree. So what do you propose we do rather than continually bitching about the problem?

Or that bilingual education is somehow a new special accomodation to meet the "demands" of recent hispanic immigrants? Thats just bullshit...we have a long history of bilingual education and we have tinkered with the most recent law and programs numerous times in the last 40 years to make the process of learniing english more efficient and effective.

Where is the evidence that "they" (recent hispanic immigrants) dont want to learn english?

A recent study from the reputable Pew Hispanic Center found this:
Latinos, like nearly all Americans, agree that teaching English to the children of immigrant families is an important goal. The vast majority also says that it is important to help students from immigrant families maintain their native tongue.

* The vast majority of Latinos (92%) say that teaching English to the children of immigrant families is a "very" important goal and another 7% say it is a "somewhat" important goal. Whites and African Americans hold almost identical views.
* Almost nine in ten (88%) Latinos and eight in ten African Americans (79%), say that it is important for public schools to help students from immigrant families maintain their native tongue, including over two-thirds (67%) of Latinos who say that it is "very" important and another 21% say that it is "somewhat" important. Fewer, but still a majority of whites (57%) also agree.
http://pewhispanic.org/newsroom/rele...hp?ReleaseID=7
What is wrong with wanting to maintain your culture and language while at the same time assimlating into the broader community? Why is that a detriment to the nation as whole? IMO, we should value our cultural diversity, not repress it.
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Last edited by dc_dux; 04-04-2007 at 06:44 AM..
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