Quote:
Originally Posted by SecretMethod70
We can debate about whether or not English should be the official language (it shouldn't, and this has been recognized for the entirety of American history), but until it is there is absolutely no debate at all that immigrants should not be discriminated against because of the language they speak. Over time, immigrants naturally assimilate into the culture while adding their own influence (this is the very definition of the melting pot). We don't need to pass laws to impose this process.
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Well I think this comes down to the sentiment in Alabama (of this gubernatorial candidate, and, perhaps, of many Alabamans). Maybe they don't want people coming there who haven't mastered the English language enough to deal with things of an officious nature...you know, where things are quite serious and have serious consequences.
I don't think this is about road signs, because road signs are largely visual and contain rudimentary English words, and few phrases. The tests are in other languages because they are verbose and contain questions referring to one's knowledge of the rules of the road. Considering a driver probably thinks about the rules of the road in their native tongue, I think it would make sense to have these tests available for their own comfort with respect to the knowledge and being able to communicate/understand it. To assume these same people "don't know English" is to be a bit naive, I think. I would assume myself that very few don't know enough English to get by in most situations. Again, these tests are more about comfort levels in being able to communicate what you know, not whether you understand the English enough to make your way through the streets.
But if Alabama is that opposed to other languages, then I suppose it's their prerogative to want to pare things down to English, and perhaps a monoculture. Immigrants would then be more encouraged to seek other, more accepting states elsewhere, and it is these states that will benefit from the influx of talent, culture, knowledge, and experience being imported into the country. Alabama can become a backwater akin to Third World countries notorious for being ignorant and closing off outsiders.