Or, for the español-challenged: “Speaking the Spanish in the United States nowadays.”
Over the last ten years I have noted the ever-increasing number of products that are labeled in Spanish, and sometimes even advertised in Spanish. I try to not let these things bother me, but occasionally I find examples of the phenomenon I can't ignore.
For instance, I recall when I last went out to purchase a new DVD player. I had looked up reviews online and decided on one particular model that was both equipped with the features we wanted and priced low enough for us to be able to afford it. At the store, I spent a considerable amount of time looking for the item before I realized that the store had placed a large, incomprehensible inventory label on top of the entire English-language section of the box – I only recognized it because I had written the model number down.
I remember my surprise as I grabbed one of these boxes to find only two places where the unit's specifications were written; the English-language section completely covered by the aforementioned label. Why? I can't really say, but I have to admit my frustration with it. In this case, I chose to not complain because I figured it would have been a worthless gesture, but I seriously considered it anyway...
When did the United States become a bilingual country? Sure, I understand that English has never been the official language of the country, but most applicants for citizenship have to have a functional knowledge of the language. Why is it that about 1/3 of the people I work with are seemingly so ignorant when I attempt to communicate something to them? Why does my employer have to provide Spanish versions of our equipment checkout logs even though none of the bosses are fluent in Spanish? Further, why do my bosses tolerate it when these Spanish-speaking employees fail to follow reasonable orders as a result of the language barrier? I guess I should be thankful I'm not one of the bosses... I wouldn't tolerate it.
Ten years ago I had recently graduated from high school. I took three years of Spanish courses and one year of French, but never really picked up on any more than was absolutely necessary to pass the courses. I remember thinking that I would never need to understand Spanish because, quite frankly, I had never seen a practical application of the language anywhere in my life. Never had I seen an advertisement in Spanish, nor had I ever seen other tongues printed on product packages. I can't remember ever meeting anyone that spoke Spanish as their first language until four years ago, and it does kinda seem like in the last four years in particular I have seen an explosion of Spanish-focused marketing.
It seems to me that some immigrants are simply not even making an effort anymore to assimilate, choosing instead to force the creation of a double-culture that will do nothing but make lives harder and communication more difficult. This opinion was further enforced when my wife told me about an Hispanic child in her preschool class that speaks no English whatsoever. My wife doesn't know Spanish! Yet she has chosen to take on the task of learning at least a series of select Spanish words for the benefit of this particular child. I respect her motives (she is a better person than I) but I don't think it is reasonable for her to have to bother with it.
I don't really have any answers to any of the questions or problems I raise here... I do, however, wish for someone to come up with answers that satisfy my intent to be “me,” while still affording immigrants the opportunity to come here to work and live. Suffice to say, I don't think I should have to read Spanish (period) and I have no intent to really learn any more of the language than I have to to survive. So far, my opinions are shelved because, well, I figure I am a sort of “mental” minority, and I figure I shall continue forever to be so.
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