TX state senator: "Speak English! It (Spanish) is insulting to us! ...very insulting!"

[UTUSN]

This would be one Chris HARRIS, from Arlington, TX, the site of Shrub's boondoggle baseball stadium (his former team got a new stadium funded by the locals).

Question: Will TX Hispanics miss one of their Rosa PARKS moments? After all, a good chunk of Hispanic voters voted for Shrub and would do so even more happily for Jeb Crow Shrub who speaks beautiful Spanish and is married to an ex-national from Mexico (now U.S. Citizen, of course) and is a Catholic convert.


*************QUOTE*************

Video: http://www.ktrh.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=121300&article=8719378

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/17/us-texas-english-idUSTRE75G5D120110617

Speak English, not Spanish, demands Texas lawmaker

.... State Senator Chris Harris leveled his pen at an activist testifying against a bill on immigration and told him it was "insulting" that Antonlin Aguirre of the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition spoke in Spanish through an interpreter. ....


"It is insulting to us, it is very insulting," Harris said. "If he knows English, he needs to be speaking in English."

Several people in the room booed Harris' remarks, while others appeared to agree, with one woman heard to say, "yes!." ....



The issue is particularly painful for many older Mexican-American Texans who recall being punished for speaking Spanish in school in the 1950s. Many said the policy that was used at the time, of mainstreaming students in English, made them feel ashamed of themselves and their heritage.

Harris' office released a statement saying that his comments were not intended to be derogatory.

But an English rights advocate said that he believes a strong majority of Americans would agree with Harris. ....



(Reporting by Jim Forsyth; Editing by Greg McCune)

*************UNQUOTE*************

[Warpy]

1. Translation: "I am a bonehead who barely learned English

and learning another language has always been beyond my capability."

People who make statements like his are telling us a lot about themselves that I don't think they particularly want us to know.

[RB TexLa]

2. The Democratic rep in the story is just as bad saying people who come here should learn English

I was waiting for her to say "because that is what whites speak."

[NYC_SKP]

3. Estimado Senador Chris Harris,

...

Estimado Senador Chris Harris,

Vaya a sentarse en un puesto hasta que las vacas vuelvan a casa.
Nosotros estábamos aquí antes de que su culo gordo Ha pensado alguna vez de venir y actuar como payasos.
Váyase. Te odio, cabrón.

NYC_SKP


:P

[Gman]

7. +1

LOL!

[rabs]

8. Gracias for a Sunday morning

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

bien dicho !

[a la izquierda]

14. haha...

i literally lol'd

[FreakinDJ]

19. Hmmmm ...

당신의 발언은 한쪽으로 대표들의

[MrScorpio]

22. Ja, und Harris ist such der wahnsinn arsch. nt

[SaveAmerica]

23. Palabra!!

[keroro gunsou]

36. repita usted por favor

en ingles ^_^;

tambien... donde esta las cervasas por favor?

god my spanish is terrible ^_^; my co-workers should/would string me up for this... ^_^;

[NYC_SKP]

49. En Ingles:

"Dear Senator,

Go sit on a post until the cows come home.
We were here before your fat ass ever thought to come and act like clowns.
Go away. You stink, asshole."

:P

[keroro gunsou]

60. thank you

now i don't feel so dumb for not remembering the 3 years of spanish i took... 25 years ago :D

[lunatica]

4. The exact same words can be said to Sarah Palin

Please Sarah! Just once, can't you speak English?!

[UTUSN]

5. Bwah-ha-hah!1 n/t

[earthside]

6. Harris is right.

Frankly, I think it is stupid (if not insulting) to testify as a citizen of Texas and the United States before a legislative committee of English speakers in Spanish ... when you know English.

All this fellow Antonlin Aguirre did by this stunt is perpetuate the view that there is a segment of Hispanic immigrants that have no intention of becoming part of this nation.

I'm not defending anti-immigrant or anti-hispanic bigotry ... but stupid is stupid.

[UTUSN]

9. Marlee MATLIN can speak a lot of oral English. Should she be required not to Sign? n/t

[Book Lover]

10. Have you ever learned another language to the point of fluency?

I have. The man was acting in a prudent and wise manner, and here you are calling it stupid. Nice.

[alphafemale]

11. Bullshit. He's more comfortable and fluent in Spanish, obviously.

In something as important as a court of law small accommodations to be certain that someone fully understands the question given to them and that they are able to give the clearest possible answer is pretty damn important.

If a deaf person could read lips a little and speak a little would you insist that they do so?

Or do you think that maybe they'd be able to communicate their testimony better through sign language?

[Occulus]

56. If you don't apply the same reasoning for those who use both ASL and spoken English

you are a hypocrite.

Have fun beating up on deaf people.

[Karenina]

57. Hä?

:freak:

[Occulus]

59. This is all about "we speak English"

ASL is not English.

So, if you don't feel the same way about ASL speakers as you do about Spanish/Italian/German/Chinese/Japanese/Swahili speakers, you are being at the least inconsistent.

Bravo to this person who pissed off a nationalist bigot. We need more of this.

[Karenina]

62. +1

[WolverineDG]

12. I know Spanish too

but in official situations (like testifying) I prefer speaking in English.

I guess you think I'm stupid too.

Besame culo.

dg

[shraby]

13. Just maybe...he felt he could express his thoughts better

in his own language instead of English, and therefore his testimony would be more accurate. He could hear the translator and if she erred, he could then correct and enlarge on what he was saying.

[earthside]

35. After 22, 23 years in this country?

Ridiculous to say after living in the United States for nearly a quarter of a century that he is still more fluent and/or comfortable in Spanish.

[Ikonoklast]

37. My great-grandmother came over from Sicily to this country in 1912.

She was fourteen years old at the time, and lived to be 93 years old.

She was far more comfortable speaking Sicilian than English till the day she died.

She could speak English well enough, but she could speak the dialect of Palermo much better.

[shraby]

38. A Czech neighbor I had as a teenager came to this country

in the 1930s, and this was in the 1950s. They had 8 children who all went through the local school, most graduated. In the 1950s, the husband could speak pretty good broken English, the wife could speak very little English. It was just too hard for her to learn.
The amount of time in this country has no bearing on a person's ability to learn a new language. Some can and some cannot.
One thing is sure, they are more fluent in the language they learned as a small child than they ever become in the second language. If they feel more comfortable speaking in a courtroom in their native language, so be it. Better to be accurate than mis-speak in some way.

[Occulus]

61. Exactly. He was making a point.

He made it very well- look at all the hyperventilation on this thread from Democrats(?).

[a la izquierda]

16. I'm fluent in Spanish.

However, when I'm in Mexico, if I have to do ANYTHING legal (like sign a rental contract, for instance), I prefer to do it in my native language). There are often nuances of language that escape even the fluent.

[Karenina]

53. How do you describe someone who speaks 4 languages?

Multilingual.

3 languages?

Trilingual.

2 languages?

Bilingual.

One language?

American.

I swear, I will never understand Americans' hostility to anything-other-than-English. There is *NO DOWN SIDE* to being able to communicate with those who have a different point of reference in what words they use and how they string them together. In fact, it's actually a shitload of fun and discovery!

That said, language acquisition is a complicated issue for adults. ENGLISH is LINGUA FRANCA GLOBALLY!!! It is in NO DANGER from those who have no opportunity to master it. Indeed, I find it amazing, while watching programs like "Witness" on AJ, how little ol' illiterate grammas in far flung places can muster a word or phrase to punctuate their points!

The outright rejection is so mean-spirited and self-defeating. :cry:

[RB TexLa]

18. 30% of Texas speaks Spanish? If that number goes to 51% will you say it's insulting to speak

English to people in Texas?

And what language you choose or choose not to learn or speak has no bearing at all on being part of this nation.

[earthside]

40. Sure.

If I move permanently to Mexico I should be free to chose to not speak Spanish? Even if I live there for two decades or more?

Kind of illogical and, of course, disrespectful of Mexican history and culture.

Immigrating to the United States and then not attempting to integrate into the common culture and utilize the common language is illiberal and reactionary.

"E pluribus unum" ... you know.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

41. You don't know about the Finns in Ashtabula, then.

[RB TexLa]

42. No, it would not be disrespectful at all, even if you were born there and lived your whole life

there.


I will give you credit for using "integrate" instead of "assimilate."

integrate to make up, combine, or complete to produce a whole or a larger unit, as parts do.

assimilate to bring into conformity with the customs, attitudes, etc., of a group, nation, or the like; adapt or adjust


But human beings are not "parts" and to say that people need to become parts to a whole doesn't have any respect for basic human freedom. Or any respect for other people at all.

[phleshdef]

20. I want to see people use Spanish in these kinds of situations. Just for spite.

He had an interpreter, therefore English was being spoken. We have no official language. Spanish was being spoke in Texas before Texas was even Texas.

But because people like you and Harris are so passionately dickish about the matter, I want people to force you to hear some Spanish sometimes. You deserve it as a reminder that the world does not revolve around your preferences.

[SaveAmerica]

24. I'm helping someone with immigration issues; I speak some Spanish, he speaks some English

but I had a native Spanish speaker with us to translate because sometimes you want to make sure that details are 100% understood. I would think that's even more important when you're testifying in a court of law and in a country where folks' words are being taken out of context and used against them left and right.

The actions of this state rep and your comments really highlight exactly what this is all about.

Now let's get started on what view you've just perpetuated with your comments...

[ixion]

26. *facepalm*

oy vey. :eyes:

[wiggle-room]

Thanks for having the courage to speak the obvious.

You endure flames here for many tonight.

[coalition_unwilling]

15. If English was good enough for Jesus, it ought to be

good enough for all of us

:sarcasm:

[lunatica]

17. Jesus habla en Cristiano. Ask any Mexican

[jwirr]

21. In a nutshell. This is why I do not know how to speak German - first

generation in my family. During WWI we were harassed for even speaking German among ourselves. That senator is WRONG. He is insulting.

[ixion]

25. it's only insulting to the ignorant

way to show'em what you're all about, Mr. Harris. :eyes:

[Canuckistanian]

27. Ugly.

Intolerant asshole.

[SwampG8r]

28. reverse the languages and

i have been told the exact same thing from mexico to columbia and on every spanish (or french/kreol/patois)speaking island.
its not racist to have an expectation of being able to achieve common commerce in the actual language of the region you live in.
like they said in guatamala "its rude"of me,an outlander to act so.
edited for spelling

[Book Lover]

30. So then you would not mind at all when refused an interpreter if you

had to speak in a court of law? Because your Spanish is so perfect that you would feel safe without one?

[Igel]

33. You're changing the subject.

This wasn't in a court of law. It was prepared testimony and answering questions on a pre-prepared theme. "No comment" would be safe and lead to no punitive consequences.

I've been told to "parlez en francais," "musis rict cesky, jses Praze!" and to speak in Spanish in Mexico. It was insulting in Prague when there were a lot of Americans who insisted on English and, after years, insisting on interpreters (not a rich country, Cesko). Germans in Brno that ventured outside the touristy areas got the same kind of glares. I quickly learned in Leningrad that while some Russians liked practicing their English, others thought it rather arrogant to assume that English was okay outside of places where tourists were expected to go.

In fact, one of the harshest places was Quebec, in a French-language bookstore. But I digress.

It's not racist. It's respect. Some both show it and expect to receive it. Other think it's exclusively their birthright. If you don't know the language, it's one thing. But at least trying is a good thing.

It would be interesting to see how the Law of 1830 would be interpreted today. It was racist, by modern terms, and xenophobic. But it was truly nativist Mexican, and that's seldom considered a bad thing. The very idea of calling Mexicans intolerant racist xenophic nationalists--while often true--rankles many.

[Book Lover]

39. Your refusal to answer my question gives me the reply I need (nm)

[SwampG8r]

45. i answered your silly question above

you must be worn after a long day of jumping to conclusions
do you get points when you constantly jump to the wrong ones?

[SwampG8r]

44. where did i say what my response was in my post?

i never listed what my response was
as to my spanish its passable if you dont go too fast
my wife has better spanish and kreol and patois because as a midwife she has lived immersion style in many different countries and the immediacy of her situation builds quick communication abilities
when we are in these faraway places doing what we do we try to make ourselves understood using whatever the natives use whether it be spanish or conjubal
thats what you do when you arent trying to be rude

[SwampG8r]

48. not perfect but yes i would not be afraid

i can speak spanish as well as the man the texas jackbag is talking about can speak english
so i would say yes to your querie
i speak it well enough to make myself understood to armed rebels/banditos

[leftistboy]

32. a lot of DUers believe that only english speaking white americans can be racist

which is a big reason why the GOP has so many lower middle class white voters

[SwampG8r]

47. i am the bad guy on this sub thread but i bet

a dollar to a fucking donut i am the only one on it who ever did anything in central american more than drink margaritas and exploit the locals
must be nice view from up on their high horse

[LanternWaste]

55. I lived in MX for three years writing commercial spots.

I lived in MX for three years writing commercial spots. I don't have a high horse, simply convictions-- but I'm certain the two may be are easily conflated when necessary...

[Karenina]

34. The stupid, it burns...

Three words: CONTEXT. IS. EVERYTHING.

"Common commerce" is like wandering thru the viertel, buying groceries, greeting neighbors and shit. Bureaucratic jargon is a whole nuther thang. AND talking on the phone UND schriftlich auch anders.

When one knows his limitations and wants to be clearly understood, relying on Muttersprache is no sin. The rejection of that is JES. SO. IGNANT.

[SwampG8r]

46. you have a very thin idea

of what everyday life is in most of central america
we spend our time there doing medical charity work for women in the mountains so i am sure your experience outshines mine
are you an original member of the 101st chairborne division?

[Karenina]

52. I have absolutely NO idea

of everyday life in Central America, nor did I realize that the subject of this thread was your medical charity work there.
I'm a member of the ESL private trainer troop across the Big Pond.

What I would like to point out is that how one chooses to communicate is "circumstance dependent."
Adult language acquisition is complex.

Declaring that your Spanish is as good as the man in question's Englisch is patently absurd. There is no way to substantiate such an assumption. This incident is about "communication intent." Using language as the tool, the intent was quite transparently to invalidate and delegitimise the speaker while simultaneously envenoming any chance of discussion.

[felix_numinous]

29. In the 70s I actually believed these bigoted old farts would be all dead and gone by now

and be replaced by more tolerant people. It was a good dream while it lasted--back when 'All in the Family' was mainstream comedy....

[WinkyDink]

31. I suppose this guy's border is the Great River?

[wiggle-room]

43. Jump all over me for saying this, but you know, if I moved to France, I'd expect to have to learn

the French language in order to have a full life there.

And I wouldn't be angry or feel put-upon to do so.

I wouldn't expect France to re-create their entire society to accommodate me.

What an ass I would be to do so.

I don't see the big deal here, although I'm sure the perpetually outraged are grateful to have a new nugget to wail about.

Flame away...

[Xicano]

50. The way I see it is like this:

Isn't the French language the native language of France? However, America is a nation of immigrants and English isn't the native language of America. So its kinda a moot point to compare us to France don't you think?

Many different language speaking people who immigrated to this country took part in building and fighting for this country to include Spanish speaking people. So wouldn't it be an insult to not recognize other languages too?

I am just saying...

[Karenina]

54. . .

[Name removed]

51. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[treestar]

58. That particular individual at that time asked for an interpreter

Doesn't mean he is not trying to learn English. Just that he doesn't currently trust his English for something important.

People need to get a life. Why do they worry about stupid things like this?