Speak American!

Have you ever heard someone say, "I wish people spoke American," and you wanted to say, "You mean, English?"

American and English go hand-in-hand to some people.

It's a feeling you might get from Tim James, a man who wants to be the next governor of Alabama. His latest political ad is getting some attention--



DISCLAIMER:
I am ALWAYS careful when blogging about anything related to politics. I want people to know I'm interested in this topic--not the man in this ad nor his political affiliation.

My opinion? At first, the message seems a little bullyish, but I'm sure it would be a cost-effective measure. Printing out tests in a dozen or so different languages seems like it would cost taxpayers more money.

On principle alone, I think we need to remember we are a country of immigrants. Some of us have just been here longer than others. I recently visited Chinatown in San Francisco, and I thought it was so beautiful. I felt lucky to live in such a diverse country. I spent time people-watching and saw many who didn't appear to speak a lick of English. It didn't bother me. Why would it? Am I supposed to feel more entitled than someone else because I grew up speaking English?

When I visit Korea, I try to speak broken-Korean, but I don't make a big effort to learn that language. In fact, I'd prefer it if Korean people tried out their English on me. Boy, that's a big, fat, ugly American for you, isn't it? I know Korean people learn English at a young age, so I figure that's probably the way I'll communicate with Koreans. It's faster. Plus, English is everywhere in Korea--even on the road signs... and that country is super homogeneous, unlike the U.S. Can you even imagine if Americans tried to add another language to all U.S. road signs? Or the political ads that would come out in response?

Again, the argument could very well come down to money (with the above political ad.) I'm just sayin'...