Gingrich Decries Bilingual Education
WASHINGTON ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich equated bilingual education Saturday with “the language of living in a ghetto” and mocked requirements that ballots be printed in multiple languages….”The government should quit mandating that various documents be printed in any one of 700 languages depending on who randomly shows up” to vote, said Gingrich, who is considering seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. He made the comments in a speech to the National Federation of Republican Women….”The American people believe English should be the official language of the government. … We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto,” Gingrich said to cheers from the crowd of more than 100.
Here’s a message for former DUMB@$$ AWARD wiener Newt Gingrich, (with apologies to Ron White): the next time you have a thought…LET IT GO.
Clearly, Gingrich sees his role as appealing to the knuckle-dragging, America-first wing of God’s Own Party. Gingrich and his fellow Republicans ought to just drop the whole “Big Tent Party” shtick and go with what they’re really good at: protecting America for good, God-fearing White Folks and appealing to their overarching, irrational fear of The Brown People.
I can agree with Gingrich’s central point, which seems to be that learning English is a basic prerequisite for economic success in the country. No argument there. What I cannot stand, however, is the idea the we as a nation must force newcomers to go cold turkey, deny their own heritage and language, and assimilate as quickly as they can be forced to. Take them to the deep end of the pool, put your foot in their back, and force them into the water. They’ll either sink or swim, right??
YOU’RE AN AMERICAN NOW, DAMMIT!! IT’S TIME YOU STARTED ACTING LIKE ONE!!
Peter Zamora, co-chair of the Washington-based Hispanic Education Coalition, which supports bilingual education, said, “The tone of his comments was very hateful. Spanish is spoken by many individuals who do not live in the ghetto.”
He said research has shown “that bilingual education is the best method of teaching English to non-English speakers.” Spanish-speakers, he said, know they need to learn English. “There’s no resistance to learning English, really, among immigrants, among native-born citizens. Everyone wants to learn English because it’s what you need to thrive in this country.”
Of course, what bilingual education really does is piss off those White makes right activists who see those who don’t look, think, act, and/or believe as they do to be clear and present dangers to Our Way of Life © .
Yeah, if it weren’t for them damn Brown People, my kids would be eatin’ REAL ‘merican food…like hamburgers and french fries, instead of them damn tacos and burritos. Godd—n things give me gas, anyway….
I probably shouldn’t be the one to point out the irony of considering “french” fries to be “American” food, eh?? :o)
In the past, Gingrich has supported making English the nation’s official language. He’s also said all American children should learn English and that other languages should be secondary in schools.
Of course, Gingrich grew up speaking English. He’s never had to experience the stress of being in a new country and having to adapt to new rules, new customs, and a new language. Yes, immigrants SHOULD learn English, but is it necessary to make it as stressful and difficult as possible for them to do so? And don’t we have an investment in ensuring that new immigrants are able to successful assimilate enough to become productive members of society? When did we lose our compassion, our willingness to assist those who need a hand up? When did we forget that this country was founded by people who came from somewhere else?
Hmm…I suppose the answer to that question is that it was right about the time that Republicans learned that the quasi-KKK crowd was sizable, malleable, and willing to vote Republican if they could manipulated into doing so.
In 1995, for example, he said bilingualism poses “long-term dangers to the fabric of our nation” and that “allowing bilingualism to continue to grow is very dangerous.”
Bilingual programs teach students reading, arithmetic and other basic skills in their native language so they do not fall behind while mastering English.
Those of us who grew up speaking English and learning how to be an American from Day One could benefit by remembering that not everyone is so fortunate. There are still, in this day and age, those who arrive on our shores looking for opportunity, yet are lacking the tools and the language skills to seize those opportunities. We only benefit ourselves when we provide opportunities for newcomers to learn the language, the customs, and then provide access to services they’ll need in order to become productive members of society. It’s called a “hand up”, NOT a “hand out.”
Then again, their are and will always be those like Gingrich who think the only workable solution is to metaphorically put their foot into the backs of Brown People and force them into the deep end of the pool (Hey…it’s not our fault they weren’t born White….). I’d like to think that we’re not a cruel, heartless society, but sometimes I really have to wonder.
Jeebus, what a freakin’ DUMB@$$…and he might just want to run for President. That thought alone ought to scare the Hell out of ANY reasonable person.
