Op Ed: English-only push is given a proper veto »

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  elzorro2162

  Feb. 19, 2007, 1:03 p.m.

  Cynthia Tucker examines the nashville mayor's veto on an English only measure and placed his political future in jeopardy by not fallng prey to taking the path of least resistance, Instead of being lured to popularity, he did what he thought was just and that reflected a cosmopolitan vision of Nashville instead of one driven by xenophobia. I applaud his leadership, candor and living example to move us towards tolerance of those that are different. It reminds me of Martin Luther King's words: "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

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  elzorro2162

  Feb. 19, 2007, 2:36 p.m.

  Cynthia Tucker makes a lot of sense when she says in her article: "Apparently, a different language or accent is one of those identifiers that stir anxiety, fear and foreboding about the strange "other." In a 2005 interview, Emory University psychology professor Drew Westen mused about humankind's inability to relate easily to those with superficial, but obvious, differences: "I've wondered for a long time whether the ability to empathize with someone who has a skin color or culture or language different from our own takes not just an effort but a deliberate suppression of mechanisms that lead us to have an immediate reaction of repulsion or lack of interest."

  Maybe the problem lies not in others, but maybe our attitudes towards those that are different.

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  doppich

  Feb. 19, 2007, 3:31 p.m.

  I'd be happy with a simple measure making English the "default." One should not have to "press 1 for English."
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  JustCallMeV

  Feb. 19, 2007, 5:17 p.m.

  One should have the freedom to speak any language they wish to, however, society shouldn't be billed for it nor make any unnecessary concessions for it.

  If I walked into a New York bodega and no one spoke English, and I spoke very little to no Spanish; then I have to either:

  1. Take my business elsewhere, where I can communicate or,

  2. Try to communicate, in high school Spanish, what I am trying to purchase. Keeping in mind next time, I should practice my Spanish more.

  No one should be forced to speak any particular language. It should be encourage to speak English because that is the predominant language and suited for business. That is why the United States does not have an official language - 1st Amendment of the Constitution states it.

  -V-
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  jdhatl

  Feb. 20, 2007, 5:26 a.m.

  The people most vocal about making English the "official" language are the ones who non-native English speakers would have the most difficult time understanding. These people have no concept what is involved in learning a foreign language. Maybe the problem with having to press "1" for English is not Language but rather too much telephone automation. The private companies that choose to have this feature do so because it is in their best financial interest to do so, otherwise they would not. Many millions of people around the world learn English in school, where it is mandatory. I think everyone here should have to learn Spanish in elementary school. It's one of the easiest languages to learn the basic grammar of (besides Esperanto). English is, by the way, one of the hardest languages in the world to learn (there, their, they're???)
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  Harbeas

  Feb. 20, 2007, 9:01 a.m.

  Why are so many people against making English our national language? One of the reasons we became a great country is the melting pot scenario. The immigrants learned to speak English and moved on to become an integral part of society. Today you have "little Havana" in Miami where most of the inhabitants there speak little or no English. We have a large percentage of the southwest settled by Spanish speaking peoples. Again the dominant language is non-English. If you look around the world you will find many countries struggling because of the many different languages the populace uses. How can a country become one when they don't speak the same laguage? I totally disagree.......
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  Harbeas

  Feb. 20, 2007, 9:04 a.m.

  with this article. If you want to speak your old country's language at home , fine. When in public, speak the laguage of the country you now live in. To keep from becomming more and more divided as a country we need to adopt English as our one common language.

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