"America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?

[Anonymous]

My great-grandparents spoke barely a lick of English and maintained close ties to "the old country."

Really? How many trips did they make back to the Old Country? How many times a day did they Skype or call?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You somehow think, wrongly, like every other generation that the specific set of current immigrants is different than those that came before. Our ancestors were wrong and so are you.

How many in the past immediately went on welfare and had their kids go on free lunch--and, for the record, I do believe we need to feed the children.

Just another excuse. I remember when it was that we took orders from the Pope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My great-grandparents spoke barely a lick of English and maintained close ties to "the old country."

Really? How many trips did they make back to the Old Country? How many times a day did they Skype or call?

I'm the PP you're questioning. My other set of great-grandmother (also from Europe) went back to live in her country for several years to be with family there when she had small children.

My other set of great grandparents (Italian) went back many times. They had no skype back then, as you know (we are talking 1910/1920 or so).
As for calls when I was a child, I wasn't logging their calls so I don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My great-grandparents spoke barely a lick of English and maintained close ties to "the old country."

Really? How many trips did they make back to the Old Country? How many times a day did they Skype or call?

I don't know about that poster, but my family was in the same boat. Probably on the same boat. It's absolutely true. The pattern is this:

grandpa comes over from Italy as a young man. Brothers and cousins follow and then sisters. They set up businesses in an Italian neighborhood. For my family, they were all produce vendors near the market area. Occupied a niche, just like different ethnic groups do today. They learned to speak English very so-so. As a street vendor, you have to use English so you do get some. But if you had another job like doing laundry, then no.

Eventually all the kids are here and the great grandparents follow, because they are old and need to be taken care of. They really do not learn the language. They are old and there to be near family.

Then come the kids. Some come over as children, and they will have an accent depending on how old, while the ones born here will be completely bilingual. They have Italian names but also "American" names. This generation will try to prove how American they are, will listen to the same music and dress the same way as their friends. The next generation will grow up speaking only English, because they have started to spread out of their immigrant neighborhoods, and Italians aren't big enough a group to get much use outside of the house.

During this period, Italians start out as "dagos", "woos", "garlic eaters". We are accused of allegiance to the pope, that we are taking jobs and sending money back home. Over time it will simmer down, and we will be ridiculed mostly for the mob element, as the population has embraced Italian food and Sinatra or Bennett. Eventually the loyalty question dies down. Italians intermarry enough that everyone has a friend or neighbor who is half Italian. Catholics become less stigmatized. And at that point we are assimilated. The process takes about 80-100 years.

[Anonymous]

pp, that was the story of people who migrated back in the day.
Now lives are more mobile/global, careers need international exposure. Expat is the new norm and immigrant is old fashioned term.
Also, there is a need to be fluent in several languages

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not religious at all and I wasn't hugely upset by the commercial but I was very taken back it was sung in other languages. The different cultures do not bother me but let's sing our songs in the language they are meant to be sung. If you want to be part of this country, then learn the language and communicate with us. Or continue to speak in your language and complain for translations which is what appears to be the norm lately.

French Canadians do not like nor get along with their fellow English Canadians. It was a country divided from the start. We have always been a melting pot with one main language/communication and government. I hope our country doesn't turn into an eventual civil war.

America has never been an English speaking country
It had many what is now called 'native indian' languages. Then the whites came and most of them were not English speaking. The blacks were definitely not English speaking.
Eventually the number of German speakers was the same as that of white English speakers, so it was decided that everybody speak English. Only nobody knows how to speak real English so the language got to be called American English
American English has never been the only language spoken in America

[Anonymous]

Yes, for the last couple hundred years - what language have we spoken? What language does our President give speeches in? Declaration of Independence, Constitution? What language is the naturalization test in? Oh wait, we are talking about people who don't want to be citizens or come here legally. As long as you can fill out welfare forms in Spanish, they are all good.

You need to pass a Naturalization test, a civics and ENGLISH test to become a US citizen. Who cares if it is not considered our official language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, for the last couple hundred years - what language have we spoken? What language does our President give speeches in? Declaration of Independence, Constitution? What language is the naturalization test in? Oh wait, we are talking about people who don't want to be citizens or come here legally. As long as you can fill out welfare forms in Spanish, they are all good.

You need to pass a Naturalization test, a civics and ENGLISH test to become a US citizen. Who cares if it is not considered our official language.

Why do you care? Are you not finding the forms you need in English? Are you having trouble getting the groundskeeper to understand you? How does this affect you, except as something to bitch about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, for the last couple hundred years - what language have we spoken? What language does our President give speeches in? Declaration of Independence, Constitution? What language is the naturalization test in? Oh wait, we are talking about people who don't want to be citizens or come here legally. As long as you can fill out welfare forms in Spanish, they are all good.

You need to pass a Naturalization test, a civics and ENGLISH test to become a US citizen. Who cares if it is not considered our official language.

Why do you care? Are you not finding the forms you need in English? Are you having trouble getting the groundskeeper to understand you? How does this affect you, except as something to bitch about?

Because the only retort coming back about singing an American song in multiple languages is that English is not our "official" language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, for the last couple hundred years - what language have we spoken? What language does our President give speeches in? Declaration of Independence, Constitution? What language is the naturalization test in? Oh wait, we are talking about people who don't want to be citizens or come here legally. As long as you can fill out welfare forms in Spanish, they are all good.

You need to pass a Naturalization test, a civics and ENGLISH test to become a US citizen. Who cares if it is not considered our official language.

Why do you care? Are you not finding the forms you need in English? Are you having trouble getting the groundskeeper to understand you? How does this affect you, except as something to bitch about?

Because the only retort coming back about singing an American song in multiple languages is that English is not our "official" language.

No, it's that we don't find anything wrong with singing it in other languages. Because Americans speak lots of languages, and there is no reason they can't use them.

[Anonymous]

It's a fucking commercial for crying out loud. Pick up the remote and change the damn channel if you don't like it geezus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a fucking commercial for crying out loud. Pick up the remote and change the damn channel if you don't like it geezus.

Seriously. Kid Rock wore the American Flag as a poncho during one Super Bowl show and there was no outrage. Conservatives are just looking for justifiable excuses to pile hate on people they dislike.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a fucking commercial for crying out loud. Pick up the remote and change the damn channel if you don't like it geezus.

Don't you tell me to change the channel! It's my right as a 'Murican to be offended at anything I see, turn on or listen too, and you can't force me to stop watching or listening to it! I'm going to force all of these things to conform to my view of the way the world ought to be, dagnabbit!