These cringe-worthy displays of language deficiency make me want to laugh in disbelief... and weep for the evidently sorry state of English in our country.
Naturally, the latter reaction matters more to me.
These folks wish to judge others but would not tolerate being judged themselves. In fact, they think that because their beliefs are so "American," they are above criticism.
What they have on their signs is comparable to Coach McMackin's use of the f-word: it denigrates everyone outside their exclusive communities and promotes intolerance and prejudiced thinking. Error begets error.
All true, Pat! When I was in ENG 306 (Argumentative Writing), I decided for my final project to take a position on the controversial issue of whether English should be the "official" language of the nation. Just for fun (and for a challenge), though, I opted to argue for the position I am actually firmly against--that, yes, English should be the language of all levels of government.
I'd always been angered by what appeared to be the lunatic ravings of hateful, xenophobic bigots, but I thought I'd be able to gain a deepened understanding of the issue itself by taking an alternative perspective. Sure enough, I discovered in my research a host of practical and reasonable arguments from reasonable people and organizations in favor of making English official. It's just sad, though, that such well-reasoned arguments never seem to be articulated or even mentioned by the typical sign-waving rally participant, like the ones in these pictures, who seem only to be spewing hatred toward foreigners while simultaneously exposing their own ignorance and stupidity.
My response to these people? "Learn English yourself before telling others to do so!"
Nevertheless, despite my successful attempt at playing devil's advocate, I still maintain my position that English should not necessarily be made the official language of the United States... and this is coming from an English major. ;)
4 comments:
These folks wish to judge others but would not tolerate being judged themselves. In fact, they think that because their beliefs are so "American," they are above criticism.
What they have on their signs is comparable to Coach McMackin's use of the f-word: it denigrates everyone outside their exclusive communities and promotes intolerance and prejudiced thinking. Error begets error.
This really made me laugh! Unbelievable!
All true, Pat! When I was in ENG 306 (Argumentative Writing), I decided for my final project to take a position on the controversial issue of whether English should be the "official" language of the nation. Just for fun (and for a challenge), though, I opted to argue for the position I am actually firmly against--that, yes, English should be the language of all levels of government.
I'd always been angered by what appeared to be the lunatic ravings of hateful, xenophobic bigots, but I thought I'd be able to gain a deepened understanding of the issue itself by taking an alternative perspective. Sure enough, I discovered in my research a host of practical and reasonable arguments from reasonable people and organizations in favor of making English official. It's just sad, though, that such well-reasoned arguments never seem to be articulated or even mentioned by the typical sign-waving rally participant, like the ones in these pictures, who seem only to be spewing hatred toward foreigners while simultaneously exposing their own ignorance and stupidity.
My response to these people? "Learn English yourself before telling others to do so!"
Nevertheless, despite my successful attempt at playing devil's advocate, I still maintain my position that English should not necessarily be made the official language of the United States... and this is coming from an English major. ;)
Thanks, Chad! I support your position completely.
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