http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100428/ts_ynews/ynews_ts1831
I just got through reading this little slice of heaven and it is infuriating. Republican Tim James, who is in the gubernatorial race in Alabama appears in a campaign add where he promises to give the state's driver's license exam in English only. His reason?: it will be a cost-saving measure...um, ok? I fail to comprehend how getting rid of the existing non-English versions of the exam will cut costs. He goes on to say: "This is Alabama, we speak English. If you want to live here, learn it".
This topic always gets my blood boiling. I have been all over Mexico and I have yet to see an American make an attempt at speaking Spanish. Also, whenever people do make an effort at speaking English here in the U.S., they get discriminated against because they'll speak it with an accent. This happened to my mom the first time we went to Chicago in 2003. We were in an elevator at the Sears Tower and some people were being rude. My mom made a comment about it in English so that the men would understand, and I see an employee of the building give my mom a dirty look and rolled his eyes...My claws came out at that point. I said, "You got a problem there cheif?"...he denied he had a problem..."So why are you rolling your eyes? You think every Mexican that comes here doesn't understand English or speaks with a heavy accent? Are you that ignorant?" ...he profusely apologized and said I was right in calling him an ignorant moron. I doubt he was sincere but it gave me great pleasure to call him out in front of a large group of people. I've seen this type of crap all the time.
Not only do people have to speak English while they're here but they also have to speak it without an accent as well. Otherwise they're some kind of simpleton who don't know anything.
This proves the point I was trying to make yesterday in class while discussing Cassie's book Black Like Me. Although people are a little more open minded than what they once were, there are still a lot of places in this country, particularly the South, that continue to be overtly racist.
What do you guys think of this idiot's campaign?
Wow. Even the article said that they will lose money if they enact his idea, I don't know what other point he would have to eliminate all other languages on the drivers exam. It is sad to think that we elect these men into office and to lead our states, but don't believe in equality for all who live in the United States. You think that politicians would be the people who try to have an understanding for other cultures and understand the idea that it is just easier, even if they know english, to have tests like this in their native languages.
When it came to your story, that takes a lot of guts to stand up for others like you did with your mother. I think that more people need to do that when they see that kind of discrimination going on, and not enough people do that. I know I have been in situations where I wish I would have said something or done something for someone else.
I think that this politician shows a lot of ignorance in what he was saying. There is so much going on in the south at this time dealing with discrimination. It is really shocking to me that in the 21st century we are still dealing with this ignorance with all that we know.