Video: Wildly successful immigrant offers “newcomers” helpful assimilation tip
posted at 1:17 pm on June 15, 2007 by Allahpundit
He’s assuming, of course, that all “newcomers” want to assimilate. Do they?
“I’m sitting shaking my head not believing that someone would be so naive and out of it that he would say something like that,” Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, said Thursday.
Nogales said immigrants need Spanish-language media to stay informed and “function in this society.”
Pilar Marrero, the political editor for the Spanish-language newspaper La Opinion, chuckled at the governor’s comments, saying many Hispanics did not have time to learn English.
“They’re too busy working,” she said.
Tune in next week when Geraldo Rivera and Linda Chavez debate which part of the Nazi era Arnold’s comments are most reminiscent of. Early, torchlight-parade, Nuremberg brownshirt Nazism, or late-period, blackshirt, cattle-car “Nazi classic”?
Blowback
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Sounds pretty good to me. I hate how anything said is somehow based on intolerance. He gave advice that he followed himself.
tomas on June 15, 2007 at 1:22 PM
Tip number 1: Pronounce it Collyfornia.
liberrocky on June 15, 2007 at 1:23 PM
Nazi piece of crap. Expecting people who live in America to learn the language. I’m shaking in anger. /sarcasm
lorien1973 on June 15, 2007 at 1:25 PM
Pilar Marrero’s hispanic students: Busy doint the work that other students won’t do, because … um … they’re in school.
Dusty on June 15, 2007 at 1:35 PM
doint=going
Dusty on June 15, 2007 at 1:36 PM
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
going=doing
Dusty on June 15, 2007 at 1:37 PM
i watch spanish tv cuz all the chicks have the biggest (insert colorful reference here) and bounce around a lot. that’s good tv, right there!
lorien1973 on June 15, 2007 at 1:40 PM
Before my wife and I opened the flower shop (ok…go ahead and laugh)…..I worked in the glass business and of the 24 people in my ‘department’ one spoke perfect english. One fella was sharp, had a lot of potential, I advised him to learn English to help him get ahead. He told me ‘No. You need to learn Spanish’. So much for tolerance.
Limerick on June 15, 2007 at 1:42 PM
HAHA!!
You area funny mofo Allahpundit.
Theworldisnotenough on June 15, 2007 at 1:44 PM
That is one thing I do like aboout their culture. Their society does not have a built in guilt gene that precludes them from recognizing the obvious attractiveness of a woman. Hotness is not taboo. We”l take that and the food into our culture, the rest can stay.
Theworldisnotenough on June 15, 2007 at 1:47 PM
That is one thing I do like aboout their culture. Their society does not have a built in guilt gene that precludes them from recognizing the obvious attractiveness of a woman. Hotness is not taboo. We”l take that and the food into our culture, the rest can stay.
Theworldisnotenough on June 15, 2007 at 1:47 PM
Our kids learned the language of their host country. They sat in school from day one, not knowing a single word and picked it up, socially and in their structured school work. It was the fastest, best way to integrate and be accepted – and be functional. We did it, no whinging, so we have ZERO sympathy for people who want to dodge it.
I’d bet that a good chunk of Hispanics want their kids to learn English very very well, but see how the reconquistas and their allies in the Hard Left force divisive multilingual education. It’s quite ironic that a group of ideologues claim they have their victims’ interests at heart, yet make every effort to block Hispanics from picking up the current world trade language – the one international language that everyone finds useful to have: English.
English travels better than Spanish – despite the bland statistics that infer otherwise. To deter Hispanics from learning English is to cripple them.
Keep up the good work exposing the true agenda of this Hard Left movement.
naliaka on June 15, 2007 at 1:49 PM
Hahaha silly man. Doesn’t he understand that in a few years this country is going to be a majority Afro-Chicano Spanish speaking country? Everybody needs to start watching those Spanish speaking TV stations. I just wish I had more time!
Zetterson on June 15, 2007 at 1:53 PM
They asked how immigrants can do better in school. Suggesting that learning English might help is somehow naive?
Esthier on June 15, 2007 at 1:55 PM
My wife and 2 stepsons learned English from watching AMERICAN
TV(with closed captioning.)Of course she came here as a LEGAL immigrant from Ecuador.
By the way she has a law degree from a university in Guayaquil. She cant even think of furthering her education here without a better command of English. Living in the Miami area is seductive to maintaining the “status quo” of not needing to use the language of our forefathers. The Governator is 100% on. I deal daily with people who have been in this country for years that cannot yet communicate intelligibly outside of Spanish. In fact in much of Dade County people are averse to trying to talk to you if you cant speak Spanish…And that is just in the business community alone.
Schmo on June 15, 2007 at 1:55 PM
Exactly! Iam too busy working to learn Spanish.
Max Power on June 15, 2007 at 1:57 PM
Learn. English. Now.
My Yiddish-speaking immigrant grandparents sure as hell wanted to learn English and wanted their kids to learn it. That didn’t take away their culture. They still could read Yiddish newspapers. But this was the goldene medinah, and they were going to be a part of it. English was the way to go.
Attila (Pillage Idiot) on June 15, 2007 at 2:02 PM
Why should Mexicans learn English, they spoke Spanish long before the border crossed them! Besides they assimilate just fine.
abinitioadinfinitum on June 15, 2007 at 2:05 PM
Arnold’s secret to learning the language …..
Bela Lugosi Movie Marathons.
fogw on June 15, 2007 at 2:06 PM
Can you believe how racist and bigotted people were back then!?
Zetterson on June 15, 2007 at 2:06 PM
The great part is when the La Opinion broad shot back that “they’re too busy working.” Lady, my mother and her entire family came here in the ’60′s from Colombia. They learned English just the way naliaka mentioned and to date, all are successfully integrated as well as economically successful (even if my tio is an unrepentant New England liberal. Love him anyway). It is not the best way to assimilate, it is the only way to assimilate! Anything else is just voluntary apartheid on their part.
Militant Bibliophile on June 15, 2007 at 2:11 PM
No. And Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama, and practically every professor I’ve ever had thinks that’s perfectly acceptable.
The libs won’t rest until:
1. There’s one world culture
2. a man has a baby
Metro on June 15, 2007 at 2:12 PM
Once upon a time in America, one would be ostracized and ridiculed for not speaking English. That’s how it was for my father when he at age 9 immigrated with his family from Czechoslovakia. Not so today thanks to the multi-culti anti-assimilators.
You nailed it naliaka. In my job I e-mail and teleconference daily with colleagues in Europe, Central/South America and Asia – all of them are competent if not fluent in written and spoken English.
Brat on June 15, 2007 at 2:22 PM
Were our immigrant ancestors so clueless as to not embrace America as their principle nation and speak English as quickly as possible?
I think not.
We are being soft on the concept of citizenship. I don’t think it is asking too much to learn the national language. Just another example of lowering the bar.
natesnake on June 15, 2007 at 2:24 PM
I’ll bet the Spanish media translate that remark for their viewers as “We will deport you all.”
pedestrian on June 15, 2007 at 2:26 PM
Get with the game, or get out. That may sound a bit harsh, but millions of Americans have given their lives to the survival and security of America. It cuts me to the bone when someone believes they can trample all that sacrifice because it’s too difficult to learn a SECOND language. We’re not asking you to forget your native tounge, just respect this nation enough by making a little effort to learn this one.
natesnake on June 15, 2007 at 2:29 PM
Arnold rules and he’s usually right. This time it’s no different. I can’t wait for the lefty hysteria.
Baphomet on June 15, 2007 at 2:30 PM
Might explain the prolifigation of illegal alien child rapists in Arizona.
Shay on June 15, 2007 at 2:30 PM
But that’s the way many liberals want them -dependent on them for support. Instead of teaching them English (teaching a man to fish) the goal is to give them support programs that propagate reliance on outside help, not independence. Programs that mandate English would give them their own, independent voice. That independent voice no longer needs its liberal friend and is thus free to turn away from them.
Not pushing English fluency is the left’s way of holding an entire class of people under their control.
taznar on June 15, 2007 at 2:32 PM
Nail. Head.
natesnake on June 15, 2007 at 2:33 PM
Why don’t we ever hear from the Asian immigrants? Why is it always the Hispanics (read Mexican)? Much more difficult to learn english if you only speak Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese…we never hear how unfair it is to learn our language from Asians.
And, while I am on this subject, why are Mexicans considered a minority (government wise) and not Asians?
Just stating some stuff.
right2bright on June 15, 2007 at 2:34 PM
Funny, they’re not to busy working to go demonstrating and waving their Mexican flags several more weekdays a year than I have days off.
Shay on June 15, 2007 at 2:35 PM
A person who moves to another country and refuses to learn the language is a colonist, not an immigrant.
forest on June 15, 2007 at 2:38 PM
Why learn English? Most products in the grocery store are in English/Spanish as it is. Discrimination for those who speak other than Spanish.
I was flipping the channels about a month ago on cable and came across a drama on one of the Spanish channels called “El Farto.” Kid you not.
moonsbreath on June 15, 2007 at 2:38 PM
My daughter went to school with kids from Vietnam and they all spoke perfect English, more so than those from China or South Korea. They told her the schools in Vietnam encourage them to learn English.
moonsbreath on June 15, 2007 at 2:42 PM
Why should any American have to press 1 for English? It may sound petty but that is just one example of enabling them from learning English!
On the same note, America is now bending over backwards to suit Islam as it did to suit Spanish. What next?
abinitioadinfinitum on June 15, 2007 at 2:47 PM
It’s sad that Arnold had to spend the first few sentences of his answer apologizing for what he was about to say, when it was just common sense. Watching TV in a language you’re learning is a great (and cheap) way to pick up vocabulary, improve listening skills, and improve fluency/pronunciation.
When someone starts a comment with, “I know it’s not politically correct, but…” it usually ends up being something worth listening to.
RightOFLeft on June 15, 2007 at 2:50 PM
Did anyone catch that story about the poor kid from Jordan with the name Osama? He’s suing some school district in New York because the teachers made nasty comments about his name. He’s been here less than ten years and he spoke English fairly well. Not great, mind you, but good enough. If he can make the effort, so can everyone else.
jaleach on June 15, 2007 at 2:55 PM
Somehow our ancestors managed to pick up the language while working. Funny how that happened.
jaleach on June 15, 2007 at 2:57 PM
Hater.
Jaibones on June 15, 2007 at 3:03 PM
Isn’t Arnold’s example the best argument for learning English? Would Arnold have become a rich movie actor if he could only speak German? Or governor of California? It seems rather obvious that not learning English would have put a severe crimp in his ambitions. Learning English opens up a thousand opportunities for you in America.
Tantor on June 15, 2007 at 3:10 PM
It’s too bad that common sense is not that common.
natesnake on June 15, 2007 at 3:38 PM
What a brilliant statement. Vintage American: straight to the point, and absolutely correct. Thank you. I will now use that argument in my own debates.
Baphomet on June 15, 2007 at 3:39 PM
In fairness to Arnold, he begins that quote saying, “And the second thing is…”
Clearly, he said something else on this issue first, and this more provocative quote is somewhat taken out of context. I agree with Arnold on this one, but I would have liked to have heard the entire response.
asc85 on June 15, 2007 at 3:39 PM
Arnold speaks English? Ok, ok, just kidding :)
Turning off the TV. Period. If willing, one can learn English, or any language, while working, driving, house- and garden-working, etc. It’s a matter of will.
My Chinese and other Asian friends’ families came here with nothing. First generation, hard time speaking. Second, all degreed, perfect English, perfect scores in school and good jobs. This is cultural with the Mexicans. They almost shun the successful ones. One of their own just wrote a book about that “Clipping their own wings“.
It’s really sad that our media and ‘intelligentia’ are helping along to exploit this, and keep exploiting other generations, just for depencency.
I remember Kid from Brooklin’s eloquent assessment on his family’s take on both language and education, in a past thread.
Entelechy on June 15, 2007 at 3:41 PM
Correction – dependency, of course…
Entelechy on June 15, 2007 at 3:44 PM
Yo convengo completamente con lo que dice mi gobernador, Arnold. La unica cosa que hay que entender es que sin la TV en espanol, no tendriamos los programmas classicos como “El Chavo del Ocho,” “El Chapulin Colorado,” y “Sabado Gigante.” Es por eso que yo digo:
Que viva el TV en espanol!!!
sweetlipsbutterhoney on June 15, 2007 at 3:52 PM
Hispanics in this country are simple speaking the Spanish that English speaking Americans are too lazy or don’t want to speak for themselves.
My collie says:
CyberCipher on June 15, 2007 at 5:10 PM
Er, that was supposed to read:
Hispanics in this country are simply speaking the Spanish that English speaking Americans are too lazy or don’t want to speak for themselves.
My collie says:
CyberCipher on June 15, 2007 at 5:12 PM
As I like to remind the delusional multi-culturalists who think bilingual education is okay:
“Remember, if the native Americans had all spoken one language you wouldn’t be here.”
(They don’t dare dis the Indians, first of all, thus it takes a minute or so for them to grasp the implications of defending One Language as they try to think of a counter-argument that doesn’t sound racist against the Hopis and Iroqouis and Mohicans and Souix.)
profitsbeard on June 15, 2007 at 5:13 PM
Hahaha, that is so sweet. Go Arnold!
emmaline1138 on June 15, 2007 at 5:20 PM
But, but they all want to be good US citizens.
As California goes so goes the nation, Hispanics by the million will demanding all US citizens speak the new official language.
Speakup on June 15, 2007 at 7:22 PM
Arnold’s right. To come to America and refuse to learn ingles is just raaaaacist.
Mojave Mark on June 15, 2007 at 10:59 PM
Ahnold knew it wasn’t “PC” when he said it and didn’t care anyway. I like that in a politician. By the way, he’s right. What are we? Canada? There’s only one language here and everyone needs to learn it. I’m tired of pointing at Yahoo maps trying to tell cabbies in NY where I need to go, or repeating my food order through drive through’s to Latino’s who can’t phonetically tell the difference between a hamburger or a sub sandwich. LEARN THE FREAKIN’ LANGUAGE!
thedecider on June 15, 2007 at 11:25 PM
Well if you don’t, you should. Not having to learn the host country’s’ language points back to not doing a good enough job with assimilation from the start and masses of migrants don’t speak English instead of just the newest arrivals.
Speakup on June 16, 2007 at 1:45 AM
Okay, genius, WHICH society? If it’s the one you moved to, you have to learn the predominant language. And in the USA, like it or not, that language is English. Whether it’s fair or not is not the issue. Whether it works…. IS.
It worked for AHHH-nold, right? Duh….
manwithblackhat on June 16, 2007 at 9:31 AM
I love the Gov-inator. He is right.
On a monthly basis I talk to immigrants from eastern Europe, Africa, china and Mexico. In all cases except the spanish speakers, they try.
This is my personal observation.
A 27 year old lady from a Czech Republic, a waitress at a restaurant I go to time to time, has been here for about 6 years. Very good English. I asked how she learned. She did not speak it when she came to the states and would just ask friends what some noun, adjective or verb was, one word at a time. Point at a table, table.
An adult African man who works at a deli has been her a few years, legally and sacrificed being far from family, speaks very well.
Both the Czech and African can carry on intelligent conversations of substance, surprisingly so. I find them very interesting to talk to.
I also met some Chinese immigrants, young guys and ladies, been in the states about three months. Their english was not great but they tried and really where engaged. Let’s just say we could communicate.
Now there are lots of hispanic immigrants in my area and often their english is non existent, “Kay?” This is NOT A PUT DOWN. Just my experience that spanish speakers don’t know or try to know english. One spanish speaking lady, young 18-19, supposedly graduated from high school had a really rudimentary grip on english. Her favorite group is a spanish speaking rap group from puerto rico. The Gov-inator is right. They have to listen to english.
We have two broadcast spanish TV stations (more on cable I think) and many AM spanish radio stations. I have to PRESS #1 for English a lot. Self serve credit card stations, press for english or spanish.
I am NOT begrudging the hispanic immigrant their spanish language entertainment and services. If they are there use them and enjoy them. I even watch some times. Its not necessary to understand the language since the acting or action is so over the top.
Some time I use the SAP, spanish language converter to watch english shows translated to spanish for fun, to see if I can learn some words. I go to mexican restaurants and ask how to say things in spanish. I can get by enough in spanish to go to a restaurant. They are mostly spanish only speakers with very little english. May be the cashier and 2 out of 10 waiters can speak english. They get a kick out me trying to say things in bad spanish. At least I try.
Trying to learn spanish casually also makes me appreciate how hard learning a language can be for people, including me. However I get the gut feel that spanish speakers have no desire or motivation for learning english at ALL. That is the reality to me, since I see it consistently.
gmcjetpilot on June 17, 2007 at 5:51 AM
It’s true that human nature dictates that we don’t respect what we don’t earn.
If you could in effect walk across a line from one country to another and get free medical care, free education, food stamps, subsidized housing and a pay raise then the respect for these things and the host nation naturally falls to near zero,
Add to that, the textbooks you were given in school told you the land you now stand on belongs to you, not the host country that gave you these things and now the host country owes you these things and more.
Respect for us, culture, foundations, history and language learning doesn’t and isn’t going to exist, why should they?
Because we gave them a free ride? I don’t think so.
As a nation we have been prejudiced in favor of people who naturally have no respect for America and prejudiced against people who would have great respect for everything American this in spite of the fact that in the past that loyalty and allegiance to this country meant everything.
Speakup on June 17, 2007 at 9:56 AM