One country, one language

DallasBlog.com | William Murchison:

“If we want to embed Spanish in the daily routines and rhythms of 21st century America, let's keep putting up signs in department stores explaining, in Spanish, which products are where. And let's keep offering, on recorded telephone messages, the opportunity to press "Numero Uno" in order to hear Spanish. Most of all, perhaps, let's keep providing ballots and political information in Spanish. Caramba! Madre mia! What a bunch of idiocy on the part of, you would have thought, intelligent Anglos.”

Ed Cognoski responds:

It's not idiocy. It's the free market at work. Shopowners catering to their customers. Assessing what the market wants and providing it. The businessmen who understand this, thrive. Those that want only to push some ethnocentric political philosophy ("English only") will probably watch their customers take their business down the street. That's the way it should be. That's America.

Besides putting a straightjacket on the free market, Mr Murchison has some other strange notions. He says Mexico doesn't cater to English-speakers. Has he never visited Mexico? Has he never travelled the world? English signage may not be universal, but in most parts of world, it's not surprising to see signs in two or more languages -- the local language(s) and English. In many parts of the world, including many places in Mexico, you can use US cash.

Mr Murchison explains the growing accomodation of Spanish-speakers as arising from some White-anglo-guilt factor. Nonsense. Americans may be late in recognizing that there is profit to be made in catering to a diverse customer base, but the successful businesmen "get it".

Mr Murchison sees a need to learn American "values and history." There, we agree. So, let's focus on improving the state of education in America. There are plenty of Americans whose ancestors have been in this country for many generations who can't identify Thomas Jefferson. The current group of Texas leaders seems to think public education is a public nuisance, to be rooted out instead of nurtured. To be denied to those who speak Spanish. Lots of luck in instilling American history and values with that approach, Mr Murchison.