No, Dino, that’s not Liberace.
Okay, so the guy from the vid is Thomas Payne or maybe one of the extras from the Sopranos… Whichever, his message– albeit “populist” — is one worth considering:
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKFKGrmsBDk 450 300]Polite commentary is appreciated.
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I have a shortage of polite commentary, so if you’ll excuse me, I must be on my way.
Heil!
Oh, for Gawd’s sake.
I guess I should have specified “intelligent commentary” as well.
There I go, overestimating my audience again.
That said, it’s always nice to have a visit from Our Lady of Guadalupe.
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OK Jake, English itself has polyglot roots resulting from the mixture within a single country of multiple languages, namely the Germanic languages of the Angles and Saxons, and the French of the Normans, mixed with a bunch of words with Latin and Greek roots. Additionally it has grabbed loan words in the US from both Native American and Spanish origins. As a former student of linguistics, imho there is nothing wrong with the existence of more than one language inside a single country. I believe it adds to the richness of expression to be fluent in more than one language.
I love the Virgen de Guadalupe myself, better go say a novena now.
Verisimilitude!!
I ain’t seein no video!
UPDATE: There it is! A miraculous re-appearance, indeed.
This has nothing to do with English’s polyglot roots, nor anyone’s expertise in linguistics. Most are lucky to get out of 12th grade with a scrap of parchment.
Why do you think the rest of the world is learning English? It’s the language of common law, science, economics, mathematics, etc. Worse than any high school dropout, they who are not proficient in English are the most disadvantaged among us. Should we encourage this handicap? Serious question.
People can speak any language they like in the house, but for the sake of efficiency, a single language understood by the majority of the citizens is the way to go. It’s simple economics.
Ever been to Quebec? A truly beknighted berg. Of course, their squeakly wheel got the entirety of Canada to provide bilingual signs everywhere, not just in the Quebecois areas. A massive waste of cash.
Of course, I didn’t even post this for the language part, but for the Congressional waste part. But I do enjoy the rational discussion, commies excluded.
I cannot believe people are giving Commie Nott the “thumbs up” for arcing right to a Godwin’s Law violation with one word.
That’s the leap I guess. If one takes a hard look at our illegal immigration problem — even in assessing whether it is a problem or not — one is a “Nazi” in Ottnot’s (and apparantly three others’) eyes.
What a fucking insult to the millions killed by one of the world’s greatest evils.
It’s fucking frustrating to post among cowards. If you really believe what you are posting, then speak up for your views, and don’t hide behind convenient liberal shibboleths.
“Heil,” indeed.
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I was reacting to the video only, personally I think you’re more practical than the man in the video. I don’t disagree with the need to have a language that commonly understood between two people who wish to conduct business with each other. That language doesn’t have to be English, it could be another language. I think the language that asserts itself most within American society is the default “official” language, and right now that is English. I’d bet cash money that within the next two centuries that language might still be called English but it will be a mixture of Spanish and English.
English is currently the dominant language in the US for business and our legal system, and if we as a nation wish it to continue to be dominant, it will be so by usage and there is no need to legislate it.
Yeah Godwin’s Law hah. But I have to admit to a little cringe at the end of the video when he poured water into his glass of wine and was complaining about dilution. That’s the type of metaphor used even today by people who value racial “purity”, maybe it was not intentionally used to conjure that association, but for me, it ended the video on a sour note.
Loved it
That guy is kind of a cross between John Houseman,Timothy Leary, and Mr. Mortgage.
The History of the English Language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_English_language
The reason I mentioned linguistics and the history of English, is that the guy in the video gave the impression he thinks of English as something fixed (and pure) that does not and should not change over time. The history of the English language itself shows that concept to be false, just look at the examples of Old English, Middle English and Modern English in the wikipedia article.
Ok I’ll be quiet now. 🙂
I have to admit, I didn’t watch the very end, as it struck my as somewhat repetitive. It was sent to me by a “Paulist” who is also a relatively liberal lawyer. Make of it what you will, I guess.
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That said, English will continue to be the dominant language exactly because it’s so accomodating of other languages, much like our country will be the dominant– and most welcoming — melting pot as long as it continues to assimilate multiple immigrants, and yes, cultures, under a predominantly English speaking union.
There are people who could give two shits about this country as ongoing experiment– the experiment of the “Founders” if you will. They believe there should be no countries, no borders, no ideals. That we should all be one global family, quixotically “democratic.” They don’t look to the means, however, merely the ends, so multiculturism — meaning unmixed multiple cultures — seems like a great start with them.
But ironically, the only way peaceful multiculturalism can occur without bloodshed is if a moral and dominant culture can accomodate all without balkanizing itself into warring factions. One key component is a common language, and a common set of ideals that recognizes individual rights, private property rights and most important — the rule of law.
Language is very important with regard to this last as well. How can the rule of law exist in a multi-lingual environment when every legal point may rest on a nuance of language? How much easier to separate a people than with simple misunderstanding? No, we have enough trouble with the law even with a dominant language.
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Some pragmatisms:
It would be easier to incorporate the Spanish/French/German/Chinese/Japanese words we’re constantly endowed with if they were bolted onto the English that’s already dominant than to force government, local, state, and Federal to offer forms in six to eight different languages.
I don’t think we need a law that says “English only,” btw. We also don’t need laws that force individuals to offer multi-lingual services under the rubric of “civil rights.” I think individuals can make that determination themselves, without the help of Big Brother.
When I was still living in New York, over ten years ago, Shittybank’s ATM’s offered 17 languages at one Tribeca branch I frequented. Obviously, they felt it advantageous and efficient to offer that kind of service. I think everyone should be free to make that choice themselves, local governments included.
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Boca, I guess I wasn’t listening carefully enough… I missed all this “purity” stuff.
Perhaps you were listening for what you wanted to hear?
“Common sense” was the man’s theme, not white power, near as I can tell.
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But nationalism is sooo 20th century. Have we not learned anything from 2 World Wars!?
The angry white man’s message in the video was essentially that America is for the Americans. And apparently the only thing you need to become an American is to learn English. But is that really what we are all about?
Do I really care if the amigo in LA pays his utility bill in Spanish? He could be paying in Eskimo, for all I care…as long as he shares in the basic principles of individual, inalienable rights, personal freedoms, etc. I will consider him my brother.
imo, purity had nothing to do with racial purity. his whole theme had to do with what this this country used to be known for, the great melting pot.
i was not born in this country, but i have to admit, i agreed with almost everything said in that video. it is also true that even though we live in a country with freedom of speech and in a society that is so called tolerant, God forbid if one expresses some of those views around certain groups.
as an aside, it really pisses me off that i live in a state that would not allow me to place a cross in a road to mark a spot where a family member died.
That is very sad, Chivas, I’m sorry, I agree you should be able to put a cross there.
Agreed, the main point of the video was supposed to be common sense (his version of it). I just happened to pick the English only subtheme as the one I wanted to discuss.
Do I really care if the amigo in LA pays his utility bill in Spanish? He could be paying in Eskimo, for all I care…as long as he shares in the basic principles of individual, inalienable rights, personal freedoms, etc. I will consider him my brother.
Nationalism or globalism (as Marxism was formally called), who cares if the ideas behind it are corrupted? I don’t have a problem with American exceptionalism myself. I happen to think we’ve got the best thing going, and it’s largely because of the positive input of many who’ve come before us. That would include stopping twp world wars, if you recollect.
Could we have done that as a balkanized society? Can we ensure that everyone’s rights will be protected with multilingual interpretations of a code? All I know is that it’s not likely the courts will be going to multilingual sessions any time soon. Neither will the top universities. Who will be harmed by encouraging multilingualism, then?
Not the English speaking white men, angry or not. I think you take a comfortably PC — but perhaps lazy — stance here, Peez.
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Chivas, this is true in Florida?
Was it a road frequented by alligators, perhaps?
Reason I ask… Sanibel has a problem.
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yes and yes. some groups find the cross offensive.