One of the greatest moments of my career as a local newspaper reporter came a few days after Maryland District 7 Delegates Pat McDonough and Rick Impallaria got into a scuffle with a pro-immigration activist in an Annapolis hallway.
I was sitting at a Board of Education meeting and in a break between presentations, listening in on a hushed recounting of the incident. The board’s liaison to the state legislature was filling the school system’s second in command (a congenial guy named Ray Brown, who’s since taken another job) on details too grisly for print.
I leaned over and said, “You know the best part – when the guy pushed Pat McDonough…” and I held my hands up to show how a toupee might have been slipped halfway off (when we said we’d publish rumors, this is what we meant…Pat could very well be working with just a weird head of hair).
Ray Brown laughed like he was at a comedy club, and started slapping his knee. I’d gotten him so good, he moved to high five me. Unlike Brown, I was starkly aware that the entire room, including the school board, was staring at us, so I hesitated on the high five, turning it into one of those awkward will-he-or-won’t-he moments with each of us holding our palms in the air; finally, we connected, but the bottled up force went too far and he banged his arm against the empty folding chair between us, knocking two binders full of budget materials to the floor. 
Then, it was quiet, and we both looked down at the floor, holding in guffaws like embarrassed school boys.
As much mileage as people got out of the “Fracas in Annapolis” (not my term), I later came to respect McDonough, and to rely on him for news stories. He saw the BGE rate debacle coming months before anyone else did. He stood firm against the corporate and political BS on that one, and broke party ranks to do so. Before the BGE story, I had always gone out of my way to parody McDonough for his “We Speaka Ingleesh” bill, which he’s dropped repeatedly to no avail. English has not, despite his efforts to make it so from his platform on WCBM AM 680, become the official language of the State of Maryland.
I disagree with McDonough on this point, but I admire his political instincts and his willingness to take on controversial issues with a degree of intellectual honesty. But when he speaks out and wins support against having to press “1” for English, is he simply tapping into latent racism? Were you, for instance, one of the ecstatic supporters McDonough has repeatedly described encountering along 4th of July parade routes? A passage from McDonough’s web site (http://www.patmcdonough.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=26):
The reaction from the crowd to the ‘Speak English’ statement was immediate and overwhelming. People came to their feet applauding, holding thumbs up, and enthusiastically shouting positive comments. This response continued during the entire length of the parade. The same explosive response occurred again in the next two parades in Kingsville and Bel Air. Literally, tens of thousands of Americans displayed what I concur to be a resounding demonstration of patriotism and perhaps, some frustration. Comments ranged from ‘God bless America’ to ‘It’s about time somebody spoke out
So, what do you think? Is McDonough speaking truth to power? Were the throngs actually reacting to a sign, positioned somewhere behind McDonough’s pickup truck that read: “Keep Local Politicians Out of Holiday Parades” or “Can’t Anyone Do Something About Bob Ehrlich’s Hairdo?”
I hate having to press “1” as much as the next guy, but my family, on all sides, has only been in America for a few generations. Someone let them in. If I was from a poor country and coming to America was the best thing I could possibly do for my kids, 
I’d do it in a heartbeat. For me, the patriotic thing to do is welcome new immigrants, not cheer loudly against them.
The Right Thing happens every Saturday at a Catholic church in Bel Air, during a regular Spanish-language mass, no doubt a spiritual haven for the people who serve you food at restaurants in town, manicure your lawn, and build your schools. Just a few blocks from where McDonough met with his “astounding response.”
It is not intolerance to expect immigrants to assimilate at least as far as speaking our language. Pressing a number for English angers me; others should be asked to press 1 for their language, if it’s offered at all.
Integrate – as your family seems to have done – at least as far as language and basic style and standard of living, or get out of America. We’re a nation – with a culture of our own – and many of us are not ready nor willing to be subsumed by others.
If you think this is intolerant, I’d suggest you find a native American (one of the 1% left) and ask him or her how they feel about rampant immigration and non-assimilation.
I like to think that I understand both sides of the immigration issue, but really don’t understand the proposed solutions. Demanding English be an official language is not the solution, and neither is allowing undocumented, illegal aliens driver’s licenses. As with anything with this many people on both sides of the fence (pun not intended, but funny anyway), there has to be something in the middle everyone can agree on.
If someone wants to live in this country legally, there is a process to follow. But when that process is broken and/or takes too long, opposition on both sides grow. Fix the legal immigration process, and then you can go after those still breaking the law.
I agree that integration is what many families should do, but we have to keep something in mind…integration is not immediate. My family came from Eastern Europe in the early 1900s. That first generation that came here never learned to speak English; they were adults, and as we know it’s difficult for adults to learn a new language easily. Their children were basically bilingual. It was their grandchildren that were the true English speakers. This type of “intergration” t takes several generations. And my grandmother still goes to a Slovak church that sometimes does mass in Slovak…should that be stopped in the name of “Speak English”? Our nation’s culture isn’t really our own; it’s an amalgamation of many different cultures from the many ethnicities of people who came to this country over the years.
Pat McDonough’s platform creates a climate of animosity toward ALL immigrants, not just illegal ones; that’s what I have a problem with.
Well said, rudbeckia, and well written. I agree that the McDonough approach, perhaps like any radical tack, does more to condone intolerance than to solve real problems. I hope we hear more from you in the future.
—Daggeris instigaterus
rudbeckia,
America and to my mind Americana still exists as a uniquely individual cultural set. I believe it’s worth defending. The American culture is not an amalgamation of many different cultures, it’s a alloy of those cultures – fully integrated pieces having become stronger than the original base components.
Anything that furthers the ideology of multiculturalism / multilingualism damages that alloyed culture. With the near rampant push for multiculturalism we have to fight more harshly to protect what is ours. Failing to do so will not lead to a new alloyed culture but instead to the weak amalgamation you described.
There are: no Hispanic Americans, no African Americans, no Muslim Americans, no Asian Americans and no White Americans; there are Americans bounds by culture and history as Americans, and there are: Hispanics, Africans, Muslims, Asians, and Whites, all of whom have placed another culture and identity in front of being American.
Just my $0.02.
I’ll never forget the day Pat McDonough bodyslammed his opponent to the marble floor of the State House because I was in Annapolis in the State House when it all went down.
But I missed it.
I did get a chance to talk to the guy from CASA, who weighed in at about 150 pounds compared to the “substantially larger” McDonough.” Those are the descriptive words of the victim, by the way, not mine.
The CASA guy wanted to talk policy and legislation and all I wanted were details of the fight. I made sure I diagrammed in my story what the guy described as a pro wrestling style hip-toss that McDonough used to take him down.
I agree with Matt though, regardless of what ill-conceived legislation he’s championing, McDonough’s always been candid and upfront with reporters – he would frequently call me with the inside line on what was going on behind the scenes in the delegation and I seem to recall him telling another reporter about the time he threw up in his own truck.
One might wonder how I’m coping with the reality that I may have missed the one and only chance to see an overweight state delegate spinning around on his back as he struggled within his own suit and his own frame to get back on his feet before his fallen foe.
But, let’s be real, we’re talking about Pat McDonough here – one of the few politicians who actually backs up his bark with bite.
Let’s keep in mind that America was founded on freedom – freedom for religion, freedom for speech, and even freedom for culture. To group the languages, lifestyles and societal behaviors of people in this country into one culture called “American” is to ignore what is really there. America is still too young and too diverse to have one true culture. The culture that is “American” is based mostly on the media – what we watch on TV and hear on the radio. But it is constantly changing. If you look at the core, there are many cultures borrowed from all over the world that are more rooted and less shifting.
Let us not forget the Amish who do not use electricity and dress in handmade garb; or the strange dialects belonging to the people of the Appalachian Mountains and the Outer Banks; or the 1% of Native Americans – I don’t think any of these people will tell you that they share the same culture. Go to places like Little Italy or Chinatown – these people are a mix of first generation and third, but they have their own societies. Oh and there’s food – that’s part of culture. I have to admit that I have a strong love for traditional Mexican dishes and there will always be a place in my heart for my family’s very Italian recipes.
If this country is to uphold its birthright, it must continue to be accepting of other cultures and other languages and other religions. To force someone to speak English because they are in America is taking away their identity and is not a far cry from what one man tried to do by “purifying” the German culture and language.
Perhaps we need to find a common ground to communicate with everyone, but we certainly shouldn’t try to define America as “English” or “Christian” or “White.”
jonolan,
I think you’re a bit nuts, but I like having you around. As for Americana, I think you’ve got the wrong term. Doesn’t that mean, like, Jug Bands, old tin Coca-Cola pictures of Santa Claus, and Norman Rockwel paintings? Certainly you don’t think our alloy should really reflect Norman Rockwell paintings. One point on which we can agree: I’d spit on my own shoe before I’d call myself anything other than a plain old American.
Kloh,
Although you are correct about specifics groups forming their own societies within America, I doubt you would expect to hear “press 1 for Cherokee, 2 for Mandarin, 3 for Italian,…” . When our ancestors came to this country no one but their fellow old country brethren helped them make their way on the new country. The governement didn’t.
If you went to a non-Engish speaking country to live, would you expect to be handed everything in your native language. No, you would need to know the language or get someone to help you through your own efforts. I repeat, through your own efforts.
While making English as the official language by law may seem over the top, the multiculturalism factions (similar to the PC factions) are pushing towards the opposite direction. It may seem natural now to expect to hear or read your instructions in English, but could enough of a minority language in the US force a change?
Although English is the de facto official language in the US, it is not by law . This is an area we do not want to follow Canada. See all the problems they have with Quebec? That could be a part of the SW USA or parts of Florida or NYC in the future. If you wait for the undesired consequence to become a reality before action is taken, then it will be too late to take the action.
I feel that anyone with skills, health, clean criminal record, and a will to be free should be welcomed into the US. But do not try to sneak in through the back door or expect us to give you everything you need or conform to you and your culture. If you are coming to this country, it should be because you want to join us, not to change us.
You all have very good points and I commend you for them. But did you ever think when the voice on the phone tells you to push 1,2 or 3 for each language, how do you know what they are telling you if you do not speak english. I was stationed in Germany for a year ,Iwas not there long enough to learn their lauguage and it was difficult . I picked up a few words here and there. I was lucky to find that a lot of the german people did speak english. I did feel out of place.
my suggestion is' want to be american? then be willing to step up and say' brother we are of one blood. no religious belief's bound me. to prevent me from fighting for this FREE country.
the president of the united states is my commander in chief. I may not agree but my brother's before me have died for my right to freedom. it is my duty as and american citizen to stand and be counted.
semper-fi.
I personally think that cultural diversity gives our country a rich, vibrant quilted landscape. I love nothing better than to attend ethnic festivals, learn about holiday traditions, savor the foods,music and art of many lands- in effect to travel the world in my own backyard. How boring it would be to live in a homogenous ghetto. I am proud of my Italian American roots and mourn the fact that my grandparents were so anxious to assimilate that they did not gift my parents with bilingualism. How wonderful it would be to travel to Italy and be able to converse and share ideas and experiences with long lost famiglia. Tolerance is an American value that broadens our understanding, deepens human respect and makes our dear land a gentler, kinder, multifaceted jewel.
I'm all over the rich tapestry stuff, world in my backyard, huddled masses yearning, and all that. Be as proud of your Italian roots as I am of my Welsh ones.
Celebrate unique holidays, have parades, festivals, whatever. But when you call me and ask for help, be able to converse with me in English. The important part of Pat's post was that her grandparents WANTED to assimilate and were "bilingual."
Converse with the "famiglia" anyway you see fit. But at some point there has to be a standard, particularly as it deals with organizational or governmental communication. Do you have any idea how many regional dialects exist in the Spanish language alone? Spanish in Puerto Rico and Spanish in Equador are different in many respects.
Nobody is trying to homogenize our society. Where would we be without the immigrants whose hands built America from coast-to-coast, and who offered themselves, their sons and daughters, upon the altar of supreme sacrifice-first to prevent the Union from collapsing upon itself-then against the rising tide of Hitler's Axis Powers?
The key lies in assimilation. In my business, you call, we haul. But don't expect me to learn Pashtun for us to be able to converse( or become indignant when I won't). Don't assume the Motor Vehicle Administration will supply Spanish speaking interpreters to allow you to get a drivers license.
Come on in. Stay if you like. This is a great place to live, work, and raise a family. Just learn English. Small price to pay, considering the price paid by those who have preceeded you.
As a photographer, I sometimes cover street festivals and such, where a lot of Hispanic, presumably illegal, immigrants gather. I know from experience that if I need to ask the adults a question, I go straight to their kids. The kids know perfect english, and translate for the parents.
So at most these questions we've been discussing are temporary questions. Give them 20 years or so, a blink of the eye really, and the kids will grow up and this will all be moot.
The Hispanic imigrants are, from what I've seen, decent hardworking nice folks. They love their kids and want them to be educated. They are exactly the kind of people this country needs. When we are all in nursing homes, the sons and daughters of the illegal immigrants will be running things. And probably doing a better job of it.
WTFarfegnugen? My last post showed up as "Anonymous." Some of my best work, wasted…
Anywhooooo… Joshua, you're right about these people's kids. It's a similar progression to what occurred during the wave of European emigration here. First gen, no speakie, next gen, bilingual, third gen, English.
This latest wave is dissimilar in some respects. Many of the young males who are living and working here are not "settling" here. It is by and large a transient population, here for work, intent on living eight-to-a-room (seen it) in some cases, and sending the lion's share of their earnings back home to family.
Doubtless these guys are hard working, most ARE decent. But they have no intent to assimilate into the community.
I dare say, while there WILL be the children of immigrants taking care of us when we're old n' gray, there will also be plenty of restaurant kitchens and landscaping trucks still filled with these guys. And they still won't be speaking English.
Don’t forget though, some of the “para espagnol oprima dos” comes directly from a desire to profit from the fastest growing minority in the U.S. For instance, in Montgomery County, where there is a huge latino population, you can bet your ass that every customer service department is going to put a premium on bilingual sales people, and that every business from Home Depot to Bank of America tranlates their automated instructions to get more customers.
Also, someone brought up a point about Americans not expecting for other countries to speak English because we do. Absolute, total, utter: crap. We are arrogant people who totally believe that someone should be able to help us in our own language. Go abroad and ask how many languages a German, an Italian, a French person speaks. You’ll likely hear 3 or 4. Not most Americans, and we expect everyone to translate for us. And–even if they do it begrudgingly (been to Paris?)–it behooves them to. They want our money, plain and simple.
I too agree that an American is an American is an American, and that the hyphens only serve to divide us. It’s an interesting subject though, since the U.S. is the first experiment in which people of all races and religions have come together as a cohesive country. (Aside from the lasting effects of colonialism in certain countries–but those examples represent a blending of much fewer cultures than we see here.)
To some extent, I think that “white america” has a certain responsibility for the perpetuation of the hyphens…now follow me for just a second…When we get the “PC” terms we all know and love, they are perpetuated by radio, TV, the newspaper, and obviously discussion. I wonder if hyphenation (for lack of a better term) wasn’t initially meant as an identifier, an adjective to set the subject being discussed apart.
For example, African-American was the first one, right? We all know the progression of adjectives that this particular race has endured to get to today’s more regal title. Fifty years ago, you’d never pick up a paper and see an article about an African-American in which he was not somehow pinpointed as being black. (Or today.) However, an article where color detail was withheld was automatically about white subjects. As civil rights efforts gained footing, the African-American community denounced “negro” because it sounded too much like the nasty words they were called on the street. Rightly so.
But who forced the need for a better word to be called? Those who were continuously pointing out the African-American with adjectives that described him as “the other.” (If at that point–adjectives had been dropped, and white America described everyone in the country as simply “American”–would the list of PC terms have snowballed??)
Constantly told and told that they were not part of white America, it makes sense that the next step for African-Americans was to identify with a continent of origin that–you guessed it–does not consider them the other.
And then the precedent is set and evolves through a couple more generations. Attempts to write yesterday’s wrongs continue to perpetuate the adjectives that divide us. “Hey, why does he get to be an African-American? I want to have a better shot when I submit my resume. My dad’s from China! I want to be a Chinese-American.” “Fine then, I’m a Hispanic-American.” Continue ad nauseum.
So now white America speaks up. We don’t want to have to accommodate languages and hyphens! I shouldn’t have to pick any number to press. Why should I say “Whatever-American” when I’m still identified as white??
Or are we just jealous? Because I don’t get a better shot at anything or an exotic cultural identity when someone asks me what I am, and I answer: Irish, Native American, French, English, and German…that we know of.
Thinking,
I will give you these two: big businesses don’t see cultures, they see $$$, and we ugly Americans expect everybody to speak OUR language when we visit abroad.
But, here’s the deal. If I pick up tomorrow and decide I’m going to move to Bonn, or Paris, or Madrid, I better hava a grasp of German, or French, or Spanish. Unless I win the Powerball and live in a tourist enclave for the next 40 years, where everybody speaks English out of necessity, I’m going to get really hungry, really lonely, or really poor. Live and work there, you’d better learn the lingo.
“Press 1 for Intolerance”
America is and will always be the melting pot of the world, as our immigrant forfathers have fought to develop. My grandparents were from Germany and Australia, and yes they did learn English. However, I do not believe the real frustration has to do with the “Press 1” for English. I believe the infrustructure is to blame on only focusing on one ethnic group to pamper, rather than equal provisions for all. Case in point, bilingual education is focused on those speaking Spanish (more than speaking/learning English I might add, witch is another topic) and does not assist Ebonics, Tongan, Chinese, etc. Yes, it would be fabulous for all immigrants to have the English language mastered and politely spoken, but that is only not to be.
Hey Uncle,
Just wondering–was it hard for your Australian grandparent to learn English in America? That must have been rough.
Hispanics/Latinos are the country’s largest and fastest growing non-English speaking minority. Hence the reason for the translation “pampering,” which in many areas is a practical measure for businesses and service providers.
Harford County doesn’t have a “bilingual education” program. It does, however, have a foreign language and an English as a Second Language (ESOL) program (dedicated to teaching the language to ANY non-English speaking student–not just Hispanics/Latinos). Check it out for yourself: http://www.hcps.org/foreignLanguage/index.html
As part of this program, HCPS uses a phone interpretation service called Language Line to translate for the parents of non-English speaking students. There is a link to all the language services provided (including Tongan and what you refer to as “Chinese”: such as Mandarin and Cantonese). The full list can be found here: http://languageline.com/main/files/Language_List_110707.pdf