From last Thursday's lecture on the US Immigration Policy I was caught a little off guard in my own thinking and the way I view immigration. The store owner who put up the sign that said "Speak English this is America. I reserve the right to refuse service," made me really think about how we react to things like this. My initial reaction was he is right. I think that those who choose to live in this country should learn to speak English, and that the tests to gain citizenship should be much stricter for comprehension and ability to communicate effectively. Additionally, I thought his sign was a freedom of speech and since he does own the business, he has that right. Yet, Angela said that he did not have the right to refuse service legally which makes me question then, why not? Why shouldn't a store have the right to refuse service to someone that he cannot understand? It is clearly poor business to turn away customers, but if that is what he chooses to do, why should I tell him no?

Yet then again, I started to think about the times I was in that situation. I traveled through London, Paris, and Rome three summers ago for three weeks and then again to Sweden last summer for a month. I thought about all the times that I felt stupid for not being able to speak the language. However, I learned very quickly that the more respectful you are-in no matter what language you understand, the more willing people are to help you. If you TRY to speak another language, even if it is "Good morning, would you be able to help me?" broken or not most people are not vicious and are not out to put down others. Clearly situations are a little different when you are visiting and in places where people expect tourists, but its common courtesy. There are over 500 spoken languages throughout the world and English is 3rd. That number is huge, how could you ever expect someone spoke your language if you weren't one of the top few?
Also, commenting on what a few people said in class, that Americans attitudes about traveling are that others should be expected to know English I think it’s a hugely falsified statement. Firstly, generalizing "Americans" is the first mistake. The ideal vision of an “American” is long out the window due to the wide diversity that lives within its walls. I know that my grandparents are very set in their ways and having fought in WWII, I know my grandpa's view of America is much different than mine. He is much less willing to help a “foreigner” because of the time in history he has grown up in. However, growing up in an internet savvy generation, I have been speaking to, and meeting people from other countries for most of my life. Every American at some point or another has come across someone who does not speak English. As stated before, if someone attempts to speak English- you are much more wiling to help them, or speak their language if you know it.

Another point that was brought up in class was about not teaching English as a second language instruction, and if we expect others to speak English-shouldn't we help them achieve that? The one point that no one did bring up in class which I think has the biggest impact on this argument is that, the US does not have an official language. When I first found that out in early high school, I was shocked- what do you mean English isn't official? It is the most spoken language and that of business, but it is not officially our language. More than anything, I think this puts a different perspective on how we should teach children when English is not their native language. Should we be expected to teach it, or should we hold the immigrant responsible? Back in the day, immigrants were expected to learn English without much help from the natives, either you learned and succeeded or you failed. Historically this is how "ghettos" formed, people with common beliefs, language, and customs gathered together to help support one another to transition more smoothly. I think that there should be school programs that help bridge the cap in understanding but only for about the first two years. However, where does that money come from to fund extra teachers? Public schools are strapped financially and many cannot afford to hire extra teachers for this. Should we require teachers to speak another language and hold them responsible for creating a balanced learning environment for these children? Obviously knowing another language could never hurt someone, but should we forcibly make people be fluent in a language as a job requirement? I think what you choose to learn is unarguably your decision and that is the beauty of not living in a country like China. No one is telling me that I have to be a plumber, a teacher, or a dentist before I am 5 years old. I want to say that the parents should be responsible for funding instruction for their children in merging their language skills and find private tutors, but that is also not feasible for most families. Also, there are immersion schools of other languages and maybe children who do not speak English should be required to attend one of those schools until their English skills are proficient enough to succeed in public schools. The topic of who pays for “it” will always be debated and someone will always end up on the short end.

Coming back to they store owner, I still think that he may not understand the phrase, "treat others the way you want to be treated," but I still think he had the right to refuse service as a business. He has obviously had one to many encounters with people who expect him to speak their language, and understandably it is frustrating. I don't necessarily think he was being racist, I think he was just clearly frustrated with the situation. Freedom of speech without falsifying a statement should still be employed in this country, and many times it currently is not.
I know I am guilty of the many of the assumptions and stereotypes that follow immigrants but I try my best to over look them. I hope that my children and grandchildren will be a little less judgmental of others and by then that immigration issues will have been dissolved through policies that support economic growth.