Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryzorian
Actually, The US is english speaking because England beat Spain and France. Europe in general was heavy into colonization for hundreds of years. They didn't send boatloads of people over just to have them make teepee's with the local Indian tribes, they expected them to turn the whole Continant into proper english speaking subjects of the crown.
Assimulation and colonization are different aspects of immigration. In one, you have large numbers of people who move from one land mass/area to another with the full intention of creating a secondary version of thier orginal homeland. It's why New England is called "New England".
The other form, has a few people who come into a new country and adapt to the new culture through assimulation. They leave thier old culture behind and embrace the new. While it's true "immigrants" in both situations are trying to create a better life for themselves and thier families. The two have radically different outcomes.
Take the US as an example, It's far more like Europe culturally, than it is like native Americans. Now yes, it's been modified from Europe and has developed a sence of it's own self but even that is still mostly just a blending of different European ideals into one bag. "The melting pot" as it were. The true natives were shunted off into the corner because the new comers weren't willing to assimulate to thier way of life.
That's the issue I and Sangetsu are explaining here when we mean "assimulation". I am not against immigrants were ever they come from, provided they want to become Americans and not try to establish a " New- place country of orgin here" land.
I say this because histroy has shown us repeatedly that when large numbers of immigrants move to an area and refuse to assimulate to the local culture, war's erupt and eventually the natives are either driven onto "reservations" or the invaders are driven back where they came from.
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I agree with you. However, isn't it kind of... contradictory, in a way? I mean, when the Europeans first arrived in America they imposed their own culture upon the people that were there first. They pretty much took it from the original natives, cause they believed they could make it a better place. Now, does the fact that it was mass migration make it right for them to have expropriated the genuine natives from their land? You'll all agreee with me that probably not, but that was many years ago and things have changed a great deal since then. It's just funny though to see people saying English should be the only language spoken in the States and hating on the immigrants who are doing exactly what their ancestors did many years ago. Don't get me wrong, I get that. I think it's only logical that someone who's planning on moving somewhere bothers to learn the language and adapt to the country's distinct culture, but, you know, it's funny how none of us would probably be speaking English in the first place if it had been so back in the day. I'm glad the British got there first and managed to invade most of it, can you imagine what it would have been like if it'd been the French instead? Geez, 300 million French speakers.
That would give me a headache haha xD (for the record, I have nothing against French people, just don't like the language much).