Thursday, December 13, 2007

English-Only Law?

Should your boss be able to require English on the job?

Republican leaders in the House say absolutamendo, and they're jumping on the bandwagon for a bill that would let employers across the country set an English-only policy on the job.

Ay vamos otra vez!
Here we go again.

This is going to raise all kinds of issues, especially with border states…to the north, those who must also speak French to deal with the Francois Quebec cans…and of course, those in the southwest where hablamos Espaniol is as prevalent as speaking English. (Notice how you intuitively understood what I just said in that bilingual sentence?)

I am all for a national language standard.
It's tough enough getting around in some neighborhoods where the street signs are already being posted in foreign characters. C'mon, how do you expect me to find the dry cleaners?
If you're going to be an American--be an American. Speak American!

Seriously, we're only short-changing ourselves when we legislate restrictions in how we naturally communicate.

In fact, if you dumb-down the level of understanding between cultures, you wind up with all kinds of problems…take, for example the One Semester of Spanish Spanish Love-song, which has made the rounds on You-Tube. Here is an example of how being muy estupido about these kinds of things can really wreck your credibility (watch the "One Semester of Spanish Spanish Love Song," posted below.)

Here’s something to ponder:
If your workplace is designated English-only, and some smooth operator hits on an employee in another language, has sexual harassment taken place?
Oy Vay!

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