POPULATION TALK We are, suddenly aware of and concerned with the sheer millions of inhabitant who live on this Earth which we call our own. Really, it is not mine or ours; but rather being-place of every one of us regardless of how you may happen to classify us - as tall, short, fat, or by color; wealth, upbringing, by physical traits, by religious ideas we profess, or scores of other attributes or demerits.
In recent months it has become apparent that we are going to be pushed to make some vital decisions concerning the nature of citizenship before long. How long that time might be depends on many international factors and not on just our own feelings. That flex-time condition makes it, more than ever, important tat we agree on our lineal defintion of smoothness bing used so loosely. Citizens have rights and citizens have obligations and they had best be firmly established prior to
any testing by competitive forces worldwide.
For the first time in many years, since trouble of the Depression on "foreigners"...strangers, immigrants... and you have certainly noticed that is a favorite housewifely topic at the super-market or discount store. Many areas are feeling the pressures of a second language in the market place. Objections have been too intense to be ignored and ways of meeting the need are suspect. We are seeing a repeat performance of all of the ill-considered tactics used against our grandparents when they came as immigrants to these shores speaking German, Yiddish, Central European dialects, Slavic tongues as well Nordic, China's strange way, Japanese and other Asiatics.
The United States is woefully unaware of the fact that other people speak other languages. Token smatterings of fashionable French and Castilian Spanish for a mixed SA-Mex-Carib-PR-Cuba mix have been considered sufficient since the death of Latin, Greek and Hebrew as classical freaks.
Many Americans insist that immigrants take positive action to learn English. Good. That's just common sense.
A sobering after-thought: my next door neighbors - immigrants all from the Ukraine - speak far better American English than I do Russian.
Andrew McCaskey amccsr@adelphia.net 6-18-06 [c366wds]
