# How DARE you speak two languages! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 10, 2005, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976 "2005-12-10T01:06:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jacquilynne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jacquilynne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacquilynne)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/41 "2005-12-10T15:34:33Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That _is_ sort of amusing. On the other hand, they’re at a (state-run) school, where kids are often _taught_ Spanish and definitely can’t be discriminated against like that. He was in a private conversation, and you can’t really have a one-on-one conversation over here. Everything is for public view, and you actually are excluding people if you’re posting in other languages. Sure, except that ‘excluding people’ isn’t the SDMB’s justification. The justification is that they can’t enforce the message board rules on posts in another language because the moderators can’t read them. Which is the same justification assumed to be the case in the school. There is, as someone pointed out, a difference between suspending a kid from public school and banning them from a message board, but is it really ‘enormous’? The outrage here, suggests that there’s no realm in which requiring people to not speak another language could possibly be justified. The school officials are called fucking idiots, and fucktards, and the policy called ‘stupid’ and ‘ridiculous and indefensible’. Either the need for a common language in order to enforce rules is ridiculous and indefensible or it’s a reasonable if not particularly desirable policy, but I don’t see how it can be both at the same time. Given that the school has a much more immediate need to enforce discipline (preventing drugs, crime, cheating, etc) versus the SDMB’s need to keep an internet message board free of accusations of trolling, I’d argue that on the surface, the policy actually seems more reasonable at the school than it does here. All of which is not to say that it’s a good, or likeable policy. It’d be a far better place if such a policy wasn’t required, and that if it existed it wasn’t enforced on such a completely pointless example of a transgression. But given the situation, I just can’t dig deep enough to be outraged about it. Maybe mildly disappointed, but I don’t think it stretches much farther than that. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/42 "2005-12-10T16:08:14Z")
> [@jacquilynne](#): > > Sure, except that ‘excluding people’ isn’t the SDMB’s justification. The justification is that they can’t enforce the message board rules on posts in another language because the moderators can’t read them. Which is the same justification assumed to be the case in the school. > > …Either the need for a common language in order to enforce rules is ridiculous and indefensible or it’s a reasonable if not particularly desirable policy, but I don’t see how it can be both at the same time. Given that the school has a much more immediate need to enforce discipline (preventing drugs, crime, cheating, etc) versus the SDMB’s need to keep an internet message board free of accusations of trolling, I’d argue that on the surface, the policy actually seems more reasonable at the school than it does here… Again, posting on the SDMB is a public act. It is not a private conversation. If you would like to email or IM a member of the board, you may do so in whatever language you like. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/43 "2005-12-10T16:08:33Z")
Except that there wasn’t a written policy on this. If the school did have a legitimate reason for the English-only rule, they should have been able to show the written policy to the kid and his father and explain their reasons. I do hope the lawsuit doesn’t get far. The suspension was overturned almost immediately, so there weren’t really any damages. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/44 "2005-12-10T18:13:54Z")
Children have private conversations in schools. It’s nonsense to claim that the teachers have some need to monitor every word spoken by the students, because teachers _don’t_ and _couldn’t possibly_ do so. Teachers are not going to hear conversations that the students try to keep secret from them whether they conduct them in Spanish, !Xu~, or the Queen’s English. So obviously that’s not the reason for the principle’s “unwritten rule”. You’d have to be awfully credulous to believe that excuse. There’s a reason the rule is unwritten. That’s because the principle enforces it because of her own prejudice. At any rate, **fushj00mang** does not disappoint. Good job, bringing up illegal immigrants when the discussion is about a family of U.S. citizens. You’re completely fucking transparent, guy. All these idiots screaming about “illegal immigrants” obviously have something completely different on their minds. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/45 "2005-12-10T20:43:41Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > One of the joys of the Pit is how anything, no matter how stupid, will be defended by somebody here. My bet is **Clothahump** will be our brave knight in this thread. > > Daniel Well, i’ve criticized conservatives for this recently, so i should be fair and apply the same standards to someone on the left/liberal side of the aisle. I’ve always thought that pre-emptive statements like this were pointless and unproductive, and needlessly antagonistic to boot. Sure, i’m not averse to antagonizing people on this board, but i usually try to leave it until _after_ that person has said something worthy of criticism. If **Clothahump** (or anyone else) _did_ come into the thread and defend this decision, then i’d be all over them. But i believe that anticipating such an eventuality, and effectively criticizing someone for something they haven’t even said yet, is pretty pointless. YMMV. And now i can turn my attention and antagonism to the moron who _has_ actually come in to defend the decision. It seems **fushj00mang** has the honor of being the nincompoop in question. Did you even check, idiot, to see whether the kid in this case was a US citizen? Furthermore, that final sentence has no bearings on the actions of the school itself. Those actions stand alone, and can be judged independently of Rubio’s post-hoc statements about illegal immigrants. You’re a fool. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/46 "2005-12-10T21:03:13Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Well, i’ve criticized conservatives for this recently, so i should be fair and apply the same standards to someone on the left/liberal side of the aisle. > > I’ve always thought that pre-emptive statements like this were pointless and unproductive, and needlessly antagonistic to boot. No disagreement. I was feeling antagonistic last night, after reading more of his idiocy. I don’t defend my previous post either on etiquette or > [@](#): > > It seems **fushj00mang** has the honor of being the nincompoop in question. Did you even check, idiot, to see whether the kid in this case was a US citizen? On correctness. I called it right that some dillweed would come into the thread and defend idiocy, but I was wrong about **Clothahump** being the dillweed in question. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/47 "2005-12-10T22:23:46Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > I was feeling antagonistic last night, after reading more of his idiocy. Completely understandable. As someone who’s butted heads with **Clothahump** on more than a few occasions recently, i know how you feel. ---
**Author:** ![Grits\_and\_Hard\_Toast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Grits\_and\_Hard\_Toast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grits_and_Hard_Toast)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/48 "2005-12-10T22:47:24Z")
From the article "For Zach’s father, and for the Hispanic organizations that have expressed concern, the suspension is not a closed case. “Obviously they’ve violated his civil rights,” said Chuck Chionuma, a lawyer in Kansas City, Mo., who is representing the Rubio family. “We’re studying what form of legal redress will correct the situation.” I think the father did the right thing about challenging the suspension. He found there was no written rule, challenged the suspension based on that, and won. It was immediately withdrawn. I hope now he will avoid being used in a court case. I can’t imagine what more needs to be corrected in this particular case, and what form of legal redress is needed. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/49 "2005-12-10T23:53:08Z")
> [@saoirse](#): > > Again, posting on the SDMB is a public act. It is not a private conversation. If you would like to email or IM a member of the board, you may do so in whatever language you like. Forbidding the use of other languages because the mods won’t understad them makes sense. But forbidding it because not everybody would understand doesn’t make any. There’s no god-given right to understand every post written on a public message board. Besides, using english already excludes most of the planet. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/50 "2005-12-11T00:28:07Z")
> [@Grits and Hard Toast](#): > > I think the father did the right thing about challenging the suspension. He found there was no written rule, challenged the suspension based on that, and won. It was immediately withdrawn. A while back, I attended a management seminar. One of the lectures was about employee discipline. The keynote I rememer of that lecture was, “If you don’t have a written rule prohibiting something and you discipline an employee for doing that thing, you will lose the lawsuit.” I really don’t see this as different and the child’s father did the right thing, IMHO. > [@](#): > > I hope now he will avoid being used in a court case. I can’t imagine what more needs to be corrected in this particular case, and what form of legal redress is needed. ISTM that there’s a desire on the part of the school management to have a rule regarding languages other than English. Perhaps the thing that needs to be addressed is the necessity of such a rule along with how to implement it if it’s determined to be a legal. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/51 "2005-12-11T03:33:03Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > No kidding. What’s next, “Student suspended for doing arithmetic”?.. No, student suspended for bringing a globe to geography class instead of a flat disk. Already some parents are trying to stop mandatory school photos so their children’s souls won’t be stolen. ---
**Author:** ![fushj00mang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d26b3c/32.png) [@fushj00mang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fushj00mang)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/52 "2005-12-11T08:12:40Z")
> [@Kolak of Twilo](#): > > Yeah, that’s really a good idea. Nice way to make the economy fall on its face. > You are a totally stupid jerk. That’s right–a TOTAL FUCKING JERK. > Because the jobs they do are sooooooooo desirable and so many people are lined up down the street begging, yes, BEGGING, to be paid shit wages to do shitty low skill level jobs. > > FUCK YOU, dimwit. I keep hearing about how there aren’t any jobs available, how high unemployment is and how we need to create more jobs in this country. So, you’re telling me that there’s a glut of jobs out there, but because the pay is minimum wage (or just a touch better) that most unemployed Americans won’t take 'em? Sounds like someone needs to suck it up and tuck in their pride. I was listening to NPR a few weeks ago and heard someone bitching about how some illegal ‘took’ his job because he was a house framer in California making $38 an hour. Aparently the illegal was willing to do it for $10… > [@Kolak](#): > > Oh and gee whiz, I went back and read the article, something fushj00mang and RandMcnally couldn’t be bothered to do. > > It seems the father is a freaking U.S. citizen! First, kudos for reading the article. Its usually a good idea to do so before entering any conversation or debate. Seeing as you aparently skipped my quote the first time, I’m guessing you didn’t read it until after you got ticked. Nice one bub. Secondly, to again quote Mr. Rubio "“I’m mainly doing this for other Mexican families, where the legal status is kind of shaky and they are afraid to speak up. Punished for speaking Spanish? Somebody has to stand up and say: This is wrong.” He ain’t doing it for his son. He ain’t doing this for himself. He’s (again, I quote) “mainly doing this for other Mexican families, **where the legal status is kind of shaky** and they are afraid to speak up.” (bolding mine.) He’s doing this for illegals (after all, if you’re a citizen or a documented resident alien, your ‘legal status’ is anything but shaky.) > [@betenoir](#): > > First of all it seems pretty obvious he was talking about legal immigrants who might be afraid to speak up because they’re not full citizens. Or did that possibility not occur to you (y’know, that there are Mexican immigrants here legally)? > > Secondly what does language have to do with legal status? And illegal immigrant might speak English. A legal one might not. Like for example my Grandfather…who had the audacity to go on speaking Polish (and German and Russian…and occassionally Latin) even after living here 60 years. Actually, the thought did occur to me that perhaps he was talking about resident aliens. But seeing as their legal status is pretty well defined, I doubt it was. If there is anything in this article which says or shows otherwise, please point it out to me. I must have missed it. As for your grandfather, kudos to him. My grandfather (the one who’s still alive) is much the same way, speaking in Korean and Cantoneese all the time. Nevermind the fact that he speaks English better than most native born Americans. > [@SteveG1](#): > > Once again, we are bathed in the light and the glory of a Superior Intellect Thank you for noticing. You may bow (dramatic pause…) now. > [@Excalibre](#): > > Good job, bringing up illegal immigrants when the discussion is about a family of U.S. citizens. You’re completely fucking transparent, guy. All these idiots screaming about “illegal immigrants” obviously have something completely different on their minds. Actually, I have no opinion whatsoever on what actually happened in the school. Problem caused, problem solved. What I am concerned about is the student’s father draining away funds from a school with a frivolous lawsuit, using his son as a pseudo-martyr, and doing it so that individuals with a “shaky legal status” won’t be worried. Oh, and please don’t mince words. Its undignified. If you’re gonna call me a racist, do so. My mother (who’s Korean) and my former fiancee (who’s black) will find it rather amusing. > [@mhendo](#): > > Did you even check, idiot, to see whether the kid in this case was a US citizen? > > Furthermore, that final sentence has no bearings on the actions of the school itself. Those actions stand alone, and can be judged independently of Rubio’s post-hoc statements about illegal immigrants. Actually, I didn’t think I needed to check to see if the kid was a citizen. His father is, thus the assumption is that the son is as well. And as far as the final sentence having no bearing on the school’s actions, please point to me where my post made any refrence at all to the school, or the case? As I stated earlier, problem caused problem solved. > [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > On correctness. I called it right that some dillweed would come into the thread and defend idiocy, but I was wrong about Clothahump being the dillweed in question. When come back, bring arguement. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/53 "2005-12-11T08:25:23Z")
> [@fushj00mang](#): > > I was listening to NPR a few weeks ago and heard someone bitching about how some illegal ‘took’ his job because he was a house framer in California making $38 an hour. Aparently the illegal was willing to do it for $10… This is why illegal immigration into America is so hard to stop: The immigrants get better jobs than they left behind in Mexico in addition to access to our ERs, schools, and public facilities, not to mention the promise that their children will be full citizens of this country; their employers get a large and endlessly replenishable pool of what amount to indentured servants to do jobs at wages Americans can’t–or won’t–live on. Building a wall around this country wouldn’t stop any of this: The people who hire the illegals now would hire people to go and get them and ship them here in container trucks. See if they don’t. The only way to stop this would be to audit all companies that hire minimum-wage employees to make sure they actually are paying everyone minimum wage. That, or abolish minimum wage laws so Americans can legally compete with illegal immigrants. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/54 "2005-12-11T09:25:21Z")
> [@fushj00mang](#): > > Secondly, to again quote Mr. Rubio "“I’m mainly doing this for other Mexican families, where the legal status is kind of shaky and they are afraid to speak up. Punished for speaking Spanish? Somebody has to stand up and say: This is wrong.” > > He ain’t doing it for his son. He ain’t doing this for himself. He’s (again, I quote) “mainly doing this for other Mexican families, **where the legal status is kind of shaky** and they are afraid to speak up.” (bolding mine.) He’s doing this for illegals (after all, if you’re a citizen or a documented resident alien, your ‘legal status’ is anything but shaky.) No, actually this was just the point I was trying to make. First of all if you’re here illegally, then that’s when you’re legal staus is anything but shaky…you have no legal status. On the other hand if you only have a temporary visa you might be nervous about making waves for fear that it will be rescinded (justifiably or not). It sounds to me like this is what he was talking about. Point out to me where the article says or shows otherwise. Secondly as I said, how in the world does this have more to do with illegal immigrants than legal ones? How in the world would this benefit illegals? You get a green card you magically learn English? You swim across the river, you’re tongue is permently wired for Spanish? 😕 Feh. This has nothing to do with illegal immigration, as the fact that the kid in question, your grandfather, and my grandfather are all American citizens should highlight for you. And no, being Korean and almost marrying a black woman does not give you a free pass on racism. Not if you choose to be racist against Mexicans. “Invasion”?? What would you call it when my grandfather and your granfather came here? They certainly changed American society. ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/55 "2005-12-11T11:20:03Z")
**fushj00mang** , I was a resident alien for about 20 years from when my family moved here until I was naturalized after I graduated from college. My family’s English, so we tend to be better thought of, as a rule than Hispanic immigrants. After all, we can hardly ruin the culture we helped create. 😉 Resident aliens do have legal concerns native born U.S. citizens don’t. When I started college, my parents told me there was a chance I could be deported if I were busted for underage drinking (I admit this could have been scare tactics). I had to go to greater than usual lengths to prove I was a resident of my home state so I’d be eligible for in-state tuition. Those greater than usual lengths included getting a fresh Alien Registration Card (green card) because the photo on the one I had was taken when I was a toddler. Even though I’m now a citizen, I still have to have access to more piece of paper than native born citizens. Many years ago, the company I worked for was audited by Immigration and Naturalization Services because of the possibility we had hired illegal immigrants (we had; I don’t know if my employer knew or simply didn’t check documentation accurately enough). Even though I’d been naturalized years before, I had to produce a my naturalization certificate to prove I was a genuine U.S. citizen. Since I’d foolishly lost it, I had to take a morning off of work getting it replaced. If I hadn’t been able to produce it, there is a possibility that I could have been deported. If you’re a native born U.S. citizen and you cause trouble, the worst that can happen is you get thrown in jail, probably with a few extra bruises. If you’re an immigrant and you cause trouble, the worst that can happen is you get the above plus a trip back to the country you were born in. Now, I’ve nothing against England. Indeed, I like it, and I’ve still got relatives over there who’d be happy to help me get back on my feet. However, I have a home, job, and friends here who I’m quite fond of, and I’d really prefer not to have to give them up. Not to mention, can you imagine filling out a job application and, where it asks “Reason for leaving” writing in “Deported”? :eek: By the way, a hundred years ago, Chinese immigrants, legal and illegal were seen as a threat to this country’s national and moral character and were even referred to as an invasion. Popular opinion of them, including their refusal to learn to speak English, was at least as low as it is of Hispanic immigrants today. Check a book on American history if you don’t believe me. It seems the arguments remain the same; only the nationalities change. I wonder who the Hispanics will be complaining about a hundred years from now. Getting back to the OP, what amuses me is I know a few completely non-Hispanic folks who’ll occaisionally toss out something in Spanish. I never did know what to make of the sales rep who was no more Hispanic than I am who habitually signed off his e-mails with “Gracias”. I’m glad he didn’t go to that school, though. I’m bilingual myself in Japanese and English and I agree with what the kid says. It’s natural for me to reply to someone in the language they speak to me. I don’t even consciously switch gears; it’s just automatic. It’s led to some odd conversations at times, switching from Japanese to English and back in mid-sentence at times, but it really does feel as natural to me as staying in one language, and I’m not even a native speaker of Japanese. I can see how his replying in Spanish would have been a natural and even polite response. By the way, does anyone know what happened to the kid who asked the young man the question in Spanish in the first place? It seems to me there were two young men who weren’t speaking English in school, yet only one of them got in trouble for it. If anyone has more information, or if it was in one of the linked articles and I’ve forgotten that, I’d appreciate the chance to read it. CJ ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/56 "2005-12-11T16:55:12Z")
> [@fushj00mang](#): > > And as far as the final sentence having no bearing on the school’s actions, please point to me where my post made any refrence at all to the school, or the case? Well, if you really wanted an argument about illegal immigration, why not start your own thread on the subject, rather than crapping all over this one with you irrelevant bullshit? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/57 "2005-12-11T17:38:00Z")
I direct **fushj00mang** to that Steve Kelley cartoon, where a white United Statesian is pointing at several apparent Latino immigrants and yelling, “It’s time to reclaim America from illegal immigrants!”, while a Native American tells him, “I’ll help you pack.” Of course, the “Native” American’s ancestors came to these continents only a few thousand years ago… Not that any of this matters, since we all have ancestry from many places, AND nation-state borders area recent, arbirtary, artificial human invention anyway. So, fuck you, **fushj00mang**. As for the OP – “Language”, too, is a fluid concept. Each person speaks somewhat differently (vocab, grammar, accent…) than everyone else in the world – linguists call this “idiolect”. And how about Spanglish? How much code-switching was that moron principal willing to accept before he deemed a conversation to no longer be in English? Idiot. (I claim no greater insight that anyone else on this issue because of it, but do notice my “locations”.) ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/58 "2005-12-11T17:47:04Z")
> [@fushj00mang](#): > > Actually, I have no opinion whatsoever on what actually happened in the school. Problem caused, problem solved. What I am concerned about is the student’s father draining away funds from a school with a frivolous lawsuit, using his son as a pseudo-martyr, and doing it so that individuals with a “shaky legal status” won’t be worried. Oh, and please don’t mince words. Its undignified. If you’re gonna call me a racist, do so. My mother (who’s Korean) and my former fiancee (who’s black) will find it rather amusing. Given your recommendation that we simply murder attempted illegal immigrants, it’s safe to say that you are either disgustingly racist or just an all around sociopath. Either way, you’re ranting here about something you obviously don’t have the beginnings of an understanding of. In case you aren’t aware, many American businesses work to recruit illegal aliens. Lots of Americans hire them. This happens for a great many reasons, and I can’t say I approve of businesses deliberately recruiting immigrants in Mexican border towns, but it certainly happens. Illegal immigrants play an important role in the American economy. Particularly, migrant labor is vital to provide us with the food that Americans can purchase so cheaply. You might not wish to recognize how your own existence is subsidized by illegal labor, but that doesn’t make it any less true. There’s a good reason that our president has pushed loosening restrictions on immigration. Immigrant labor is vital to the way our economy works, and you’re a moron if you don’t understand that. Were we to tighten our borders and kick every illegal out of the country, I don’t think you would like the economic consequences any more than I would. **fushj00mang** , the very best that can be said about your conduct in this thread is that you’re a murderous idiot, who’s recommended wholesale slaughter of the hands that (quite literally) feed you. Whether you’re actually racist or not (and I don’t see how your own ethnic background pertains to that, unless you’re trying to claim that it’s simply impossible for non-white people to be racist) seems irrelevant in light of the panoply of negative traits you’ve shown. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/59 "2005-12-11T18:51:25Z")
Fushj00mang really reminds me of a Know-Nothing. You ever notice that? ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976/60 "2005-12-11T19:18:05Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Fushj00mang really reminds me of a Know-Nothing. You ever notice that? In how he obviously hates immigrants, both legal and illegal, or just in that he appears to know almost literally nothing? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dare-you-speak-two-languages/334976.md?page=4)