It's still an interesting topic, and whoever made it up was rather smart...
Sorry. I did not even get that from an e-mail I saw it on another site. I would never have suspected it was fake. I guess from now on I won't post anything or wait a week to see if it is legit first.
Hey, I'm all for open discussion of topics here on the forum. But, before we discuss something, lets make sure its a real event, and not an "e-mail forward."
Snopes is a great website to checkout for possible hoaxes...
The Andy Rooney Hoax
I agree with Andy Rooney. The one thing that bothers me the most are the ones who tell me that something is WRONG with ME if I feel the same way. @grumpy@
America was intended to be for the people leaving Europe but took a life of its own and became open to anyone. Im ok with this cause everyone deserves the same chance our ancestors had. However, I do believe you should speak English to be here. I dont care about the family at Walmart whose speaking Spanish if its their native tongue but at least be able to speak English.
I have to reply most specifically to the issue of the language. I'm sorry if offends some, but this is a largely ignored issue.
At my work, there is a rather large segment of people who speak very little or no English, only Spanish. So people say, "well fine then just don't talk to them."
But here's the thing, the frickin managers can't communicate with them any easier. They need someone to interpret for them, and there's not always someone readily available to do that. So what ends up happening? Part of their workloads have to be piled on top of the English speaking employees because they don't want to bother dealing with the Spanish speaking people.
Not only that, but then at times they will pair us working with someone who doesn't understand a word we say and then expect us to perform a miracle. Basically, I can't say a word in objection out of fear that any complaint I make will be seen as "insensitive" and will give them grounds to fire me for voicing a legitimate concern.
Now tell me how that is fair?
If Americans went to Mexico or any other Spanish speaking country and started making all the same demands that they make here, then we'd get laughed at and probably shot.
Now the same goes for ANYONE who speaks any language. If they want to become Americans, then they should know the language.
I'm tired of these liberal F-bags who keep spouting off about their rights too.
My grandfather came to America from Czechoslovakia back in the early 1900's as a teenager. He didn't speak a single word of English either. He immediately made learning how to speak English his first goal. But he didn't want to just learn it, he had to speak it so clean that nobody knew he wasn't born here. So that's what he did.
As did a lot of people. It showed they weren't content simply being in America, they wanted to become Americans. Immigrants these days seem like they simply want to live here and take advantage of all America offers without making any real commitment to becoming Americans.
We have enough reasons these days why people aren't getting along. You might not be able to do anything about your skin color, or about how people treat that issue, but we sure as hell can do something about the language issue. It's just another needless way for people to remain segregated.
If you ask me, that kind of segregation is the most dangerous, even more so than the race issue. People who don't understand the language, won't understand the people around them, the culture, or anything else they may need to know. So when they raise their kids is it any wonder they end up running amuck?
But of course, then they blame it on the white people.
If immigrants are going to ask for government money, benefits, and citizenship then they should have to ask in English seeing we are paying the bill. It would also go a long way in easing their relations to the rest of American society.
Great points. One thing Ive always said about minorities is the will never be truly equal until they stop segregating themselves. I do agree with a lot of what you said or at least to a certain degree. Problem is most people will feel it but only admit it behind closed doors.
Andy Rooney is a provocative commentator and a candid thinker.
I find him entertaining, even if I disagree with what he's says.
The thing to keep in mind is that he's not saying these things ( if he's said them at all, check Snopes) to say he's right, just that he believes these things ( if he does truly believe them) and says them for your own consideration.
If you accept his point of view, great.........if not......well, he's done his job:
He's given you something to think about.
