Even though this article was published in 2006, I think it has some very valuable information.
First of all, it is interesting to note that Maine was one of the first States to make learning English mandatory in order to receive benefits or to apply for a job. You can see by reading the different scenario's how it worked differently for different people. To me, this is certainly forced assimilation.
What do you think? Do you think it is right to force people to learn the English language? and do you do think is right to sanction/punish them by taking away jobs or services if they don't?
Another note is the contradiction between this weeks article and last weeks. This article is from the Washington Post. I consider this to be a reputable paper. However, the point is the power the media has over WHAT we see and HOW we view things. If one were to read a lot of articles like the one posted last week, one would get a completely different idea of how immigrants are treated in Maine than if they were to read many articles like the one posted this week.
Wow how sad that was for that woman, trying so hard and getting denied time after time. This must be terribly frustrating. I think that the companies are forcing the English language factor because it would cost them more to accommodate employees that only speak another language. I do think that learning the English language would benefit the individual solely because they would be aware of benefits that could be passing them by due to the language barrier. I don't think it fair that they loose out on jobs or services and think that it is impart because the companies do not want to have to put forth the effort or money to accommodate the immigrants.
ReplyDeleteSchool systems in Maine have to have ESL programs... would it be so difficult for companies to offer Adult Ed classes for this? I know that cost is a factor... but maybe government grants should be used for this. I'm not trying to sound rude, but Maine did not vote to become a resettlement state, and while I think it's a positive thing that it is... there should be monies allotted to cover costs of programs like this...
ReplyDeleteThis was a great article find. I'm struggling to put my finger on how the issues it brought up make me feel though. I think that there are two separate issues at hand here, the first is whether or not immigrants should be required to learn English in order to get a job and the second is whether or not they should learn English if they are going to get Welfare benefits. I understand why the issues are connected: some welfare policies say that the recipients needs to be looking for a job in order to get benefits and in this country it's very difficult to get a job if you can't speak the same language as your employer or as any clients you may be dealing with. I think maybe while it is forced assimilation it is necessary in order for immigrant populations to be able to support themselves in America's society, the same way that American's would be able to support themselves living somewhere where no one could speak English.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic. I feel that in order to jobs that require one to speak then that person should be fluent in the language. I would not feel that if I went to Germany that I should be able to get a job without being able to speak German fluently. Communication is key especially within the workplace. I have people who work with me that English is their 2nd or even 5th language and they are working with clients to help them learn to use correct English. The majority of the time everything is fine but there have been a few people who have been unable to help clients progress linguistically due to their own linguistic limitations. I think that there has to be some kind of standard somewhere. If your living in a place and expect to stay long term and work then you must know the language.
ReplyDeleteI am not entirely sure how I feel about this topic. I think that on one hand it is good that they are requiring ESL in order to help welfare recipients work towards being independent. On the other hand, I am not really sure how I feel about it being forced assimilation. I can see it as them being “forced” to learn our language, but what are the other alternatives? I don’t think it would be possible to make all workplaces adapt to language differences. I think that would be too hard to expect it would work. I don’t think it would be an easy fix as say adding wheelchair ramps to buildings. We are a English speaking country, and that’s not to say that other languages aren’t tolerated. Interesting topic I haven’t really thought about before…
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree. I don't think people should be forced to learn English or they will be punished with lack of benefits. However, I do feel they should learn English because they are going to need this to exist in the US. I don't think we should be foreced to learn the language of every immigrant group that comes into the United States. I think this is all part of incoporating oneself into a different country. If I were to move to Italy I would have to learn Italian because that is the language that is spoken. If I were to move to Somalia I would have to learn there language as well.
ReplyDeleteDebbie I agree with you. I think that government agencies can provide employees who can speak multiple languages... I don't see why this isn't the norm
ReplyDeletecouple of things here....i think that first we have to be extremely cautious in what we regard to be a "reputable" news source in this country. I learned in my critical thinking class last year that there is always a bias...and that can distort our perceptions of the events that have taken place in the media. look at the differences between fox news and msnbc.....events are certainly portrayed very differently.
ReplyDeleteSecondly I do not think that it should be mandatory for people to conform to our western standards and learn the english language....however i think that i agree with debbie and in order for them to survive and be employed in this country they need to learn English. Its unfortunate that we dont hold our own citizens to a higher standard and expect or encourage them to learn other languages. I think this is prejudicial and a huge fault of our country. We appear very snobbish to other countries...where they are expected to know their own language(s) and then english as well.