Most other countries are bi-lingual and use the metric system

[Crazy Dave]

Everyone I know from Europe, the Middle East and Asia all speak decent to excellent English and one Iranian friend told me that in his country have to take four to six years of mandatory English in their schools. In every foreign country I've visited or lived in someone always spoke English or knew someone around the corner or that they could call to assist me.

Yet nearly all US born citizens refuse to learn a second language, they demand that everyone who comes to visit or live here learn English and we still refuse to use the metric system.

[ghostsofgiants]

1. America doesn't have to do anything to appease the rest of the world, America is AMERICA!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

13. We'll put a boot* in your ass!

*Boot likely made in Mexico.

[ghostsofgiants]

16. Hahaha.

Word.

[Reverend_Smitty]

2. The problem is *when* we are presented with a second language

most Americans don't encounter 2nd language education until high school which is way too late in life, the language centers in our brains have been set by then and it takes an almost herculean effort to pick up a second language. If we presented language education in the K-5 population, I'd be willing to bet that there would be a bunch more bilingual Americans

[BarenakedLady]

4. Very true

[Crazy Dave]

6. I don't know about that

Most people have their children play soccer and yet the sport has never caught on here either.

[Oeditpus Rex]

20. I guess that's why in these parts it begins in kindergarten

The part of California where I grew up (Salinas, where your lettuce and stuff come from) has had a large Hispanic population since the '30s. When I started school in the early '60s, Spanish was already being taught, albeit sort of subtly, through songs and stories and stuff. By the end of fourth grade, I probably knew three-fourths of the Spanish I was ever gonna learn, though I continued taking Spanish classes through my sophomore year in high school.

[LeftinOH]

3. There are plenty of Americans who seem to think that English is the standard

form of human communication -and that every other language is a deviation from that standard. As for the metric system, I can recall seeing highway signs showing distances in both English Standard AND metric. That was in the 70s. I think Reagan killed that off.

[BrotherBuzz]

5. American Christians are biblically illiterate, too

Someone that speaks three languages is trilingual. Someone that speaks two is bilingual.
What do you call someone who speaks one language and believes God wrote the King James Bible?

I'm just saying. :shrug:

[Crazy Dave]

8. You don't have to convince me

One of the reasons we're getting behind the rest of the world scientifically too

[redqueen]

7. You get outta here with your goddamn commie metric system!

x(

[Crazy Dave]

9. I want the commie metric system and commie health-care

:P

[IndianaJones]

10. the metric system is like soccer.

it sucks.

[China_cat]

12. No, the metric system is fine

if that's what you use. It's the belief that everything has to be converted that screws up its usefulness.

[Crazy Dave]

15. It's so much easier and less prone to mistakes

Than adding or subtracting fractions

[China_cat]

29. Yes. Like I said, the problem comes because people still

think they'll have to convert everything instead of just using one system.

I used to be one of them until I married my husband and spent some time with his family in Holland. No confusion, no conversion, one system. That's when I realized what I thought was my problem with the metric system was.

[sakabatou]

11. Well I can read ans speak some Japanese

And I can read Hebrew (with "vowels"). Though I have no idea what it means.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

14. I'm trying to relearn Spanish.

I can read it pretty well, though.

[Crazy Dave]

18. I put the Spanish subtitles or the language on DVD movies I watch

Helps a lot as far as being fluent and understood. I can speak Spanish and German enough to be understandable and comprehend but I don't read or write either. Except the subtitles in the movies of course, not books etc.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

28. I don't know why I never thought of doing that.

:rofl:

There's so many movies I can recite by heart, so I should definitely put the Spanish subtitles on next time.

Thanks for the tip. :hi:

[madinmaryland]

17. Why do you hate amurka? You elitist, latte sipping frenchman!!

:hi:

You do have a valid point.

[flvegan]

19. We also call football "soccer"

Heathens.

[ZombieNixon]

21. The problem is also compounded by lack of contact with speakers of other languages

While technically, I speak such languages as Spanish, German, and Hindi, I don't consider myself fluent as I rarely if ever get a chance to practice with a native or fluent speaker unless I travel abroad to certain countries, because I barely ever meet someone like that in this country (Spanish-speakers more often than the others). Usually, I find that if I'm thrown into a situation that requires use of a language I know some of, I can hold my own long enough to extricate myself before embarrassment, even if it's been a while since I used the language.

[Crazy Dave]

23. We get a lot of tourists from around the world here in Florida

Every now and then I bump into someone speaking Spanish or German and get to converse with them for a while. Once I was even invited to join an entire German family and travel with them on the rest of their vacation but had to respectfully decline.

[Rambis]

22. Son is in dual language program

1/2 the day is in spanish and 1/2 english- Daughter is going in next year as well. We are small town Iowa with 50% Hispanic population. The dual language program is elective and not compulsory. I went to a party the other night and we had Spain,Nepal,Guatemala, Bolivia, Mexico,Ireland,Scotland,Netherlands and Wales represented. It is fun being a multicultural town for us. Some of the people who grew up there are very racist but we don't socialize much with them because we have this multicultural community to enjoy.

[Reverend_Smitty]

24. I personally wouldn't want to live in an all white WASPy community

The city I grew up in has a long tradition of being a place where new immigrants settle. When my parents were growing up it had a large Irish, Italian, Polish and Slovak community, now it has a large Caribbean, Central and South American population. As a result of this there is still at least 1 out of this world place to get authentic cuisine for each of these cultures in the city and in some cases many.

In fact I had a bangin' Cuban sandwich and mojito at this little Cuban restaurant the other day and don't even get me started on the Italian food...it's to DIE for!

I'm guessing the racists don't know what they are missing

[Rambis]

26. There you go- they don't (nm)

[Reverend_Smitty]

27. Oh well, more arroz con pollo for me then

:P

[The2ndWheel]

25. So is diversity good or not?

[PVnRT]

30. What does a measurement system have to do with diversity?

[One_Life_To_Give]

31. Visit vs Immigrate/Live

Yet nearly all US born citizens refuse to learn a second language, they demand that everyone who comes to visit or live here learn English and we still refuse to use the metric system.

When I was in school learning a second language, typically French or Spanish was common. And two years of a foreign language was a common college entrance requirement. However since we don't routinely speak the language with anyone else it is quickly lost.

As for other countries I can't imagine moving/immigrating to Cologn without needing to learn German or to Nice without learning French. I can visit without needing to use more than English. But I can't imagine having the chutzpah to take up residence there and not learn their language.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

33. Oh, it happens

I know Americans who have lived in Japan for years and not only they, but their children don't speak Japanese. That's the real sad part. They have these kids who would have become bilingual if they had just put them in the Japanese school system, starting in kindergarten, but no, they put them in the American School in Japan, where Japanese isn't compulsory.

I also have a cousin who is ex-military and retired in Germany with his German wife. Does he speak German? Of course not! His wife does all the negotiating with the outside world.

[jobycom]

32. Doesn't seem true in Austin.

I can hear English or Spanish about equally (someone's speaking Spanish on the phone right now, in fact), and several Asian languages are pretty common. I guess many are not "US born" citizens (the guy speaking Spanish is), but many are.

Probably just exposure. In Spanish or French-speaking parts of America, a lot more people learn a second language, but in areas where only English is spoken, most people don't see a reason to learn anything else. That's not true in Europe, Asia, or Africa.