Arnuld Speaks
Turn Off Spanish Television
By Daniel Muniz

And trouble is what the California governor found himself in when the Left Wing and the Right Wing both jumped in on this controversy in hopes to exploit a wedge issue for their own political gain. However, what each side of the political spectrum fails to realize is that they are both half right and half wrong.

But more to the point is that Governor Schwarzenegger is actually echoing what a lot of American’s are already thinking about Hispanics who do not speak English.

There has been a gigantic influx of immigrants from Latin America who have insulated themselves from American culture. In fact, it is almost like there is no need for Spanish speakers to ever learn the English language because there already is such a well established subculture. Entertainment and news is widely available through these mediums and almost any business transaction over the phone has the option to conduct it in Spanish. And most other important stuff, like voting, already has instructions and directions written in Spanish.

It is as if Hispanics can live their entire lives in America without ever needed to say a word in English.

Unfortunately, the biggest problem about never learning English is that such people are truly cut off and separated from American society. Although they are living in this country, they can never really be an integral part of it because the language barrier is insurmountable.

So what appears to be an advantage is really a crutch.

Cutting yourself off from society means that you are only aware of what this subculture is willing to tell you and translate for you. All your news and information is filtered through a very narrow spigot.

Additionally, much of Latin America is rabidly anti-American and very anti-gringo even though one would think that by watching a Spanish television show that every Hispanic must have blond hair and blue eyes. As a result, much of the thoughts and opinions have a highly polarized point of view. There is nothing wrong with that except that being unable to understand English tremendously limits access to all the facts and information about any issue.

But worst of all, employment opportunities become severely limited because skilled workers need to read, write, and speak English. And that reason alone ought to be the incentive for any Hispanic to master the English language.

Sadly, many Hispanic activists don’t see it that way.

In some ways, it is almost to their advantage that a segment of people are condemned to a life of poverty and detached from the rest of society because it makes them entirely dependent on their community leaders. And because access to information is severely limited, other points of view are conveniently ignored.

Of course, liberals trashed Schwarzenegger and labeled his remarks as racists. But the governor was merely reflecting his own experience as an immigrant from Austria. After setting foot in America, he immersed himself in English and rarely spoke German afterwards. By forcing himself to learn English, he was then able to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities available which enabled him to be outrageously successful.

However, Spanish language television, books, and newspapers do not have to be a negative experience.

My parents enjoyed Spanish entertainment and subculture because it was really a necessity when they were growing up. When I was born, America was still bitterly divided by racism. During the Korean War, my father served in a still mostly segregated army and there were plenty of places in this country where my parents could not go because of the harsh bigotry that permeated our society.

As a result, subcultures were formed because white America refused to allow minorities to assimilate. And that is where some of my disagreement with the Right Wing is. Subcultures were not created because minorities did not want to get along but because they were forced to be separate from everyone else.

But times change and people change. As I was growing up, I got to enjoy living in a truly integrated society where I was allowed to do things that my parents could not even imagine were remotely possible when they were children. Although Spanish was the language spoken in my household when I was a kid, it was not to be my culture but only my heritage. I easily assimilated into American culture and eventually, so did my parents when they got older especially since all their children married white people (and they now have half-white grandchildren).

A Spanish subculture had an intrinsic value a generation ago but that is not the case today.

Spanish language television, books and newspapers ought to have only a very limited appeal. They should never be utilized in a way that completely isolates and separates a Hispanic from the rest of American society. And when that happens, the result is that Hispanics have voluntarily segregated themselves from the American experience and remain foreigners instead of assimilating into the United States.

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