Sosa on ESPN Chat..

[sq764]

I just watched the Sunday Conversation on ESPN with Sammy Sosa.. Why in the hell did they do it in Spanish?

This is still America, right?

[andicap]

Did they at least sub-title it? That's pretty funny. I wonder if Sosa said he would only do the interview if it was in Spanish -- obviously a language he is more comfortable speaking. Interesting decision. I'll try and find out the answer.
The answer of course, is you don't have to watch if you are offended. Turn the channel. This is a multi-cultural country and there is no OFFICIAL language. Maybe Sammy wanted to communicate with the many Spanish-speaking people in this country. SportsCenter is also shown in some foreign countries. There are 39 million Hispanics in the U.S. today and growing fast. Deal with it.
And if you're insulted by the fact that Spanish-speaking people haven't learned English, well, you can say the same thing about every ethnic group that immigrated to this great melting pot of a country. How many Italians didn't speak English 100 years ago or even more recently?
How many Norwegians didn't speak English? How many Irish spoke with such a thick brogue they were difficult to understand and were insulted by WASPs? How many Austrians and Germans spoke only German? Etc.
Answer: Lots.
America was built on immigration and in every generation the people who are here, even those descended from earlier immigrants, attack the new Americans for not adapting quickly enough to the "American ways." Human nature I guess.

English is a damn difficult language to learn -- probably the hardest of all the western European languages (French, Spanish, etc.) with all the idioms and silent letters and rules with exceptions.

Now before you say I'm just a muddle-headed liberal, I agree that new Americans should try and learn the language -- I hate going into a store and the owners can't understand me and vice versa or worse in cabs. And I think parents who are not working hard enough to make sure their kids learn English are doing them a huge disservice. I have studied this. The issue of bi-lingualism in Spanish families is a big one with the older generation eager to hang onto -- or not lose -- their cultures. Can't blame them for that. But of course English is still the majority language and will always be the way we do business.

But while I can't jump into another cab, on television I can turn the channel. Having an interview with a baseball player conducted in Spanish is not a major deal.

Or maybe you had the SAP set on your TV on by mistake. I'll check into it.

[sq764]

They have the ESPN Deportes channel specifically for Spanish-speaking individuals. So why not utilize that and let American-speaking people enjoy the interview in English, without subtitles..

I find it ironic that you defend the fact that immigrants want to speak in a non-English language while in this country, yet you are frustrated by going to the store and them not understanding you.

Why the frustration?

[Tom]

If you want to come here and live, learn the language or stay home.
Too many people come here and refuse to let go of thier culture.
They do not belong here. If they do not learn to speak English, which may not be the offical lingo, but it is the one Americans use, then they cannot hope to assimilate into our country, and if they cannot do that, to are not welcome, in my opinion. We do not allow immigration for the sake of the immigrants, we allow it because they come here with something to offer our society.
Immigration is not a right, it is a privilage and it comes with dues.
When we allow people to come here, join us, and interact with us, it enriches our culture. When they come here and group together and cling to thier own cultures, they dilute ours.
Now, granted, no baseball player that I know of ever saind anything important, but put Sosa in context.....he is here to make himself rich and play baseball, and has trouble speaking English?
C'mon, Sammy, you can say "mo money" when you have to,
and anyway, him playing baseball, that contributes to our society how????????

[JustRalph]

Originally posted by Tom
If you want to come here and live, learn the language or stay home.
Too many people come here and refuse to let go of thier culture.
They do not belong here. If they do not learn to speak English, which may not be the offical lingo, but it is the one Americans use, then they cannot hope to assimilate into our country, and if they cannot do that, to are not welcome, in my opinion. We do not allow immigration for the sake of the immigrants, we allow it because they come here with something to offer our society.
Immigration is not a right, it is a privilage and it comes with dues.
When we allow people to come here, join us, and interact with us, it enriches our culture. When they come here and group together and cling to thier own cultures, they dilute ours.
Now, granted, no baseball player that I know of ever saind anything important, but put Sosa in context.....he is here to make himself rich and play baseball, and has trouble speaking English?
C'mon, Sammy, you can say "mo money" when you have to,
and anyway, him playing baseball, that contributes to our society how????????

Tom,..... I love you buddy! But does anybody else see the Irony here? Remember Tom.....we love you buddy! But I have to Razz you a little here........you never lack passion or humor.....sometimes they run together when you post. And I love it........

[sq764]

Tom, I am reading your post while drinking a bud light and eating an apple pie!! Good post..

[andicap]

The xenaphobism on this board is not surprising, but disappointing. Most of us wouldn't be in this country if people had that attitude in the 19th and earliest 20th century. This country was built on tolerance and the melting pot and we should all have a bit more gratefulness for people who do the dirty jobs that other Americans don't want do to because they pay like shit or are terrible jobs.

As for cab drivers, yes, I get upset they can't speak better English, but I also realize that cab drivers get paid sooo poorly (about 15K a year in NYC, equal to 10K elsewhere), the only people who would take those jobs are recent immigrants. They take huge risks (getting mugged, shot, etc.) too.


The answer is that ESPN was promoting its new Spanish language channel ESPN Desportes so it was a co-feed. In other words Sosa did the interview for ESPN Desportes, and the Q&A was soooo good (they thought), they decided to throw it on the main channel and use it as an opportunity to plug Desportes.

Good old American marketing!

[sq764]

cab drivers? Have you ever gone to a convenience store? or even got gas?

[JustRalph]

Originally posted by andicap
The xenaphobism on this board is not surprising,

What the hell does Vetscratches Avatar have to do with this?

[andicap]

So now Bush grants full amnesty to illegal aliens?

You guys have to be going crazy over this......
lets see its an election year and Hispanics have a huge vote especially in Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, Arizona, California, etc.

Just a coincidence.....??

(BTW, I admit the Dems do the exact same thing...pandering to interest groups -- I just hate it when everyone says Dems are the party of "special interests." Come on, Republicans have just as many special interests backing them as the Dems. You don't call corporations special interest groups?)

[Tom]

Originally posted by JustRalph
What the hell does Vetscratches Avatar have to do with this?

hahahahahahahhahahahahahahhaha!

[Tom]

Originally posted by andicap
So now Bush grants full amnesty to illegal aliens?

You guys have to be going crazy over this......
lets see its an election year and Hispanics have a huge vote especially in Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, Arizona, California, etc.

Just a coincidence.....??

(BTW, I admit the Dems do the exact same thing...pandering to interest groups -- I just hate it when everyone says Dems are the party of "special interests." Come on, Republicans have just as many special interests backing them as the Dems. You don't call corporations special interest groups?)

I don't know what Zenaphobia means, but I think it was not nice!:rolleyes:
Don't take my post the wrong way..what I meant was just what you were saying here-we are a melting pot-that means we are get together and merge into a new one. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. When people come here and settle into their own segregated neighborhoods, society doesn't benifit. We end up with scatterd "tribes," which is a major reason why Eastern Eurpope has never been able to find peace - too many thems and too few uses.
America is great becasue we have blended all those cultures brought here by immigrants into one new, American culutre.
A common language is improtant to a united nation, one nation.
Tom

[BillW]

Originally posted by andicap
So now Bush grants full amnesty to illegal aliens?

You guys have to be going crazy over this......
lets see its an election year and Hispanics have a huge vote especially in Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, Arizona, California, etc.

Just a coincidence.....??

(BTW, I admit the Dems do the exact same thing...pandering to interest groups -- I just hate it when everyone says Dems are the party of "special interests." Come on, Republicans have just as many special interests backing them as the Dems. You don't call corporations special interest groups?)

Andi,

How would you fix the problem?

Bill