English Only is Veiled Bigotry

Don't be fooled be high sounding, unconsciously soothing arguments--the English Only movement is veiled bigotry. The basic argument goes that it's a matter of economics and ensuring communication. "It's too expensive to accommodate other languages so we must make one standard fit all!" they cry. The same argument has been used to espouse one party rule, create monopolies, crush the Native American Indian cultures, establish National religions, and require mono-culturalism. It's an argument born of fear and ignorance. Fear of those who speak differently. Fear of those who believe differently. Fear that the English language will be obliterated by foreign speakers with higher birth rates.

These foreign speakers with higher birth rates who a lot of you English Only people never even talk to, have the same core human values and virtues that you do. Moreover, recent immigrants to this country still learn English as fast as they always have despite the anecdotal harangues of wrinkled, old, English speaking men in saunas at local clubs claiming otherwise.

Without undue government intervention, just as the principles that apply in the free market system and the market place of ideas determine the winners and the losers, these same market principles will appropriately regulate the muti-linguism in our society. Other than having English declared as our "official language," government need not dictate to businesses, municipal governments, or school districts, etc. either accommodation or nonaccommodation to foreign speakers. If it is economically or otherwise prudent to do so, other languages will be accommodated. If it is not economically or otherwise imprudent, they will not. No well meaning bigotry will change this fact and no laws need be passed to regulate languages. Instead of gaping in fear at those who arrive here from other countries--whether legally or illegally invited by us--be assured that as long as we remain the home of the brave and the free (while you English speakers may benefit from learning a little Spanish, Chinese or Russian), you can sleep comfortably at night knowing that when you wake up in the morning you'll arise to a predominately English wired nation and if you do not--don't blame the law--blame it on the collapse of your own vitality and usefulness.

Loren M. Lambert
Sept. 21, 2000 ©