Valedictorian gives commencement speech in Spanish

[Unkotare]

High School Valedictorian Spanish Commencement Speech | Latina


Was this inappropriate? Understandable? A mistake? A telling commentary on our society?

 

[hjmick]

His choice.

 

[Unkotare]

Just his choice? Really?

 

[hjmick]

What more do you want? The kid earned the right to address his fellow students, he earned the right to say damn near anything he wanted. He chose to do it in Spanish. He wanted to do it in both English and Spanish, he was told there would not be enough time, he chose Spanish. He made the grades, he earned his place, he made the choice.

Forgive me if I am not bothered by his choice. Forgive me if I am not bothered by his taking advantage of one of the greatest freedoms our country provides. Freedom of choice.

There are bigger things in this country to worry about than a high school graduate's decision to give his valedictorian speech in Spanish.

Rather than make an issue of his choice, we should applaud his achievement and the fact that he probably go on to college and become a responsible, contributing member of society.

 

[Unkotare]

Ok, your 'he can say anything he wants' argument is simply not logical (neither is the "there are bigger things to worry about" bit). Leaving that aside, you don't find any problem with an AMERICAN high school commencement speech being given in Spanish or the fact that a portion of the audience would have to be expected not to understand what he was saying? Before you get all bent out of shape, I'm just posing the question, not pushing any one conclusion.

 

[Annie]

38% Spanish. What of the other 62% that were left clueless to the address? They didn't earn a right to understand an address at THEIR graduation?

 

[regent]

Immigration benefits both political parties, Republicans for cheap labor, Democrats for future votes. America, maybe as many countries, has always wanted "cheap labor," first it was slaves, and indentured servants, then immigrants, and when the Irish stopped coming the country reached out to other areas of cheap labor, all the time lamenting and wailing about the types people coming into the United States, seems they weren't American and didn't even speak English.

 

[Katzndogz]

What more do you want? The kid earned the right to address his fellow students, he earned the right to say damn near anything he wanted. He chose to do it in Spanish. He wanted to do it in both English and Spanish, he was told there would not be enough time, he chose Spanish. He made the grades, he earned his place, he made the choice.

Forgive me if I am not bothered by his choice. Forgive me if I am not bothered by his taking advantage of one of the greatest freedoms our country provides. Freedom of choice.

There are bigger things in this country to worry about than a high school graduate's decision to give his valedictorian speech in Spanish.

Rather than make an issue of his choice, we should applaud his achievement and the fact that he probably go on to college and become a responsible, contributing member of society.

Had the student said God or Jesus, his mic would have been cut, and security would have escorted him from the stage. So there is no issue of freedom of choice or even freedom of speech.

He will probably go on to college, major in chicano studies and be another unemployable graduate.

 

[rightwinger]

As much as conservatives would like it, we have no official language. The kid earned valedictorian and in this country is free to give his address in the language of his choice

 

[Katzndogz]

Every non spanish speaker should have stood up and walked out. Or even exercised their own freedom of choice and shouted him down.

Or, we could just change the national motto to "I don't understand you". Had the address been given in German or Russian there would most likely have been a LOT of hisipanic complaints.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

High School Valedictorian Spanish Commencement Speech | Latina


Was this inappropriate? Understandable? A mistake? A telling commentary on our society?

wasn't that long ago valedictorians in many parts of Louisiana would have given their speech in French, and I wouldn't at all be surprised if that still happened today on occasion.


Tell you what - when YOU are valedictorian, you can give a speech in any language you want.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

Every non spanish speaker should have stood up and walked out. Or even exercised their own freedom of choice and shouted him down.

We should just shout down people we don't like. Fuck them. I hate Spanish. The Valedictorian has no right to speak.

Or, we could just change the national motto to "I don't understand you". Had the address been given in German or Russian there would most likely have been a LOT of hisipanic complaints.

How about we change it to "I hate you fucking spics" ?

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

38% Spanish. What of the other 62% that were left clueless to the address? They didn't earn a right to understand an address at THEIR graduation?

A) Is there some law prohibiting them from learning Spanish?

B) Don't know about you, but the Valedictorian speech at my graduation was given in English, and I can't remember a single thing about it. It could have just as well been given in Arabic or Ancient Greek.

 

[barry1960]

As much as conservatives would like it, we have no official language. The kid earned valedictorian and in this country is free to give his address in the language of his choice

I disagree. The graduation ceremony is attended by many family members and the for those who graduate it is a special day. The student should take the audience into consideration. That is why speeches are previewed. Perhaps if there is a high percentage of hispanic students with family members who know only Spanish, then perhaps one of several speakers could deliver a speech in Spanish.

As Spock would say "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one."

 

[Katzndogz]

I would like to see that. I'd like to see students start giving speeches in Tagalog, Russian, Mandarin, German, Korean, everything, no matter what school they go to or what language the rest of the students speak. After all it's not like these valedictorian's have anything important to say that others should hear and pay attention to. They could get up there and babble incoherently for all the good they do.

 

[mudwhistle]

Some parts of the U.S. it helps if you know Spanish.

The left encourages this. Instead of making sure everyone at least attempts to learn our language they divide us by insisting on having instructions in Spanish, French, etc. German and Portuguese are mostly excluded. They even want us to start learning Arabic now.

Schools should insist that kids learn from an early age at least 2 other languages. But English should be the primary language because that has been the predominant language here for over 200 years.

 

[Trajan]

As much as conservatives would like it, we have no official language. The kid earned valedictorian and in this country is free to give his address in the language of his choice

yes, becasue having a common tongue is like stupid or something....


Oh sure, I am free to deliver one in Urdu to then if given the opportunity then, right? Because for over 60% of those kids siting there, it would have made no difference, it was more important to reach his own or use Spanish, why again? for what purpose?

It was a selfish decision. Lets see him try that when he gets a job or if he starts his own bus. he may demand folks who are bi lingual, but lets hope he creates a biz. where in that level of education or aptitude is available for the positions he wants to fill, or he could just advertise for Spanish speakers only which may fall afoul of discrimination laws(?)..


further for political knee jerk non thinkers like RW lets make them think, let us suppose they ran the public schools system circa 1900. so, what we would have is, classes in/for Russian, Italian, Hebrew, Gaelic, German etc...why yes, a balkanized society separated by language, who thinks that would have turned out well?

say in ww1, or 2? The Austro-Hungarian Empire, empire had an army that could not even communicate outside its own homogenous units, its 'national' character was a shambles, they were a polyglot nation separated by languages and there fore a sense on oneness and purpose as language is a huge driver when it comes to holding on to formerly occupied native principals. There would have been no melting in the melting pot.

of course it has come to pass, imho, that now there are many of one particular political persuasion that I think wants to keep it that way, divide and conquer, sameness or unity ( socially as well) doesn't really suit their purpose, they need a myriad of slivers to make up their voting coalition.

 

[Katzndogz]

38% Spanish. What of the other 62% that were left clueless to the address? They didn't earn a right to understand an address at THEIR graduation?

A) Is there some law prohibiting them from learning Spanish?

B) Don't know about you, but the Valedictorian speech at my graduation was given in English, and I can't remember a single thing about it. It could have just as well been given in Arabic or Ancient Greek.

How about deliver the address in Farsi and tell the hispanics there's no law prohibiting them from learning Farsi and they should have if they wanted to understand what was said.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

. They even want us to start learning Arabic now.

OMG! We wouldn't want to know that! We might be able to understand what the terrorists are saying to each other! Best we not know.

 

[rightwinger]

As much as conservatives would like it, we have no official language. The kid earned valedictorian and in this country is free to give his address in the language of his choice

yes, becasue having a common tongue is like stupid or something....

Having a common language does not mean you attempt to bar the speaking of other languages.