VIEWPOINTS
EOITORIALS. OPINIONS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Ensena English, pero
teach espanol,tambien
■ OUR OPINION
Mandatory biiinquoi
education for all
Americans is overdue
Si ustrd purtln Irrr rata
wii inn • dr !< ", ,„,l
lionrs dr personas quo
huhliin rs/Hidol Drsafortu
nadanirntr, ustrd rs parte
dr mm minoria on Ins Kata
dos l-nidus
The debate surrounding
bilingual education has
boon both debated in feder
al and state forums in recent
years While people from all
over the world immigrate to
the United States for a "hot
tor way of life," none has
encountered more hostilttv
and rejec tion than Mexican
immigrants in California
and the Southwest.
According to a Mbi t
Urban Institute study, one
out of every six students in
the California school system
was born outside the t fnited
States The tars Angeles
school system educates
30.000 new immigrant chil
dren each year, The majority
of them emigrated from
Mexico and Central Ameri
can < ountries
Thus, school systems on
both coasts have been inun
dated with non-hnglish
speaking students that they
must find a way to educate
Some insist on teaching
only Knglish, while others
teach all subjects in tho stu
dents' native language and
teai h hnglish as a separate
subject. Still others integrate
the two t he problem with
these* programs, however, is
that they are delivering
bilingual instruction only to
Immigrants, bilingual
instruction should become a
part of public education
front the first-grade level.
Americ a is the only devoi
oped nation that does not
require proficiency in a for
eign language. Unlike Euro
poan countries, we have had
the luxury of being big
enough (geographically and
economh ally) to isolate our
selves from the sound of for
eign tongues As we are
reminded daily, however,
(lie world is getting smaller,
and we must be able to com
municate in more than one
language if we are to com
pete and cooperate in the
global village
Mandatory Spanish
instruction in public
schools would solve the
dilemma of what to "do"
with non-English speaking
children. Hoy en din. rsos
nnlos estdn aislodos desde
las demos porque e/ idiotna
rs una barrt'ra By teaching
all students Spanish,
schools would teach Eng
lish-speaking children
empathy for the difficult
process of learning a foreign
language
Critics of this idea argue
that immigrants have always
assimilated to America's
values and its language.
Mexir ans. they say. should
be no different But separat
ing Mexican < hildren from
Amerit an children only
emphasizes the us-and-them
mentality that permeates
our country. Across the
troard bilingual education
would actually act derate
the assimilation process.
Students would begin to
realize that just because
someone speaks a foreign
language, it does not mean
he or she is less intelligent
or does not feel joy and sor
row
Sonias tma genic, and
mandatory bilingual educa
tion would allow us to pro
pare the next generation for
the world it will inherit.
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WE SHARE
Watch out — paranoia is bad for your health
If is not enough
to have a good mind
The main thing is to use it well
flrnc Descartes
Why the hell is everyone so damned paranoid
these days' You've got everything from people
thinking that Bill Clinton is a homosexual, athe
ist, commie-loving, french-fry munchin moron
to the belief that an ad of a tattoo on some wom
an s butt is going to im ite people to acts of vio
lence You know something' Bill Clinton is all
that (and more) and vos. every guy I talked to
since seeing that ad felt an insatiable urge to go
out and wreak havoc on the global female popu
lation
By the way. did I mention that God exists in
your sub-utomii particles and that I’ve got Elvis
ami Jimmy Holla m my freer
*»r? I'vif also got a bridge* that I
i.a» Mil I ya, real cheap
Ladies and gentlemen, stop
overthinking so damn much.
It makes you look like a twit,
and it cuts off the «in illation
to your higher reasoning func
tions in your noodle such as
your (omntoti sense Now I'm
not saying to just quit reason
ing altogether or to become
intellectually spineless
OPINION
ifonlthy dehalt* s good for you. Ii gt*!s the
blood flowing and your dander up, Pn k a sub
tec I, any subjet t Try sox. politic s or religion.
Crfti really creative and try to combine all three.
Get passionate about something Just don't tie
stupid and interpolate something that really
isn't there (yes. I've already made that mistake,
big-time), by over-analyzing You'll seem para
noid and there's no way anyone in their right
mind will take you seriously. That's why they
i-all them nuts. Or conspiracy freaks (Oliver
Stone shot |.F.K )
What if you don't think enough? Well, take
the "militias for example. These reactionary
inbred jods who have family trees that don't
branch are complete loony toons They go out in
the woods, take on Bamhi with an M-16. then sit
around and blame the /.iomst Operated Gov
ernment" (what ever the hell that is) and the
United Nations for all of their woes 1 would be
extremely curious as to how many of these*
quacks have actually given what they believe in
any type of coherent thought Perhaps they
would realize just how ridiculous some of their
ideas are.
Ignorance seems to breed fear It also seems to
bn-ed ,i notion that .tli your problems are every
one eise's fault. And where do these whackos
get their opinions? Rush Limbaugh. the NKA,
the tooth fairy who knows But if they were a
66
Healthy debate's good for you. It gets the
blood flow my and your dander up Pick a
subject, any subject.
99
little bit more educated I highly doubt they'd be
so paranoid that everyone was out to get them.
But if ignorant e breeds fear, then haughty
intellei tualism breeds sheer ridiculousness It's
almost funny how in probably the most educat
ed part of the state, some of the most ridiculous
things occur Political Correctness anyone? Who
ever came up with this tripe should bo drawn
and quartered. Remember grade school? No one
gave a damn who you were or what color your
skin was; except for girls, they nil had cooties.
Most people still don't care. They've got more
important things to worry about than pissing off
some Norwegian by accidentally thinking that
be'a X • • in (Ut white people all look tl ■
same )
In academia it gets even worse. I remember
bearing a visiting professor give a talk on how m
■ ■ peart Antony ..mi t lleopatre not only
was Antony in love with Cleopatra, hut with
Enoharbus as well Some how she got it in her
head that Shakespeare had subconsciously writ
ten in this hidden love between the two men
and that every scholar for the past 400 years had
somehow managed to miss it Well maybe they
missed because it was never there Oh. did 1
mention that l have a Ph.t). in English literature?
People can get so over-concerned about the
most stupid trivial issues that they lose sight of
the larger picture. Just start enjoying life and
stop being such a paranoid over-analyzing nin
ny.
Cut me reiterate once again Do not stop think
ing, 1 have to say this again to prevent nitwits
from sending editorial letters decrying that fact
that I'm being anti-intellectual.' Our ability for
higher reasoning is what makes life so damn
fun But we have to use it properly and not
abuse it (like I'm doing) with attempts to seem
learned or erudite.
Question what you find absurd If someone is
being preposterous, let them know Their
response w ill probably be something like well I
never" and stomp off in a huff Then you’ll
know you nailed it.
So go forth and question the ludicrous, the
inane, the corny; but most importantly, enjoy
doing it.
/esse / Hobrer Clancy, a senior majoring in bio
chemistry, is a columnist for the Emerald