So from a interested outsiders viewpoint I've got a question for you good people. A school in Pine Bush NY issued an apology this week for having the pledge of allegiance read in Arabic once during foreign languages week. The story has been picked up by some news media and has generated some controversy. Several sources have been critical of the decision to use Arabic to say the pledge while others are critical of the apology being issued. What are the thoughts of people here ? Should the language used matter ? Isn't the pledge as good in Arabic as French or Korean ? Is it playing into stereotypes and discrimination to say that any, one language is wrong ? I can understand this can be a heated subject but please keep it a polite discussion and support your views with reasoned debate not flaming and hate.
As long as it's the pledge to the USA it doesn't matter what language.. We are a melting pot and all came from other places to unite as one. It's what you mean that matters not how you say it
America wants respect and to have its people like honoring the flag? America IS a melting pot. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses. Different people from different countries call this their home. Not all of them speak English well. So, wouldn't you WANT them to actually understand the text that they are reading?
I think it's ok, as long as they say it in a bunch of different languages at once. Like they say it in Spanish, French, English, etc. But the meaning of the words needs to be exactly the same whatever language.
How stupid. why should they not be allowed to say it in Arabic, but the other languages didn't cause an uproar?
It was said in a different language each day of the week from what I've read no complaints until it's in Arabic ...
My first instinct is to say "ENGLISH ONLY!" However, the US Naturalization tests are given in multiple languages, so i guess it doesn't matter to the gubberment
It was a foreign language class. Wth? Ppl being ignorant and think all Arabic ppl are terrorists. How many billions of Arabic ppl are there in the world? It hurts me to say this but it seems this melting pot of USA is so racist/discriminatory not just in Caucasian ppl, but all races. They stay closed off in their own communities and don't like non same race there. What a joke. Here is a learning institution trying to cross that barrier in a patriotic way to USA and gets flack for it
Foreign language week*. Makes it even more important to be fair to all languages that week and not discriminate any.
It's not discrimination.. If kids don't want to say it in any other language they shouldn't have to. Same principle, if they want to say it in another language they can
The "melting pot" metaphor is from a bygone era. Its a pre-WW1 phrase that meant people coming here from overseas could find the prosperous american dream, where you could work hard, and raise a family on your own. Those days are gone, as is the respectful atmosphere of the citizens in America. Look at the way certain communities talk and dress. They are not respectful to their neighbors. Why would we expect them to welcome immigrants so shortly after being attacked 15 years ago? People realize the threat persons from the Middle East countries present to the Western countries. The melting pot is closed, and has been since 9/11.
Mister universe it's not Arabic speakers who attacked America. It was evil men who spoke Arabic. It's a subtle and highly important difference.
FYI: The guy that killed all those people in the holocaust was Christian so where the KKK. We don't go around saying Christians are wrong and evil. But if a group of Muslims do wrong and evil, you guys go around saying all Muslims are like that. Your logic is ridiculous.
I never mentioned a language. I said "persons from the middle east." ISIS/IS/ISIL speaks english, as well as arabic.