White backlash?

[The Rabbi]

I never thought Catholicism had a racial angle, but I could be wrong.

There are about a billion Catholics worldwide, including every race on earth.

I know that.  I'm trying to figure out why you thought this might be "radical Catholicism." 

It isn't.  But it (and the comments on this thread) expose the disgusting underbelly of the nativist movement.  While there is legitimate debate on immigration and not everyone of the law and order crowd is a racist, there are plenty of racists using immigration as a cover.  Somehow I get the feeling that if we had millions of Englishmen flocking illegally here the noise level would be much less.

[Barbara]

Somehow I get the feeling that if we had millions of Englishmen flocking illegally here the noise level would be much less.

That was colonization. 

[wmenorr67]

it could have been a reaction to something equally racist coming from a Mexican student

Would this have made it okay?   

No.  But if that was the case it should have been brought up.  A lot of times you never hear about what someone may have been reacting to, just the reaction.

[RevDisk]

Somehow I get the feeling that if we had millions of Englishmen flocking illegally here the noise level would be much less.

I can recall of two occassions in which we had massive flocks of hostile Englishmen flooding into our country in an unwelcome fashion, we killed a sizeable number of them.   

Thing is, millions of English flooding into the country wouldn't be as big of an issue as they wouldn't have a problem with the language nor would assimiliation be an significant issue.  Plus, I'd have a hard time imagining most English guys I know entering the country illegally.  The lot of them are typical law abidding people.

[The Rabbi]

Somehow I get the feeling that if we had millions of Englishmen flocking illegally here the noise level would be much less.

I can recall of two occassions in which we had massive flocks of hostile Englishmen flooding into our country in an unwelcome fashion, we killed a sizeable number of them.   

Thing is, millions of English flooding into the country wouldn't be as big of an issue as they wouldn't have a problem with the language nor would assimiliation be an significant issue.  Plus, I'd have a hard time imagining most English guys I know entering the country illegally.  The lot of them are typical law abidding people.

Wow, three points made, all of them wrong.
We did not have massive influxes of immigrants.  We had an invasion by an army.  Some people cannot tell the difference and that is sad.  I blame the school system.
Second, every immigrant group gets the rap about not assimilating.  Franklin said this about the German immigrants of his day.  Some of those immigrants probably have descendents writing on this board.  Not one of those descendents is an unassimilated non-English speaking German-American.
Third, I know in Nashville the number of illegal immigrants from England is actually pretty high.  I imagine the same elsewhere.

[HankB]

. . . That doesn't mean there are no good reasons to be against illegal immigration-it just means that the "white power!" crowd likely are in it for a reason other than jobs and security. 

ONE student does not a crowd make.

Too bad nobody taped or filmed the entire session . . . otherwise, most of what is being written here about what may have gone on is speculation.

[Paddy]

We subsequently invited others to freedom.

Except the ones they chained up and forced to come here.

Who were sold out by their black brethren in Africa.


There's a double standard here that's inherently racist.  It's ok for anybody but whites to make affirmative statements about their own race.  As soon as a white person does it, he's 'racist'.   Implied there is the assumption that the person of color is somehow inferior to the white; that they are not on equal footing.  Closet racism hiding behind a show of 'tolerance.' 

[Barbara]

Oh, bull. Some minorities make racist statements, so its ok for whites to do it? Is that what you're saying? So racism is fine, as long as everyone is doing it?

Not in my book.

As far as the blacks selling each other? Sure..they did. But at least their descendents are sensible enough not to pat themselves on the back for how they offered them the chance for freedom.

[Paddy]

Oh, bull. Some minorities make racist statements, so its ok for whites to do it? Is that what you're saying? So racism is fine, as long as everyone is doing it?

No, it is not.

Nobody alive today was ever a slave.  Nobody alive today was ever a slaveowner.  Slavery was an abhorrent practice of the past that has long since been corrected-in this country. Yet slavery is always presented as though it is some kind of prima facie evidence of current white 'racism' in the U.S.   Nothing could be further from the truth.  Many blacks and other people of color hold positions of prominence and power in the United States today.  They possess great wealth and influence. That is as it should be.

Yet the charade continues.  (Some) blacks (and others of color) use their race as a platform from which to accuse ALL white people of 'racism' and 'oppression'.  (Some) whites in turn do the mea culpa and attempt to alleviate their 'guilt' with affirmative action and other 'gifts'.  These same whites will give lip service to equality but privately believe blacks (and others of color) inferior.  They turn a blind eye to the real racism and genocide happening in other parts of the world.  They subsidize slavery and oppression in third world sweatshops with their consumer dollars, some even justifying it with 'free market' rhetoric.

That's the 'bull'.

[Desertdog]

Let's return to the original question

The classroom discussion started with the question: Why do students need to learn Spanish?

When I went to school Foreign Language was an elective, it was not forced on you, except for certain majors.  Even then you could choose from a number of languages other than just Spainish.

So what is the answer to the original question: Why do students need to learn Spanish?  To me it is not racist to not learn Spainish or any other foreign language. 

If the school requires a freign language, they need to offer more than just one language, maybe French, Arabic, German, Chinese, Greek, Polish, or any of many other Languages.

[The Rabbi]

Budget.  Foreign language teachers cost money.
There are lots of benefits to learning a foreign language that have been documented elsewhere.  If someone had to pick one, Spanish would be a good one since it is easy to practice it in almost every major city. It is also a "cash register" language, so that people who can speak it have advantages in the job market over people who don't.

[wooderson]

Yet slavery is always presented as though it is some kind of prima facie evidence of current white 'racism' in the U.S.   [...] (Some) blacks (and others of color) use their race as a platform from which to accuse ALL white people of 'racism' and 'oppression'.

Those are some lovely strawmen you have there.

Many blacks and other people of color hold positions of prominence and power in the United States today.

'Many' is a rather arguable point. But you don't want to have that discussion - so you rely on weak arguments like the above.

[Bogie]

Nobody alive today was ever a slave.  Nobody alive today was ever a slaveowner. 

Wrong on both points.

Slavery still exists... Just generally not in the US...

And we still have "gangs" importing people into the US as essentially indentured...
 
Now, from what I read of the original post...
 

It started with a simple question and ended with at least one student chanting "white power" in a classroom.

Otay, Buckwheat... Looks like they had -maybe- one dumbbleep who didn't take his Ritalin that day... And he wanted to get noticed. What is the big deal? Kid oughta get spanked, and made to stand in the corner and contemplate his actions for a while.

Yawn.

[HankB]

As far as the blacks selling each other? Sure..they did do.

Corrected the tense - it's still happening in parts of Africa today.

But, sadly, nobody seems to care. 

[longeyes]

Those are some lovely strawmen you have there.

Really?  Take a look at the syllabus for White Studies courses in various institutions of "higher learning" around the U.S.  The basic thesis is: The White race is the cancer of history.

Racism is racism, wherever found.

I think what we need to look at more closely is culture.  The values most of us espouse on this forum belong to a "culture of liberty" that has very specific historic roots.  We ignore that at our peril.

[Perd Hapley]

Nobody alive today was ever a slave.  Nobody alive today was ever a slaveowner. 

Wrong on both points.

Slavery still exists... Just generally not in the US...

I think it was fairly obvious he was saying that none of the slaves or slave-owners from the nineteenth century are still alive today.  But whatever general point he's trying to make, I'm not sure and don't care to figure out. 

[Hugh Damright]

Just a dang minute ... the article says that it was a "language classroom", a "Spanish-language class" ... and it says that the hispanic students asked to leave ... doesn't "hispanic" mean "Spanish-speaking"? Am I to understand that this is a school where hispanics get credit for taking a Spanish class?

[Barbara]

You might want to sit down for this one:

Not all people of Hispanic ancestry speak Spanish.

Equally shocking:

Not everyone whose last name is Schmidt speaks German.

[Hugh Damright]

Like I said, I thought that "hispanic" meant "Spanish-speaking". I am perfectly aware that "Schmidt" doesn't mean "German-speaking", thank you.

[The Rabbi]

Like I said, I thought that "hispanic" meant "Spanish-speaking". I am perfectly aware that "Schmidt" doesn't mean "German-speaking", thank you.

Not necessarily.  I remember there was some Hispanic-named CEO of a major corporation who went to Mexico and gave a speech at the company's subsidiary.  A journalist asked him a question in Spanish and he needed someone to interpret.

But just because their parents speak Mexican (or Ecuadorian or Columbian) Spanish at home doesn't mean they can't learn a thing or two in class.  Just like people from KY still take English.

[roo_ster]

The terms "hispanic" and "hispanoblante" are neologisms required by the racial-grievance groups to slap all latin american immigrants to the USA into one pigeon-hole.  About the only thing in common between , say, a well-educated refugee from Castro's Cuba who came over when Cuba went commie and an ignorant campesino just from the armpit of Mexico is the language they speak (and only the Cuban reads).



Hispanic=someone from (or descended from someone from) a Spanish-speaking country in latin America

Hispanoblante=anyone who speaks Spanish

[Bogie]

Of course, we also don't know if the "chanter" (note the singular...) was caucasian or not...

Non event guys. Bury it.

[De Selby]

Oh, bull. Some minorities make racist statements, so its ok for whites to do it? Is that what you're saying? So racism is fine, as long as everyone is doing it?

No, it is not.

Nobody alive today was ever a slave.  Nobody alive today was ever a slaveowner. 

Nobody alive today founded the nation and "invited guests to freedom" either, but that didn't stop you from taking credit for it as a member of the "Northern European race" that you claim did it.

How come you're so quick to claim the credit for founding the "nation of liberty" because you identify with the "Northern Europeans" above mentioned, yet refuse to claim any responsibility for the system of slavery implemented by the very same people?

[Paddy]

Non event guys. Bury it.

Long since called in Reply #11 and reaffirmed in #12.  But not before ss had spontaneously overreacted in nos. 1, 5 & 8. 

How come you're so quick to claim the credit for founding the "nation of liberty" because you identify with the "Northern Europeans" above mentioned, yet refuse to claim any responsibility for the system of slavery implemented by the very same people?

Simply for the purpose of exposing radical and agenda driven proclivities.

[cordex]

How come you're so quick to claim the credit for founding the "nation of liberty" because you identify with the "Northern Europeans" above mentioned, yet refuse to claim any responsibility for the system of slavery implemented by the very same people?

Simply for the purpose of exposing radical and agenda driven proclivities.

Your own, I presume?

I think racial slogans are childish whether the slogan in question is "Black Power!" or "White Power!" or "Viva la Raza!" 

I certainly don't see one as a valid response to another.