Mirror Mirror - Confronting Prejudice #1

I’m requesting feedback on this one [click the plus sign at the end of the post to comment]. At Gig #2, a Mexican crew cleans…

by j. brotherlove

I’m requesting feedback on this one [click the plus sign at the end of the post to comment].

At Gig #2, a Mexican crew cleans the building each night (garbage, vacuum, bathrooms, etc.). This function used to be performed by a crew of black folks until the shifty supervisor (a black guy) realized he could increase his profit with cheaper labor (he flashed a devilish smile when we accused of this).

The crew does not speak English and this has created some inconvenience with the cleaning of my department because we have a security door and the crew cannot access my department unless someone (me) lets them in.

This touches off my issue around people who immigrate to this country who do/can/will not speak English. Don�t get me wrong, I like Spanish and I think it�s great that more English-speaking people are becoming bilingual. However, I don�t think it should be required for me to learn another language to perform everyday duties. The responsibility to be able to communicate should fall on the immigrant.

I think the US makes it too easy for immigrants to live in this country without the ability to effectively communicate with the larger society. As a result, Spanish has unofficially become our second language and is almost required in certain communities. Where is the investment on the part of the immigrant? I wouldn’t move to a non-English speaking country and expect them to learn my language.

When our custodial crew comes into the building, they do not speak. This is the South, after all; a simple �hello� would suffice. Are they too shy or uncomfortable in their English-speaking skills? Is it considered rude for them to speak since they are performing a �servant� level duty? The shadiest part is I know how to say �Hola�, �Que pasa�, and ��C�mo esta?� but I don�t because of my �issue�. However, tonight, one of the guys communicated to me for the first time.

��Otra vez?� I asked because I didn�t understand him. He grinned at my attempt to speak Spanish and in broken, but understandable English, told me that his crew was no longer going to clean my department - two other people would. I asked him ��Cu�ndo?� and ��Qui�n?� which impressed him. He knew they would do it tonight but he didn�t know who the two people would be. As he was walking out, he asked if I wanted the door �open� or �closed�. I replied with �closed� and �Gracias�.

I sat thinking how meeting him halfway wasn�t so bad. And it achieved a larger goal of getting my department cleaned. But, I don�t want to have to do that every time I need something done.

Am I off-track worrying about the submersion of America in Spanish (or any foreign) culture? Am I merely jealous because African-Americans were unable to maintain the cohesion evident in the Latino community? Am I an unreasonable bigot?

Oddly enough, I was just talking about this tonight with someone else. I don’t think you’re a bigot. I’m often divided on this issue: honestly, I wonder if I’m a bigot for having the same concerns. “Dang, can I go to the liquor store and be able to understand what this Caldean man is saying?”

I’m torn. Really I am. Should we have this policy of being open to immigrants, but just expect them to assimilate into our language or culture? Or should it be like, “Hey, you moved here. Play it our way.” I don’t know. There’s got to be a middle ground. I’ll have to think on this one, j. I may come back for a second comment.

By the way, I find myself getting angry when other cultures have this…well, culture. Culture that involves language and customs, and history among other things, things that are still very much tangible for them. And sometimes I feel like so much culture was taken from black folks. I just get mad and envious. *sigh*

Thanks, Anitra.

I’m glad you’re on the same wavelength. This way, if I’m crazy (or a bigot) I’m not alone - lol.

I don’t know J. Two bigots instead of just the one? I don’t know if that’s a good thing. But I don’t think we’re bigots, so everything is still five-by-five. :)

I’m not willing to call anyone a bigot (I mean, unless it’s blatantly obvious) but I do think your reaction to this is a tad bit… xenophobic (?) imperialistic (?)… it’s hard to say.

I’m coming at this from the point of view of an American living in a country where French is the official second language, but no one outside of the Government is expected to speak it. I’m also coming at it from an immigrant’s point of view. Had I immigrated to, say, Quebec instead of British Columbia, I would have had to demonstrate some basic proficiency in French (usually little more than rudimentary phrases) but even if I couldn’t speak more than the basics, I could have gotten along just fine in Montreal. Immigrating is hard work: don’t let anyone tell you different, and if you move to a country from the land of your birth, chances are you’re starting out at a severe disadvantage already because more than likely, if you’re a legal immigrant, you’ve sunk your entire life savings into the application process. It would be nice if the US Government offered free language classes to immigrants (like the Canadian gov’t offers to new Quebec immigrants), but there is no such plan to my knowledge.

I say all this to say maybe the people in your building are getting around to learning English, but like all things, it’s a process, and isn’t something that happens overnight.

Now as for why they don’t speak - there are a whole lot of reasons for why they might not. Yeah, it’s the south, but they’re not Southern, so you can’t expect them to know everything there is to know about Southern culture, customs and mores immediately. Maybe they don’t speak because they feel that there is a distinction between them (as immigrants) and you (as an American). Maybe they don’t speak because they worry about their language skills. Maybe they don’t speak because they’ve had nasty run-ins with Americans who treat them like dirt because they’re immigrants. *shrug* There’s no real way to tell, but you have the upper hand in this situation, J., because of your status as an American. But you made a very important step when you tried to meet the folks halfway. That doesn’t happen too often, and it probably went a long way to making them feel a bit more accepted.

And as for the jealousy thing - that’s a big part of it too. I think lots of Black/African American folk see what’s happening in Latino communities and are left wondering “… the HELL?” I remember seeing a commentary on The News Hour (PBS) that explained a reason for the difference, and it basically has to do with the fact that Latinos are thought of as a cultural group, whereas African Americans/Black people are thought of as a race. No one wants to be thought of as a cultural imperialist (though we are), but it’s acceptable to think of yourself as better than someone of a different race.

Well, dayum … Now, I feel like an insensitive shit.

I’m glad I got your POV on this, Cecily (with you in Canada and all). You added a perspective I couldn’t envision before. And now that my eyes have been opened, I will be more accommodating to immigrants.

As for the jealousy factor, that’s my issue. No reason to project my resentment on others. That culture vs. race argument bears more investigation on my part. I never thought of it in that context. Can you give me any information to narrow a search on the PBS site?

What’s most impressive, however, is how articulate you are at 2 in the morning. Or do I need to convert the time?

Heh. Convert the time.

I saw this piece about oh… two or three years ago now. The correspondent’s name was Richard Rodriguez. You might search under his name.

Also - I wasn’t saying what I said to make you feel insensitive. I’m sorry if it came off preachy.