Monday, June 13, 2005
Deja vu de nuevo
By The Erudite Redneck
Danged if the home county newspaper, the Sequoyah County Times in Sallisaw, Okla., didn't put a story en espanol on the front page!
The same story is played side-by-side, in English and Spanish. The English hed: "Tornadic Weather Causes Problems at Local Hospital." The other one, in Mexi -- in Spanish, says "El Mal Tiempo Causa Problemas En El Hospital."
The story is about how when bad weather hits, people don't know where else to go and so they've taken to showin' up at the hospital, which is not prepared to deal with it.
Good news story in a great rural newspaper, and Bravo to 'em for recognizing the growin' Spanish-speakin' population. First time, as far as I know.
It is not, however, the first bilingual newspaper in the neighborhood, he said, rubbin' his three good typin' fingers and thumbs together -- because this is literally my expertise as a historian.
Oklahoma’s first newspaper – first newspaper, not only first Indian newspaper -- holds a special place in Native American history. The Cherokee Nation itself published the bilingual (Cherokee-English) Cherokee Advocate in Tahlequah (in Cherokee County, adjacent to Sequoyah County, to the north), from Sept. 26, 1844, until the end of tribal government in 1906, just before Oklahoma statehood in 1907, suspending publication only during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Its first editor, William P. Ross, regarded as the “father of Oklahoma journalism,” was a nephew of the long-serving Chief John Ross. The tribal government resurrected the first Cherokee-owned and Cherokee-edited newspaper, the likewise bilingual Cherokee Phoenix, published in New Echota, Georgia, near the present city of Calhoun, which started back in 1828. It published until 1834, just before the United States government, under pressure primarily from the state of Georgia, removed the tribe to the west.
The Phoenix's first editor, Elias Boudinot -– his Cherokee name, in English, “The Buck,” eschewed for the name of his patron at an Indian mission school -- is regarded as the “father of American Indian journalism.” Likewise, Cherokees and scholars hold Sequoyah, the Cherokee “Cadmus” who created the syllabary that enabled these first efforts to be printed in the native language as well as English, (and the namesake of Sequoyah County), in high esteem.
So, to the Sequoyah County Times: Saa-LUTE! For recognizing that the Mexi -- the growin' Spanish-speakin' population is on its way to puttin' the English-speakin' population where the English speakers eventually put the Cherokee-speakin' population back in the day. And, for tryin' to attract readers of all prevalent local stripes, without which a newspaper is just ... well, a bunch of paper.
Does me proud as a journalist, a historian, a county native (little n) and an Erudite Redneck. And, if for dang sure makes me want to brush up on the tres anos estudiaba espanol en la escuela.
END
Danged if the home county newspaper, the Sequoyah County Times in Sallisaw, Okla., didn't put a story en espanol on the front page!
The same story is played side-by-side, in English and Spanish. The English hed: "Tornadic Weather Causes Problems at Local Hospital." The other one, in Mexi -- in Spanish, says "El Mal Tiempo Causa Problemas En El Hospital."
The story is about how when bad weather hits, people don't know where else to go and so they've taken to showin' up at the hospital, which is not prepared to deal with it.
Good news story in a great rural newspaper, and Bravo to 'em for recognizing the growin' Spanish-speakin' population. First time, as far as I know.
It is not, however, the first bilingual newspaper in the neighborhood, he said, rubbin' his three good typin' fingers and thumbs together -- because this is literally my expertise as a historian.
Oklahoma’s first newspaper – first newspaper, not only first Indian newspaper -- holds a special place in Native American history. The Cherokee Nation itself published the bilingual (Cherokee-English) Cherokee Advocate in Tahlequah (in Cherokee County, adjacent to Sequoyah County, to the north), from Sept. 26, 1844, until the end of tribal government in 1906, just before Oklahoma statehood in 1907, suspending publication only during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Its first editor, William P. Ross, regarded as the “father of Oklahoma journalism,” was a nephew of the long-serving Chief John Ross. The tribal government resurrected the first Cherokee-owned and Cherokee-edited newspaper, the likewise bilingual Cherokee Phoenix, published in New Echota, Georgia, near the present city of Calhoun, which started back in 1828. It published until 1834, just before the United States government, under pressure primarily from the state of Georgia, removed the tribe to the west.
The Phoenix's first editor, Elias Boudinot -– his Cherokee name, in English, “The Buck,” eschewed for the name of his patron at an Indian mission school -- is regarded as the “father of American Indian journalism.” Likewise, Cherokees and scholars hold Sequoyah, the Cherokee “Cadmus” who created the syllabary that enabled these first efforts to be printed in the native language as well as English, (and the namesake of Sequoyah County), in high esteem.
So, to the Sequoyah County Times: Saa-LUTE! For recognizing that the Mexi -- the growin' Spanish-speakin' population is on its way to puttin' the English-speakin' population where the English speakers eventually put the Cherokee-speakin' population back in the day. And, for tryin' to attract readers of all prevalent local stripes, without which a newspaper is just ... well, a bunch of paper.
Does me proud as a journalist, a historian, a county native (little n) and an Erudite Redneck. And, if for dang sure makes me want to brush up on the tres anos estudiaba espanol en la escuela.
END
Comments:
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Call me what you will, but I'm getting a might tired of anything spanish. There are numerous jobs in the paper for which I'm qualified except for "bi-lingual required." They don't even have to say which languages they're talking about, we all know it's english and spanish. So I'm discriminated right out of plumb government (and other) jobs because I don't speak a language that's not the prominent language of the country in which I live. I'd expect to speak german if I were to become a permanent resident of Germany, but I don't, so I don't. So why do I have to know spanish?!!!
Illegal immigration is a hot issue in my area, one about which I feel strongly.
If you're looking for payback to the white man for their sins against the Cherokee, then I guess you're advocating Latin America taking over the southwestern US, eh?
Illegal immigration is a hot issue in my area, one about which I feel strongly.
If you're looking for payback to the white man for their sins against the Cherokee, then I guess you're advocating Latin America taking over the southwestern US, eh?
# posted by 
: 11:16 PM
: 11:16 PM
No. No payback. Just a cautionary tale from history. Here's a chilling fact: The Southwestern U.S. IS PART OF Latin America now. Now. Already. Ain't sayin' it's right. I AM sayin' the best answer is for us to learn what will be the more prominent language in the Southwest in our lifetime. Otherwse, we are, by a political sin of ommission, creating crop after crop of language-cultural illiterates, which means more people marginalized, which means more people falling through the cracks, which means either more crime or more people on the dole. By all means, we should fight to preserve our systems of government; that don' mean insisting on English as the "official" language. I'd prefer things wouldn't change. But they will continue to, whether I like it or not. ... Bedies that, it was all Mexico's first anyway. :-)
I don't mean for english to be officially designated as the "official language," but for Pete's sake, I don't live in Mexico, why do I have to speak the prominent language there??
Not to mention, there are a lot of spanish-only-speakers here that are here illegally. Regardless of who had it first, it's been determined that California belongs to the US at this moment. If Mexico, and other points south, want to try to win it back, I guess they can try methods other than holding us taxpayers as slaves to their survival.
Not to mention, there are a lot of spanish-only-speakers here that are here illegally. Regardless of who had it first, it's been determined that California belongs to the US at this moment. If Mexico, and other points south, want to try to win it back, I guess they can try methods other than holding us taxpayers as slaves to their survival.
# posted by : 11:38 PM
: 11:38 PM
By the way, how are the schools in your area? My kid has had to wait for spanish-only-speakers to be tutored in their language before the class could move on.
How's the traffic in your area? I'll be happy to take a picture for you of the freeway, which is the only way to get DS to school, when it's at its worst, which is most of the time.
How often do you get summoned for jury duty? I've gotten summoned A LOT. I figure some of the reason is that there are so many people in my county ineligible to serve because they're not legal residents, that it leaves all the work to the rest of us who are eligible. Also, they're causing more cases to prosecute because there's just going to be a certain percentage any population that will commit crime, regardless of citizenship status. Not that I'm not willing to perform my civic duty, but it's to the point of ridiculous when they're ordering legal citizens to serve once every year, mostly for two to four weeks. Can you give that much time every year?
How's the wait in your emergency rooms? How many of your hospitals have closed their emergency rooms because they can no longer afford to treat illegals for free?
Every time a newspaper, or other entity, makes it easier for spanish-only-speakers, it emboldens them to insist on us adopting the culture of a country in which we don't live. If the papers really want to help, why don't they sponsor english classes for them? In most respects, it would also teach them to read at least one language, as most of them are illiterate in both languages.
How's the traffic in your area? I'll be happy to take a picture for you of the freeway, which is the only way to get DS to school, when it's at its worst, which is most of the time.
How often do you get summoned for jury duty? I've gotten summoned A LOT. I figure some of the reason is that there are so many people in my county ineligible to serve because they're not legal residents, that it leaves all the work to the rest of us who are eligible. Also, they're causing more cases to prosecute because there's just going to be a certain percentage any population that will commit crime, regardless of citizenship status. Not that I'm not willing to perform my civic duty, but it's to the point of ridiculous when they're ordering legal citizens to serve once every year, mostly for two to four weeks. Can you give that much time every year?
How's the wait in your emergency rooms? How many of your hospitals have closed their emergency rooms because they can no longer afford to treat illegals for free?
Every time a newspaper, or other entity, makes it easier for spanish-only-speakers, it emboldens them to insist on us adopting the culture of a country in which we don't live. If the papers really want to help, why don't they sponsor english classes for them? In most respects, it would also teach them to read at least one language, as most of them are illiterate in both languages.
# posted by : 11:58 PM
: 11:58 PM
Oh, Frenzied, you give me so much to respond to. But I gotta work for a living. Maybe later.
What I'm mainly saying, though, is this: At some point in the Indian nations of what is now Oklahoma, whites so overran the little republics that the Indian nations' laws could not contain the inevitable cultural changes, including language, that resulted. The tribes were in denial until the very, bitter end. A better idea is to accept the inevitable and allow the legal system, and non-Hispanic people in general, to adapt some. Otherwise, the legal system will collapse and traditional American culture -- whatever THAT is -- will be absorbed, or both will just be run over. All that other stuff -- waits, lines, traffic: Pshaw. That's life in a big city. Come to Oklahoma. We still got room to stretch out. BTW, (jab coming!) what has yer president and party done about illegal immigration? :-)
What I'm mainly saying, though, is this: At some point in the Indian nations of what is now Oklahoma, whites so overran the little republics that the Indian nations' laws could not contain the inevitable cultural changes, including language, that resulted. The tribes were in denial until the very, bitter end. A better idea is to accept the inevitable and allow the legal system, and non-Hispanic people in general, to adapt some. Otherwise, the legal system will collapse and traditional American culture -- whatever THAT is -- will be absorbed, or both will just be run over. All that other stuff -- waits, lines, traffic: Pshaw. That's life in a big city. Come to Oklahoma. We still got room to stretch out. BTW, (jab coming!) what has yer president and party done about illegal immigration? :-)
Shall we also state the obvious? The United States is a land of immigrants. All of us who are not entirely descended from the native nations are immigrants. The only difference is that many of us (WASPS) came from countries where English was the spoken language. That's the only reason the U.S. has been an English-speaking nation!
As long as we remain the melting pot of the world (or the stew, since we retain much of our home countries' traditions) there will be cultural differences. We are not a homogenous, pasturized nation. Our differences will be apparent in language, religion, family organization and even diet.
And hooray for newspapers large and small who make the effort to communicate to all the members of the local community!
Now, the issues of illegal immigration are a whole different kettle of fish and not necessarily what we're talking about in the topic of bilingual newspapers.
Yes, cultural diversity has been a major wake-up issue for many of us who were going along just fine and suddenly started noticing not everyone sounded just like us. So how do we best adjust? I'd suggest that communication is a very key part of creating a new whole nation. That can include bilingual newspapers, English classes for new immigrants and teaching immigrant children to read in English, among other things.
Transition is often uncomfortable. That doesn't make it wrong.
As long as we remain the melting pot of the world (or the stew, since we retain much of our home countries' traditions) there will be cultural differences. We are not a homogenous, pasturized nation. Our differences will be apparent in language, religion, family organization and even diet.
And hooray for newspapers large and small who make the effort to communicate to all the members of the local community!
Now, the issues of illegal immigration are a whole different kettle of fish and not necessarily what we're talking about in the topic of bilingual newspapers.
Yes, cultural diversity has been a major wake-up issue for many of us who were going along just fine and suddenly started noticing not everyone sounded just like us. So how do we best adjust? I'd suggest that communication is a very key part of creating a new whole nation. That can include bilingual newspapers, English classes for new immigrants and teaching immigrant children to read in English, among other things.
Transition is often uncomfortable. That doesn't make it wrong.
I'm going to come down on the side of FF in this one, ER. I have to deal with a lot of Spanish-speaking people in my work. As a result, I've spent a fair amount of time trying to pick up a working grasp of Spanish. I don't mind learning a new language. What I resent is that they make little or no effort -- I only know this because they tell me so -- to learn English. "Is too hard"
It's also a problem for our town's police. Investigations are constantly slowed by the Spanish community's unwillingness to embrace our legal system and to protect their own. (We do have several Spanish-speaking police men, but speaking it doesn't make you one of their own.) Perhaps they don't think they will get a fair deal. Maybe so. But if they don't get in there and vote and work within the system to change it, it remain this whole stinking mess. And finally, English is the language of international commerce and literature. Even the Japanese insist their workers learn it. So I come firmly on the side of making it our official and primary language. Is there anything wrong with teaching more than one language? No, but one of those languages should be English. Creo que sí!
It's also a problem for our town's police. Investigations are constantly slowed by the Spanish community's unwillingness to embrace our legal system and to protect their own. (We do have several Spanish-speaking police men, but speaking it doesn't make you one of their own.) Perhaps they don't think they will get a fair deal. Maybe so. But if they don't get in there and vote and work within the system to change it, it remain this whole stinking mess. And finally, English is the language of international commerce and literature. Even the Japanese insist their workers learn it. So I come firmly on the side of making it our official and primary language. Is there anything wrong with teaching more than one language? No, but one of those languages should be English. Creo que sí!
I rather think it is a wonderful idea for the paper to become more socially and economically aware of it's readers needs. A newspaper's main priorities are to inform the public and to make a profit simultaneously. I think a bilingual article would help accomplish both. I would be most apt to believe that by making the news more accesible to Spanish speakers, that it would help them become more integrated into their community as well as become a contributing member of it.
Whoa. TECH weighs in! I'm honored. Thanks. :-)
Oh, and where you are in your town is probably about where Tahlequah was in the 1890s.
Oh, and where you are in your town is probably about where Tahlequah was in the 1890s.
While I totally understand the frustration of basically being forced into a bilingual lifestyle and having to deal with problems of illegal aliens, I have to agree with etchen. It's a smart move for any business to reach out to the people buying goods. In this case, it's a readership. It's also marketing toward advertisers whose clientele could use such a publication.
And as far as problems in schools and traffic and courts and hospitals, ER wrote what I thought of immediately. If it's that big of a pain in the ass and that much of a frustration, move. There are plenty of places across these United States that don't have those issues.
But I reckon there are reasons you'd prefer to stay. The question is, do those outweigh your problems with the Hispanic population and illegal immigrants in general? If so, enjoy and try to deal with your feelings. If not, find a new place to live that'll make you happier.
While problems in Dodge City, Kan., cannot compare to those Feline sees every day, the Hispanic population of Dodge City and "farm" towns like it with beef-packing plants and cheap farm work available is still pretty significant. While working at the newspaper there, I also had to work part-time jobs. In one, I worked in a steakhouse/bar, and if I didn't know at least the basics of Spanish, I couldn't have communicated with co-workers. Plenty of people were pissed off about that, and I could see why. But I chose to make it fun, and that helped me. I also learned that just because Miguel's English was pretty poor didn't mean he was a bad person. He just didn't have the means to learn, and most of the scrappings he considered money went back to Mexico to help feed his mother and father and siblings.
I still had a problem with illegals taking jobs that legal citizens were not getting, but I understood better.
And as far as problems in schools and traffic and courts and hospitals, ER wrote what I thought of immediately. If it's that big of a pain in the ass and that much of a frustration, move. There are plenty of places across these United States that don't have those issues.
But I reckon there are reasons you'd prefer to stay. The question is, do those outweigh your problems with the Hispanic population and illegal immigrants in general? If so, enjoy and try to deal with your feelings. If not, find a new place to live that'll make you happier.
While problems in Dodge City, Kan., cannot compare to those Feline sees every day, the Hispanic population of Dodge City and "farm" towns like it with beef-packing plants and cheap farm work available is still pretty significant. While working at the newspaper there, I also had to work part-time jobs. In one, I worked in a steakhouse/bar, and if I didn't know at least the basics of Spanish, I couldn't have communicated with co-workers. Plenty of people were pissed off about that, and I could see why. But I chose to make it fun, and that helped me. I also learned that just because Miguel's English was pretty poor didn't mean he was a bad person. He just didn't have the means to learn, and most of the scrappings he considered money went back to Mexico to help feed his mother and father and siblings.
I still had a problem with illegals taking jobs that legal citizens were not getting, but I understood better.
Okay, ER, we'll meet back here later. I have a response for everyone who posted, but I, too, even a stay-at-home mom, work for a living. ;)
Stay tuned...
Stay tuned...
# posted by : 12:07 PM
: 12:07 PM
ER, I can't wait to respond to your question about what our president and my party has done about illegal immigration.
I refer you back to your post of June 7th, titled, "To the Arrogant Left: Now hush." The following was part of one of my comments:
Even though there are issues on which I disagree with our president,. . .
Illegal immigration is the BIGGEST issue on which I disagree with our president. I'm hopeful it's only a matter of time before the proverbial poop hits the fan and he gets the message. We're certainly complaining loudly about it out here on the left coast.
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I refer you back to your post of June 7th, titled, "To the Arrogant Left: Now hush." The following was part of one of my comments:
Even though there are issues on which I disagree with our president,. . .
Illegal immigration is the BIGGEST issue on which I disagree with our president. I'm hopeful it's only a matter of time before the proverbial poop hits the fan and he gets the message. We're certainly complaining loudly about it out here on the left coast.
# posted by : 12:37 PM
: 12:37 PM << Home
