It's the tone, stupid

Have you ever wondered why papers like the NYT are losing readership hand over fist in areas outside of liberal enclaves? Well, take a look at this editorial about an Alabama gubernatorial candidate's (debatable) stance that the state's drivers' license tests should be English-only.

•Headline: "The Candidate From Xenophobia"

•The candidate, Tim James, is given "the award for best bottom-feeding campaigner," and readers are told that in Alabama, "'We speak English,” Mr. James warns in a make-my-day growl.'"

•The editorial notes that, "Running in a four-way Republican nomination race, Mr. James, a business executive, is transparently intent on tapping into the anti-immigrant, anti-government mood of malcontent voters." Yes, "malcontent." Because their concerns aren't legitimate at all.

Notice that I used the word "debatable" earlier in describing the candidate's stance. That's because I think people who live here should learn English, but resident aliens, many of whom are small business owners (and I have plenty of experience with such people, who were the immigrant parents of my friends) need to get their drivers' licenses in order to fuel our economy.

What I can't stand is the idea that people who think that the idea of learning the dominant language of this country is some sort of problem facing immigrants. I grew up in an environment where lots of my neighbors were resident aliens, some of whom worked toward citizenship. Others kept their citizenship in their home nations. But they ALL spoke English.

The bottom line? Fuck you, NYT. That is all.

Posted by: Sean M. at 01:23 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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