Can't We All Just Get Along?

Can't We All Just Get Along?

In The "Stupid Season" Of U.S. Elections, "Hate" Is Redefined

by Michael D. Hume, M.S.

This weekend we were hosting a little family get-together to celebrate Mom's 85th birthday (which happens to be today - Happy Birthday, Mom!). We were sitting around the table, visiting, when I heard my wonderful daughter say something that surprised me and that, frankly, wasn't wonderful. I held my tongue out of respect for the occasion and for Mom (and because I didn't want to embarrass my daughter in front of everybody)... but because the comment was indicative of what I see as a disturbing trend in our society, I want to make a few points here. I certainly welcome comments!

The topic was an upcoming trip to Liberia that my daughter's planning, along with a group from her workplace, to help build a school and do some teaching and outreach with the local folks. I'm thrilled she's doing this, and it'll be a great experience. Mom asked my kid what language they'd be using, and she replied that it'd be mostly English, though French is also spoken in Liberia. My wife pointed out that the daughter did study French and speaks a little of the language, for which we're also proud of her. Then the talk turned to the topic of languages people study in school, and somebody commented that more people should learn Spanish, given the high number of folks around our part of the world who speak it. My daughter commented that some Americans simply "refuse to learn Spanish," and that the reason was "about hate."

At that point, I think I did a great job of playing it cool, including not spewing my food all over the family.

So if I have this right, her point was that we here in America should all learn Spanish, and if we don't, we're haters.

When I was in school, way back during the Cold War (look that one up, kids), I decided to study Russian. Not because I hated or feared Russians, nor because I didn't, but because I thought it might come in handy if I was ever involved in some sort of dealings with the Soviet Union on behalf of my country. Being a peace-loving kid, my thought was that I might be a translator at the U.N., or maybe even a secret Bible-courier to Scripture-starved folks behind the iron curtain. I got two years of Russian (and it was my best subject) before we moved to a new school that didn't offer it, at which point I signed up for German and studied that language for four years. I did not want to learn German because I hated or feared Germans, nor because I didn't... it just seemed like a cool language spoken in a place I might want to visit someday. At this point, both languages have come in handy. I remember very little Russian, but enough to exchange pleasantries with Russian-speaking friends of ours in Colorado and with Russian-speaking folks I've met in my business dealings. My German, while not great, is much better, mostly because I've spent a lot of time at work in Germany and Austria (by the way, German is the language spoken in Austria, Mr. President, not "Austrian").

Since then, and especially since the fall of the Soviet Union, many people who have German or Russian as their native language have moved to the United States. Our Ukrainian friends in Colorado are among the ones I know about. In fact one of my wife's best friends is a wonderful Ukrainian lady who, after years of work and study, earned her U.S. citizenship a couple of years ago. Her English is very good, and it took a lot of hard work for her to make it so. She knows more about world history and American history than do any of my four twenty-something kids, I'll warrant, because she had to pass a test to become a citizen. She is a great example of an immigrant who did it right. She didn't move to America to carve out a Ukrainian enclave and claim it as separate from her U.S. neighbors. She came, as did thousands of others before and since (from every country on the globe) because she wanted to be part of this America thing. And she certainly is.

Oh, and she didn't expect Americans to learn Ukrainian-dialect Russian to accomodate her - it was a nice surprise when I greeted her in Russian. And she certainly doesn't think my wife, who speaks no Russian, is a hater of any sort. Not a hater of her, not a hater of her country, not a hater at all.

I heard a radio commentator the other day describe this politicized shift in the definition of "hate." To liberals, "hate" is any opinion with which liberals don't agree.

If I were going to go live in Austria (the thought's crossed my mind - it's beautiful), I'd expect to hone my German, and hone it good. A lot of folks there speak English, and I'm grateful to them for being able to help me when I wander into their stores, but if I were going to live and work there I'd expect to be doing most of my speaking and listening in German. And I would be careful to observe the important parts of Austrian culture and heritage, and I would study-up on the nation. It wouldn't make me Austiran - I'd still be an American - but it would make me a better guest. And if I stayed permanently, it'd make me a better member of Austiran society.

When Latin Americans move here, some do it legally, like our Ukrainian-born friend. Some (like, about 20 million so far) don't. A good number of those illegal aliens are good people seeking to do "the jobs Americans just won't do" (though if those jobs weren't being done by illegal aliens, Americans like my kids would have to do them, and then maybe young people in this country would start learning what real work is all about). Far too many, though, are not all that noble. They barge in, run their drug cartels, kidnap people in Phoenix, insist we print everything in Spanish while refusing to learn the language this country's been running on for centuries, demand free social services such as health care and education at taxpayer expense, burn our flag while waving theirs, and generally behave like pretty rude guests.

While Latin Americans, primarily Mexican citizens, are not the only offenders (see the current flaps over the "Ground Zero Mosque" and insistence upon shariah law by recent Muslim immigrants), the high profile assumed by Mexican border-jumpers draws most of the attention in the national discussion about illegal immigration. The liberals who've taken over the Democrat party, for instance, seem to do whatever they can to remove any barriers to illegal immigration to the U.S., throwing out the welcome mat for the "hard working" and "criminal" elements alike. Some pundits quip that they see these "undocument workers" as "unregistered Democrats." One Democrat politician speaking at a debate in the current Stupid Season insisted upon calling these illegal aliens "New Americans."

If someone breaks into my home, am I supposed to regard that person as a "New Son" or "New Daughter?" Am I expected to learn a new language to accomodate them?

Speaking of daughters, I find it hard to be too rough on mine for what she said at the table the other day. She is an adult, which means she no longer looks to her parents for advice on how to think and make decisions... she's left at the mercy of institutions which have long been dominated by "progressives." The news media, the academic and scientific communities, the government, and even the entertainment industry work hard to make sure Americans of my daughter's age have nothing but a steady diet of left-wing liberalism running through their minds. Hard to blame her professors, reporters, legislators and movie directors, too; after all, they all had to go to school and get "trained" to do their jobs, and their professors, reporters, legislators and movie directors were just as liberal (for the most part). It has taken more than a century for the progressives to take over the prominent institutions, but take over they have. They don't have to work in concert (or ever even speak to one another) to effectively function as a global conspiracy against wealth, independence, and personal responsibility. And each generation, this liberal "thought creep" seems more and more normal. Without periodic reminders of how badly socialism wrecks a society (such as the Soviet experiment), we might long ago have lost our republic altogether.

So I'm not "blaming." I'm simply offering the other side of the argument, a side which includes truths that are hard to find these days because of the concerted efforts of the institutions I've named. Regarding immigration, the fact is America is comprised completely of immigrants, if you go back enough generations. It is, however, not a loose multi-cultural collection of enclaves... it's a melting pot. Immigrants are successful in this land of opportunity when they integrate into American culture and society (while not forgetting their native culture). They need to learn English, they need to participate in our melting-pot culture (adding their own seasonings), and they need to apply properly for citizenship, in order to help us all perpetuate the great free society that is America.

German chancellor Angela Merkel said in a speech this week that multi-culturalism has failed in her country, too. There, they aren't Mexicans, but large numbers of Muslim immigrants who are behaving more like invaders than "New Germans."

The best book on this subject, in my opinion, is Victor Davis Hansen's "Mexifornia." I heartily recommend it. Hansen is clear in his assertion that assimilation, not multi-culturalism, is what's needed for healthy maintenance of the great melting pot. Such immigration has absolutely been the historic strength of our nation, and has kept us supplied with a steady stream of hard-working, optimistic entrepreneur-types. I want for my neighbors all those immigrants I can get, Mexican or otherwise. On average, each will be the type of person who's always come here to start a business, create wealth, create jobs for others, and contribute to the health of America.

I gave a copy of "Mexifornia" to my daughter a couple years ago. I guess she hasn't had time to read it yet. But I hope she will; maybe she'll read this piece and maybe we'll finally get a good discussion going. Like all my offspring, I love her unconditionally, and she's certainly free to disagree with me.

I hope she doesn't "hate" me for it.

Postscript: A few lines above, I inserted a dig against President Obama regarding German being the language spoken in Austria. Some months ago, during a visit to Austria, Mr. Obama gaffed that he didn't know how to describe something in "Austrian." If this is the first you're hearing of that gaffe, I assert that my point is made about the sycophantic nature of such prominent institutions as the news media in America. While you heard endless repetitions of every mis-pronunciation of the word "nuclear" by his predecessor, you're unlikely to hear about the goofs made by the media's darling Obama. And any mention of those goofs is often sold as racism, class elitism, or simply... hate.

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Michael Hume is a speaker, writer, and consultant specializing in helping people maximize their potential and enjoy inspiring lives. As part of his inspirational leadership mission, he coaches executives and leaders in growing their personal sense of well-being through wealth creation and management, along with personal vitality.

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Michael and his wife, Kathryn, divide their time between homes in California and Colorado. They are very proud of their offspring, who grew up to include a homemaker, a rock star, a service talent, and a television expert. Two grandchildren also warm their hearts! Visit Michael's web site at http://michaelhume.net