Sunday, June 29, 2008
Louisiana fully unplugs Brain Drain
Via the
DP, we learn of the
latest hubbub down in Cajun country:
Cindy Vo faced the audience at Ellender High School’s graduation last month wearing a valedictorian’s vestments.
The American-born daughter of Vietnamese immigrants spoke of high-school memories, friends and the future. Then she recited a sentence in Vietnamese, dedicated to her parents as they looked on.
"Co len minh khong bang ai, co suon khong ai bang minh," she said into the microphone.
The 18-year-old graduate told classmates that the line, roughly translated, was a command to always be your own person.
That part of her speech has resulted in unintended consequences that may affect how local public-school graduations ceremonies function in the future.
Some Terrebonne Parish school officials now say all commencement speeches should be spoken in English only, and they want a formal rule that says so.
Other aspects of graduations under scrutiny for the parish’s four high schools range from admission tickets and special seats for honor students to requiring a prayer be said during the ceremony.
I agree. "If English was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for Louisiana". Next time I go down to Houma, I don't want to see or hear a lick of French... or Latin, Greek, Aramaic or Hebrew. If I do, I'll yell "Go back to f*ckin' Afghanistan, you Mooselamafascists!!"
Louisiane, Louisiane... lema sabachthani?
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10 Comments:
You had me at "brain drain," oyster.
How quickly Cajuns forget that their culture was nearly wiped out because the government insisted they speak English and show no signs of their culture in most facets of their lives. Take a tour of Vermilionville or Cajun Village in Lafayette or any of places like it and that's what they stress over and over. We can't let this happen to our culture! We're as much a part of America's rich tapestry as anyone else!
Except for the dirty Mexicans and Vietnamese. This is Louisiana, home of the French Quarter of such famous Spanish architecture. Speak English! And pray to Jesus!
How embarrassing.
This is infuriating on some many levels, including the one that Ian raised.
A family of legal immigrants makes sure their daughter is educated - educated so well that she makes valedictorian despite the fact that English isn't spoken in the home. To thank them, she offers one sentence (ONE sentence!) in their language during her speech, because she loves them and she's proud of them.
Way to fuck up a beautiful triumph, Terrebonne Parish pinheads. What do you put on the diplomas in place of magna cum laude and summa cum laude? "Real good" and "Real gooder"?
Super lectio illorum fossor, ego intereo impeditus.
I have one word describing Terrebonne school officials.
Tipesh.
But yes, let's keep our students purposefully ignorant of all aspects of life.
How about a new slogan for Louisiana for those Terrebonne school official idiots... "Louisiana: We are not less gooder than Mississippi... yet".
That sounds like incompatible directives to me. The proper language for prayer is Latin.
The xenophobia of all the descendants of immigrants(all of us) is amazing. How quickly we forget, even with the cajun example locally. Geneological research on my dutch ancestors in Iowa revealed that 60-70 years after they arrived, they were still conducting church services in Dutch. Sadly, the second generation born in the US had little concern fo the language, and it has died out, but they still have the tulip festival. America is a country of immigrants, but somehow we get miffed at the most recent arrivals.
Whose English are Louisianians going to have to speak? I hope it's not Kaplan or Crowley, 'cause dass hard, yeah. Or Lake Charles, 'cause that thar's redneck pahrate tawk. New Orleans, perhaps, but they'll have to decide if that means "N'Awlins" or what New Orleanians really sound like. Or will everyone have to sound like Bobby Jindal? That would just be strange. But the Langwich Police will have to address this.
what suspect device said .
drown you dumb fucks.
I read about this on the LSMSA forums and started looking around for what my fellow Louisiana bloggers had to say. I'm glad I stopped by.
I am actually surprised that the school officials didn't say...
"The only language that will be spoken at our events is American!"
