Well, I didn't exactly propose a civil war. Most white folk in this country DO have English as their first language. Many first, second, even third generation Hispanic Americans have Spanish. If our treatment of Hispanic people continues in the manner it has, there might well be some civil unrest (there has been already). I don't know that things would proceed to the civil war stage - I was being sarcastic.
What horrible things do you expect to happen if Spanish is made the second official language of the US? I studied Spanish in college and my eyes were opened to the things like the works of Pablo Neruda in the original, the writing of Sor Juana and the insults hurled at me by the people of Magdalena, New Mexico whose ancestors had lived there 300 years before the Anglo's came along with their English only policy.
What awful things do you expect to happen if the US officially became bilingual? At least our eyes might be opened to the doings of the Western Hemisphere which we just so happen to be a part of.
The Swiss have been a democracy since around 1200. They have FOUR official languages and the country has lived to tell the tale and has a higher standard of living than the US. In my part of the world, anyhow, I have become accustomed to messages from banks, the government and just about any larger business in my choice of either Spanish or English. Once I accidentally hit the Spanish button and was pleased that I could understand the instructions. I did NOT run out shrieking "Viva la Mexico."
So people in the US would be able to read Pablo Neruda in the original. I guess that means we'd all become Commies or something?
