Spainish and English Speaking Television

The high birth rates of Hispanics has increased their population in the U.S. These Hispanic Americans are the second generation and they speak English and prefer to read and watch English-language media.

I am one who likes to watch the "Novelas" (Mexican Soap Operas), with their voluptuous female stars and macho leading men. Even though I don't understand what they are saying, I know what is happening and what is going to happen, as with any good soap opera. What are the Mexican Television stations going to do when the large number of Spainish speakers in the U.S. are no longer there to view Spainish only television? Spainglish Novelas? After the 2nd or 3rd generation of American-born Hispanics are assimilated they will not speak Spainish at all. Wouldn'that make these "Novelas" obsolete.



As Hispanics assimilate they will affect the American culture. It has been the history of the United States. That is what has made us great. That diversity is what has made us the greatest country in the world. Every religious or ethnic group that came to the U.S., made it better while keeping the basic American ideals. Hispanics will influence U.S. culture, but the American culture, with the English language, is influencing them a lot more.

Making a trip to Lowe's ? Have you noticed the signs?

I recently made a trip to the Lowe's Home Improvement Store in Meridian, ID. It is located at the corner of Ustick Road & Eagle Road. I went there to get some plumbing supplies for a leaking drain pipe under the kitchen sink. As I was entering the store, I noticed some offical looking signs at the entrance that were printed in English and Spainish. These signs looked so official that I assumed that these signs may been mandated by the government to be located at the entrance. As I read them it seemed that they had more to do with store policy. It informed the reader that the store is handicap accessible. Service dogs are permitted in the store and if assistance is needed in shopping, loading or filling out a job application, just go to the service desk and someone will help you.

A little further into the store there was this "Low Prices Guaranteed" poster. It was a very large sign and it gave both Spainish and English an equal billing. Maybe the maketing departments of these "Big Box" stores know something that normal consumers do not know? With the large number of Hispanic customers that visit these stores, they want get in on their buying power.
The Hispanic buying power is up 356 percent from its 1990 level through 2008. In the past three years, Hispanic buying power increased nearly 30 percent, more than any other U.S. group.

There have been studies conducted on the spending habits of minority groups. Hispanics spend more on groceries, telephone services, furniture, small appliances and housewares and children’s apparel and shoes. But they spend less on healthcare, entertainment, education, life and personal insurances, pensions and tobacco products.

Furniture, small appliances and housewares are what Lowe's sells. It makes sense for them to try and bring Hispanic customers in.

I would assume that this bilingual signage is put in place for Hispanics that frequent this store. There are a large amount of high-end subdivisions with manicured lawns around this part of Meridian. They are the cleaning crews, landscaping, maintenance people that help make these "Starter Castles" look their best. These manual laborers might not be fully fluent in English and these bilingual signs make their lives so much easier as well as increasing their productivity.

The path to upward mobility

The assimilation of Hispanics into the American Culture has been slowed because of a number of reasons. In the past, the arrival of immigrants to the United States adopted the melting pot of cultures, languages and nationalities that is the United States. This assimilation was so effective in the past that most European ethnic groups, with their ethnic background, came to an end by the third generation. These early immigrants learned quickly that assimilation is the path to upward mobility. Being bilingual or monolingual (in English) is the key.
One of the factors that have slowed the bilingual and bicultural identity of Hispanics is Mexico's close proximity to the United States. This continuous influx of new arrivals, and concentration of predominantly Mexican barrios and colonias (neighborhoods), enables Mexican Americans to maintain ties with their culture identity longer.
And it is not just the new arrivals that are keeping Hispanics speaking Spanish longer. Hispanics are the fastest growing racial group in the United States. A 2007 U.S.Census estimate shows that persons of Hispanic origin account for 15.1% of the U.S.population (9.8% of the State of Idaho). This makes them the nation's largest minority group at 45 million. It has been estimated that half our nation's population will be Hispanic by the year 2050. Today, one out of every five immigrants now living in this country is Mexican born. This immigration was propelled by the rapid growth of Mexico's population--which tripled in 50 years and the higher working wages found in the United States. These wages are at least six times higher than those in Mexico. In the 1980’s, Hispanics were also avoiding civil unrest in Central American countries. Hundreds of thousands of refugees from these civil wars pushed into the U.S.
Could it be peer pressure that helps keep people speaking "Spanish only" for generations? Should there be materials, such DMV Manuals and driving tests printed in Spanish for citizens to take? Has bilingual education in schools become to broad that it is now counter productive? Moving up the social ladder could be faster if English is known. The ready availability of service jobs, however low their wages is so tempting that many young Hispanic teenagers to drop out of school, often to help support their families, to work as a maid, a nanny, a gardener, work on new houses, on the streets and in high rise buildings. By providing an education and training for jobs that pay better than minimum wage really benefits our economy and everyone involved are much better off. Having a more skilled job earns a higher wage. This means that higher paid workers will pay more taxes. Better jobs means better benefits, such as medical and life insurance, which provides better care. This relives the government, city, state and other tax payers to provide for basic needs.