Obama Says We Should All Learn Spanish

The Appletonian comments:

However, these comments from Barack Obama are really quite striking. He tells an audience in Georgia that their children need to learn to speak Spanish and then goes on to make fun of Americans for not being able to speak the native language when they travel overseas.

These comments, much like his “bitter” remarks earlier this year, are a window into Barack Obama’s warped mindset that the problem is us, the United States of America. We’re not perfect, on that we can all agree, but for Barack Obama to be taking potshots at America while running for president is really quite stunning.

Also, how many languages can you speak, Barack?

I agree with Obama that it is a good skill to have to be multi-lingual.  It’s a good thing.  But there are some severe flaws in his comments in this video.

1) Europeans tend to be multilingual because of their geography.  You can travel 200 miles and go through 3 countries with 3 different languages.  They are exposed to other languages more and need to have the skill to conduct normal business.  Most Americans rarely have the chance to use another language even if they learn one.  In other words, multi-lingualism is a necessity for many Europeans but merely a hobby for most Americans.  For Obama to compare the two demonstrates a lack of understanding of the cultural differences between America and Europe. 

2) Obama shows a clear disdain for the average American when he ridicules them for now knowing the language when they travel.  Sorry, but if I’m going to France for a vacation, I’m going to learn a few words to get me by, but I’m not going to invest thousands of hours becoming fluent for a two week trip. 

3) Obama is wrong when he dismissively says that immigrants will learn English.  Many of them don’t and many government policies enable their refusal to learn English. 

4) Obama insists that we should all learn Spanish.  He is assuming that all immigrants speak Spanish.  I know he was speaking to a Hispanic group, but the fact is that immigrants speak all sorts of languages.  Should Americans also learn German, Portuguese, French, Italian, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and on and on and on.  Wouldn’t it be easier if they all learned English since that’s the predominant language of the United States?

5) As the Appletonian wonders, how many languages does Obama speak?  Do his kids speak Spanish or any other language?  Or is this another case of Obama telling Americans what they should do while refusing to do it himself?