I do not understand why some Americans would be so upset with their national anthem being sung in a language other than English. A record producer, Adam Kidron will be releasing a Spanish-language version of the anthem, entitled Nuestro Himno (of course!) which will be aired over radio stations in the US. This was conceptualized ostensibly to sympathize with pro-immigration protests, in the wake of racial debates and tensions over immigration issues in the US.
"Would the French accept people singing (the) La Marseillaise in English as a sign of French patriotism? Of course not," said Mark Krikorian, head of the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies, a conservative think-tank advocating tighter immigration controls.
Well, why not? Does it really matter? So it’s ok to dance and sing to that hideous, corny Ricky Martin ditty, Uno, Dos, Tres in the original Spanish but not Nuestro Himno? It probably matters if the country is homogenous. The US clearly isn’t.
Really, it’s hard for me to sympathize. America was built on the backs of immigrants. It is a melting pot of all races. The fact is, English is not the only medium spoken in the US today. English was, after all, brought all the way from England via its immigrants fleeing religious persecution. Then what’s stopping Spanish from being spoken by people coming from its nearest southern border, Mexico?
People like Krikorian obviously feel threatened with the increasing shift towards a non-WASPish American society that he thinks upsets the current balance of things. What’s wrong with singing the Star Spangled Banner in Español when it is clearly a fact that the country has large sections of the population who speak Español? Will he force these people to speak only in English? In fact, Nuestro Himno is an acknowledgement of the diverse cultures that make up the United States. America never was and is not a homogenous WASP society. It only exists in the minds of people like Krikorian.
In the case of our own national anthem, Lupang Hinirang (as kids, we simply referred to it as the “Bayang Magiliw”), the lyrics were originally set in Español during the revolutionary period, and then translated into English during the American occupation, and finally being adopted and sung everywhere in the country in Tagalog. So there are three existing versions. I think there’s even a Bisaya/Cebuano version. I won’t mind if there’s an Ilocano or a Maranao version. (A Taglish version is taking the issue too far and the lyricist will have to be bludgeoned with a flag pole). Does that make us less Filipino because we sing our national anthem in different languages?
Our patriotism should not be measured on which language to sing the national anthem. It is plain ridiculous. After all, we’re a diverse bunch. It’s in how we serve our country. Remember, Rizal struggled to free this country from tyranny and oppression, but he wrote his most important works in Español!
"Would the French accept people singing (the) La Marseillaise in English as a sign of French patriotism? Of course not," said Mark Krikorian, head of the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies, a conservative think-tank advocating tighter immigration controls.
Well, why not? Does it really matter? So it’s ok to dance and sing to that hideous, corny Ricky Martin ditty, Uno, Dos, Tres in the original Spanish but not Nuestro Himno? It probably matters if the country is homogenous. The US clearly isn’t.
Really, it’s hard for me to sympathize. America was built on the backs of immigrants. It is a melting pot of all races. The fact is, English is not the only medium spoken in the US today. English was, after all, brought all the way from England via its immigrants fleeing religious persecution. Then what’s stopping Spanish from being spoken by people coming from its nearest southern border, Mexico?
People like Krikorian obviously feel threatened with the increasing shift towards a non-WASPish American society that he thinks upsets the current balance of things. What’s wrong with singing the Star Spangled Banner in Español when it is clearly a fact that the country has large sections of the population who speak Español? Will he force these people to speak only in English? In fact, Nuestro Himno is an acknowledgement of the diverse cultures that make up the United States. America never was and is not a homogenous WASP society. It only exists in the minds of people like Krikorian.
In the case of our own national anthem, Lupang Hinirang (as kids, we simply referred to it as the “Bayang Magiliw”), the lyrics were originally set in Español during the revolutionary period, and then translated into English during the American occupation, and finally being adopted and sung everywhere in the country in Tagalog. So there are three existing versions. I think there’s even a Bisaya/Cebuano version. I won’t mind if there’s an Ilocano or a Maranao version. (A Taglish version is taking the issue too far and the lyricist will have to be bludgeoned with a flag pole). Does that make us less Filipino because we sing our national anthem in different languages?
Our patriotism should not be measured on which language to sing the national anthem. It is plain ridiculous. After all, we’re a diverse bunch. It’s in how we serve our country. Remember, Rizal struggled to free this country from tyranny and oppression, but he wrote his most important works in Español!
1 comment:
Hello, I like your website. Excellent point about Rizal. I was in Manila a year ago and went to the Rizal museum. It was very interesting. I don't know much Tagalog, but if I wanted to live in Philippines the way many of the illegal immigrants in the United States want to live here, I would learn that language. I would say salamat for teaching me Tagalog, and if I lived in Mexico I would say gracias for teaching me Espanol. Actually, I feel immigrants should be bilingual and bi-cultural. And like you, I have no problem with them singing the national anthem in Spanish. But I do have a problem with them not trying to learn English, the only language that will help them get ahead in the United States.
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