English-Only Legislation Not Genocide

In the Sept. 13 issue of The Harvard Crimson, an editorial titled "Making English Official Carries Risk" by Armen Melikian, a special student in the graduate Department of Mathematics last year, made a very passionate argument against recent legislation which would make English the official language of the United States. As the author himself argues, this legislation simply requires "conducting government business in English." However, Mr. Melikian argues that this legislation is "but one item in a hidden agenda by Anglo supremacist groups to annihilate the cultural identity of various ethnic groups that comprise American society."

This intellectual jump from Point A to Point B is ludicrous. Mr. Melikian simply cannot seriously support a link between legally requiring the U.S. government to use English exclusively and destroying the cultural identity of certain ethnic groups. This legislation in no way asks minorities to become Anglo-phones. It does not seek to take away the defining characteristics of the myriad ethnic groups which comprise our American society. It is not xenophobic. It is not racist. It does not evoke images of genocide.

In his over-zealous defense of cultural identity, Mr. Melikian forgets a very important part of what it means to be a minority in this country. My father came to the United States from Mexico City at the age of eight, and parts of my family are very familiar with the American immigrant experience. I am the son of an immigrant, and my cultural identity is and always will be an important part of who I am and how I view the world around me. I expect other Americans to respect the rich intricacies of Mexican culture. However, in exchange, other Americans, of all colors and creeds, deserve my respect of their institutions, their traditions.

All immigrants must realize that if they are to be accepted by the United States, they must accept the United States, faults and all, in turn. They must show the proper respect for the country that is now theirs. Current English-only legislation will not impair my ability to live and celebrate my Mexican heritage or pass it on to my children. I will not be de-humanized by being required to deal with my government in English. The current bill requires only one very simple way for immigrants and their descendants to respect the country they have freely chosen to inhabit: to learn the common language of its citizens. Immigrants owe this and much more to the United States. My father realized this. So do I. So should Mr. Melikian. --Thomas Flores '98