When I read Laotian Daughters, I had to struggle a little with my own patriotic linguistic snobbery. Having been born in the United States, with white skin and English speaking parents, I can definitely recognize my own entitlement. It is difficult for me to think that the burden of bridging the linguistic gap to these communities should be entirely on the government. After all, English is the language primarily spoken here. Shouldn't it be expected that immigrants learn the language of the nation they are immigrating to? If only it were that simple though. Many immigrants, particularly from impoverished areas in Southeast Asia, don't have resources to learn English or the luxury of spending time not working or taking care of a family. For these families learning a new language is impractical. So what is to be done then? I think we should have safety nets in place. Emergency broadcast warnings should be multilingual. Areas with large populations of speakers of a particular language should make necessary moves to make sure those populations are taken care of. However, I think a more complete solution is possible. As a nation I think the best way to embrace multi-nationalism is to accept immigrants and their cultures, yet help them learn the English language. Social programs and schools should aim to help adults and children from foreign countries learn English, while preserving their native cultures. Having a common language is an important step in uniting as a nation.
Monkey Dance -
A good example of cultural resistance in Monkey Dance is the Cambodian children and the pressure for them to pick up their native culture. In the scenes where the children are practicing their dance, they can be seen goofing off and not necessarily taking their lessons seriously. As children being raised in the US they probably cultural identify as a blend between the traditional American Culture and Cambodian culture, which naturally causes some resistance in both directions.
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