My question is simple. Since “The Star-Spangled Banner” was written, this nation has seen waves of immigrants from countries around the world; in different times, the “leading edge” of immigration has been Chinese, Italian, Irish, German and others, yet none of those groups felt a need to rewrite, or translate, the National Anthem. Why, then, is this an important thing for the Hispanic immigrants? When these other groups felt the urge to identify themselves as Americans, they learned the language (for the most part) and joined in; they didn’t change the anthem to suit themselves.
It should also be noted that “Nuestro Himno” is not a straightforward translation, but more of a musical interpretation/rearrangement; political chant is introduced (”Asians, blacks, and whites and all they do is adding more and more” is hardly a “national” sentiment, eh?), and the verses don’t bear much resemblance to Key’s original. (Yes, I’m bilingual.) Toss in the fact that any number of nations already have national (or popular) songs named “Nuestro Himno,” and this is a definite loss of US identity.
If immigrants (of any nationality) want my respect, let them do what my immigrant ancestors did - learn the language as best they can and join with the rest of us as best they can. Generations of Americans have followed that very pattern; I see no reason to change it.
From Comments: (No. 50)
I feel a Spanish version of our anthem is completely justified. Doing a simple search on I-Tunes for the “Star Spangled Banner” comes up with a slew of different versions, each with their own unique structure and sound, genre and message. There was gospel, rock, soul, jazz, and even hip-hop. Now, if the Spanish version is “disrespectful” as some say, would not these deviants from the original version also be disrespectful? But no, they do not change the meaning, each stands for patriotism and the joy of being part of this county. And so does “Nuestro Himno”
This version, “Nuestro Himno,” if anything shows desire to be a citizen of the United States, showing respect and desire to be part of the traditions of their patria nueva. Our country was made as a melting pot, for those trying to forge a new and better life, and the melting pot characteristic we hold is what makes our nation so dear to us. Our patriotism is rooted in being a mezcla of people from all over the world, black or white, gay or straight, Hispanic or European or North American.
The truth is, English is not our only language, and is not our national language. I work in an elementary school system, and a large percent of my students speak Hmong, Spanish, Armenian, or some other language. The largest percent of that are Hispanic students. They are as “American” as any of the other students, knowing the Pledge of Allegiance and understanding our basic concepts and values as a society much better than most of the other native North American students. The only difference is they were born into poverty, had no education in any language other than their mother tongue, and simply are striving to have a better life. Almost 15% our population (and that is legal, census counted population) is of Hispanic origin, which is second to only Caucasian (yes it is even larger than African-American population). In true form, Spanish is becoming an integral part of our society and our culture.
“Nuestro himno” is not a disgrace, not a protest, nor is it a sign of “anti-assimilationism.” It’s a sign of feeling like part of our community; it’s a sign of becoming part of our culture, contributing to our culture. If anything, it is a gift to us, making us more diverse, making us stronger in our heritage, and strengthening our values as a nation.
From Comments: (No. 49)
As a 1st generation American of Mexican ancestry, I’m proud to be a part of a growing bicultural society. But I’m concerned about the media’s direct involvement in these current issues. The release of a spanish version of the Star Spangled Banner is just plain ridiculous. Have you ever heard the mexican “himno nacional” sung in english? Ofcourse not…this is all getting out of hand…it’s a well crafted ploy to make $$$ on the sales of these recordings. there’s already a song out there that has united working people in the past…”The Internationale”…look it up folks.
