Oh, Say!

Quote:  "The Illegal Alien Anthem."  Columnist Michelle Malkin.

Figure of Speech: tapinosis (tap-in-O-sis), the nickname put-down.  Also epideictic rhetoric, the speech of tribal identity.

A group of Hispanic music stars have recorded "Nuestro Himno," a Spanish version of the national anthem.  The anti-immigrant crowd has labeled the song with a  belittling nickname called a tapinosis ("demeaning").

A national anthem is the ultimate tribal language.  Aristotle called this kind of rhetoric epideictic, or "demonstrative."  It’s the speech of sermons, funeral orations, and patriotic songs.  Demonstrative rhetoric states a group’s values and helps define who’s in and who’s out of the tribe. 

So you can understand why some patriots might object.  Singing the national anthem in Spanish is a contradiction in terms.  Literally.

Snappy Answer:  "Pero no nos ocupemos más de este hija de mala madre."

Comments

[MTG]

Why stop their? Let's satisfy the musloims and have an arabic version as well!

[JMack]

MTG, I have not heard of 'musloims,' but I wonder if you would support a test over grammar and usage as part of a requirement for U.S. citizenship.

[HB]

An american national anthem in spanish isn't any more contradictory than an american national anthem in english.

They are both official languages of The u.s.a.