Most of us
know that you can’t fix stupid and I saw another tired example of it last night
in response to making English the official of the United States. Most of those
seeking such status aim their exclusivity at Spanish speaking people oblivious
to the fact that more than 30 languages are spoken daily in the nation.
“Language
racists” as I call them fail to see the importance of speaking another language
in their own country. For instance, speaking another language could improve
business opportunities and produce better community relations. I call the
“language racists” because their tunnel vision reasoning is similar to the
myopic vision of bigots who miss the entire big picture of the benefits of
“diversity.”
“America”, which
is used incorrectly to refer to the United States, extends from the far reaches
of Alaska to the hinterlands of Chile. The number language spoken in that vast
area is also just as varied as it is in the United States. There is a lot of
the land “south of the border” and only a small portion of it is Mexico, nor
are all the people below the border Mexican.
There is no reasoning with such
stupidity. Hundreds of thousands of people from other countries visit the United
States regularly and rarely do they run into anyone speaking their language
unless it is a relative or friend. Is it arrogance, ignorance, or indifference?
In my opinion it is a little of each. We travel to other countries and expect
English understanding, but we seem unaware that we don’t do the same.
For “language racists,” the
answer is ignorance. They are so offended by “brown people” that they are
blinded to the realities surrounding immigration, including benefits. US
marketing firms “get it” as entire advertising campaigns aim at Spanish
speakers. Almost every major city television media outlet has affiliations with
Spanish equivalent. Going even further,
some US hotel chains offer Japanese, Arabic and Vietnamese.
Unfortunately, there is no such
thing as a stupidectomy and even if there were, those in need of the procedure
would be unaware because of their ignorance.
