This week, I overheard a conversation in a restaurant where
a group were talking about another group sitting at a nearby table. One group
spoke English, the other group spoke a language other than English. One person
of the English-speaking group exclaimed “why don’t they just speak English? We’re
in America!” This microinsult may or may not have been heard by the group
speaking a different language, but had that been me I would have felt very out
of place and like I did not belong.
Languages
are beautiful and I wish I were able to speak a language other than English as
that would allow me to communicate with so many other people. Just because I
live in America does not mean that all people need to speak English. It is
unknown whether that group were choosing to speak to each other in their home
language or if they did not understand English, but either way, that
microagression can definitely negatively impact the way a person feels about
their own language. I can only imagine how a child would feel if they overheard
someone say that about their family.
Robin-
ReplyDeleteI agree. I have heard this same scenario. At 18 I was nearly completely naive in this world, yet, I married a young man in the Air Force and moved to a city of 3 million Turkish citizens (no air base). I can promise you that that experience changed my perspective of being a ‘foreigner’ forever.
I think you are correct in your ascertation of damage to any children involved, as well as confusion, and, as we learned during previously, future conflicts created with family members.
I am,always sorry to hear these things, but grateful to have learned, early on, why they are ‘not okay’.
We make the world a better place- remember that.