Day: August 23, 2021

This article is one of those that makes you just wonder what the hell?

Welsh language use ‘systemically racist’, Arts Council warned

The headline is enough to get the blood boiling. The meat of the article, not so much, although it does leave you at a low simmer.

The synopsis is this;

Apparently The Arts Council of Wales, and National Museums Wales produce all their grant, and other normal business materials in Welsh. (You know, their NATIVE language…)

This use of their native language, presents an obstacle to artists that do not speak the language.

That’s not racist, it’s not white supremacy, it’s normal folks of a country going about their normal day, doing normal business.

If you visit an Arabic country, you better be able to speak Arabic or you’re not going to get too far without a translator. Does anybody think that China using Chinese, (Any of the dialects) is racist?

If you’re going to live in a country, you should probably do your best to learn the language. I’m an “Arrogant American“, yet while searching for a country to go spend time in, (longer than a vacation,) I came to the conclusion that prior to going to that country I should have a functional command of the language.

My selection was German. I’d like to visit Germany and perhaps get a work visa there for a time. My second choice is Norway. (Note: don’t try to learn two languages at once, it will blow your mind…)

This preoccupation with racism has become tiresome and childish.

Germans, Italians, and the Irish immigrated to North America and learned the predominant languages spoken there. English or French if they went to Canada, depending on the province. English typically if they moved to the US. (As a side note, they were still discriminated against.)

Canada AND France still by law, require that French appears on all imported goods. Is that racist? Hell NO!

Is it racist that Spain and much of South America conduct business in Spanish or Portuguese? Hell NO!

My experience with speaking languages (Spanish & French) to folks who natively speak those languages has been met with nothing but respect and appreciation. Sure I screw up, sometimes with hilarious consequences.

There is nothing more joyous than two complete strangers laughing so hard they’re crying because of a totally screwed up attempt to ask for directions. The laughter underscores that we’re all human and imperfect, and yet kindness is usually our default setting.

People in Mexico and people in Quebec have always demonstrated respect for my courtesy to them because I was trying to speak their language. They might very kindly switch to English for clarity and gently correct my pronunciation. They often commented that it was rare to meet an American that tried at all.

My German may suck. Even when I master it, I’ll always have a heavy American accent. When I finally get to Berlin, at least the people I encounter will know I respect them and their country, because I took the time to learn the language.

If I were an artist in Wales, I’d work very hard to learn the language for three reasons. 1) It’s a lot easier to sell art if you can communicate. 2) It’s a lot easier to have a social life if you get the jokes. 3) Art by its very nature tends to attract a somewhat effete clientele, you’d probably do much better applying for grants without a barrier of language.

It’s not racist for people of a country to speak their native language. It’s completely normal. The abnormality is that visitors to a country expect special treatment.

Why is it so hard a concept for some people to grasp?