International Law

Real Americans Only Speak English

By Stan

This might be of interest to expats:

From a recent Barack Obama speech (h/t Crooks & Liars): “You know, no, I’m serious about this. We should understand that our young people, if you have a foreign language, that is a powerful tool to get a job. You are so much more employable. You can be part of international business. So we should be emphasizing foreign languages in our schools from an early age, because children will actually learn a foreign language easier when they’re 5, or 6, or 7 than when they’re 46, like me.”

And the Right Wing pundits responded with this:

Glenn Reynolds: “Barack Obama: Europeans are cooler than Americans.”

Gateway Pundit: “Obama is quite embarrassed that Americans are so boorish and refuse to speak French while traveling abroad. It’s so uncouth.”

The Weekly Standard went so far as to argue that Obama’s desire to see more American kids taught a foreign language is an example of “snobbery.”

I understand that most people learn a foreign language out of necessity, and with English being the international language of business, there is often no necessity. But Obama’s words are pretty hard to refute - and I notice that his critics do not attempt to do so.

I would like to see one of these right-wing bloggers get in a taxi over here and try to navigate their way from Point A to Point B with nothing more than English (and their nationalistic fervor) to guide them. I would expect that folks like this, when faced with a blank stare from the taxi driver, would then attempt to raise their voice and speak slowly - that always does the trick in the movies.

Full post as published by China Hearsay on July 16, 2008 (boomark / email).