[lit-ideas] Re: speaking of libraries in the United States of Earth
- From: "Mike Geary" <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2005 18:42:56 -0500
Yost the Host:
You should take a tour of New York City's lovely Bronx. Our "Little
Colombia" alone has hundreds of thousands who cannot read English.
So? I don't understand your problem with that. Are they demanding you
learn their language? It's the diversity of population that makes NYC one
of the very great cities of the world. You should thank them for being
there. You could be living in Memphis or Kansas City or St. Louis or Des
Moines or Atlanta or Denver or Dallas or Houston or anywhere in between and
not know where the hell you are -- somewheresville USA. Why are the coast
cities always been the cities of the world? Excepting Paris. Because of the
constant influx of strangers. Stupid Tony Blair is going to go fascist and
try to drive out difference instead of admitting that his own stupidity is
the cause of London's terrorism. George Bush and Tony Blair, both are very,
very stupid men entrusted with treasures they have no inkling of.
That's not anyone's business but the individual's? It is to laugh. I don't
know whether your view is motivated by a desire to see America's slight
cultural cohesion destroyed,
What cultural cohesion? All I've ever known the ever more bitter battle
against rabid racism and fanatical theocratic fascism.
by a willful disregard of concrete realities, or something else. I mean
really, Mike, what's up with this? It's not like you to be arguing, in
sync with the political whores pandering for votes, to create a Tower of
Babel that will guarantee a future Banana Republic of America.
Come again? My position has always been diversity, diversity, diversity.
Please, God, dilute this evil white European English speaking culture, it's
bloody murder, its only values are greed and power. Etc., etc., etc.
As for "the vast majority of people who are locked out of the privileged
life are lovely white speakers of English -- yourself for instance, "
that's largely not true either. I chose my career path, in the past
turning down (for personal reasons) regular jobs with: NBC News in
Washington, the Late Night with David Letterman Show, MTV, TBWA Chiat-Day
agency, and others. I made choices, which may turn out to be poor choices
or not--because I had choices.
You misunderstand. I wasn't passing judgment on your personal intellectual
or educational or native talent credentials -- you've always impressed me in
those areas -- but you were BORN WRONG, DUDE, don't you get it?? You'll
always be a janitor in THEIR eyes, even if you discover the cure for cancer
and are named a living saint by the Pope -- still, you were ill-born,
become a billionaire, big deal, you'll forever be just another hoi polloi
boy.
The people who take the trash out of my building do not speak English.
Nor do most of the food deliverers on bikes at 10 PM. They have far fewer
choices.
I grant you they have fewer choices. Far fewer choices. Maybe even less
choice than you do about joining Skull and Bones. But that's not what
you're up in arms about. You want them to speak English, goddamnit, speak
English! Why? What's it to you? Don't tell me you're concerned about
their welfare. This is about you. But you're not hurting because they're
job opportunities are limited because they don't speak English. Hell, they
might well speak 5 other languages for all you know, and the chances that
they speak at least one other is high. They might hold advanced degrees in
Physics or be brilliant poets in their native tongue -- you don't know --
what pisses you off is that they're different from you and won't make an
effort to be like you. I understand that frustration. I'm a Southerner.
Intolerance is second nature to us. Trust me, I share you uneasiness. But
cutting off medical care or government services to those who don't speak
English isn't going to make you sleep any easier, Bro.
Mike Geary
Memphis
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