AUGGH! How hard is it to respect other cultures?

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Ok, so I'm really miffed at this article. On the surface, it is a fairly glowing piece about improvements to public schooling in Iraq.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050605/lf ... ucationaid

Then I notice a blurb talking about USAID-

Ok, sounds good, but whats this?



English? This is Iraq. I can think of several languages more useful than English.

Finally, check this blurb out-



So let me get this straight. I really want to make sure I understand this. We are pushing for their school systems to focus on teaching English in the rural areas of Iraq, but we don't feel it is appropriate to teach students on their own culture? What message is this sending/ Especially when we are still trying to play the "liberator" card instead of the "invader" card in the PR game.

I'm sorry, but when you come in with armed troops and start having the schools teach YOUR language while not allowing them to teach on their defining culture, history, and values, you are no longer liberating, you are occupying. I'm sure Poland's citizens felt the same way when Russia moved in and did the EXACT same thing after WW2.

Grr.

When the rest of the world speaks English, they will be grateful!
If the Engligh program works well over there, maybe they can use it in Southern California schools.

English is one of the most common languages in the world, but I hate when Americans go to other countries and say things like 'Why don't those foreigners speak English?' No wonder so many countries view Americans so poorly. Seeing as the article said the children are illiterate, how about teaching them to read and write in Arabic first?

Silly you! This is not about helping people. It's about making the world safe for the creation of new foreign markets. You can't sell consumerism without teaching people how to say "big mac."

the USA - the world's latest imperial power...

Hey, someone's gotta do it!

why? and this is a genuine question - explain yourself.

No, it's a joke. You know, hearing someone British being critical of empire building sounds kind of funny.

I think that's going to change *very* soon. The USA might have the best weapons right now, but economic protectionism has weakened the US industry to the point where it can't compete internationally. The People's Republic of China has so much US hard currency in reserve that they could cause another depression any time they want. It's no secret that P.R.China has imperial goals. Taiwan is only the beginning. The contested boarders with India, Pakistan, Russia and Japan along with the not-so-secret ties to North Korea's nuclear development will provide us with a lot of entertainment in the next 25 years.

This is nothing new. The world (or at least its economy) has been dominated by the Romans, Portugese, Dutch, British and Americans. Why shouldn't China be next?

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Last edited by Ante on 09 Nov 2005, 4:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It sounds to me like Iraq gets to change the curriclum if they choose to do so. Correct me if I'm wrong, I may not understand this.

Aarrgghh!! ! Don't get me started on culture development and change. I am sick of getting into it with my husband about his annoyance at seeing everything printed in both English and Spanish, and his annoyance that I'm teaching myself and our kids to speak Spanish.

His attitude is "If they want to live here and call themselves Americans, they should learn to speak English." Yeah, yeah. :-Þ This from a guy who immigrated from London when he was 6 years old. How convenient that he already spoke English.

The part of PA we live in was originally settled by German-speaking farmers in the 1600's. Everyone spoke German, for generations. Then the American government decided, by a one vote majority, that English should be the national language over German. No one was forbidden to speak their native language, but they had to be bi-lingual to get by. My German ancestors went to school and learned to speak English. 100 years ago, High German ("real" German, not "Pennsylvania Dutch") was still spoken at home in this part of PA, and English learned only in school.

Let's take it back another few generations from those German ancestors. A quite sizeable branch of my ancestry is Lenni Lenape - native AMERICANS. By the way, "Lenni Lenape" means ORIGINAL PEOPLE in the Lenape tongue, and the Lenape were called the "grandfathers" by the other eastern tribes from Maine to Virginia (hmmmm...does that tell you anything???). That was before the English renamed us "Delaware" after the river named for Lord De la Warre. This land had a name, too -- Lenapehocking (leh-nah-pay-hawk-ing) -- before the English divided it and renamed it Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Too bad we weren't allowed to insist on and enforce the "speak our language or leave" mentality 500 years ago. You'd ALL be speaking Lenape on the East Coast!

It's a fact of history and cultural development, that when a situation is not bound to force of arms, numbers rule. They always have and they always will. The Original American People learned first German and then English. Of course, force of arms had a lot to do with that cultural shift. But even the German-Americans accepted that they had to learn English to get by.

I have absolutely no Spanish or Latino ancestry. But it is clear to me that English-speaking Americans must soon accept a bi-lingual culture. One day hubby will regret NOT learning at least conversational Spanish.

How true.

I do think that it is still possible to reverse all that, but that is highly unlikely given the ultra-conservative climate today, and the general unwillingness to revamp the educational/business systems of the USA. Even after the USA gives up the lead, it will still hold enourmous influence, much in the same way britain did after losing it's empire after WWI.

All good things must come to a end, I guess.

I'm not too thrilled about moving to china (I'm guessing my Industrial Design job will be there in the future) but I am going where the money is.

I agree with your points Cindy.

Thank you!

I find Spanish on everything annoying too. It often takes up room that would be better used for better instrucions in English. It's one thing if they are using one package design and shipping it all over North America. But illegal aliens shouldn't be accommodated, it creates all sorts of Domestic problems.


It works the other way if people from English speaking countries want to live in a non-English speaking country. Furthermore, it's a good idea to have at least some crude knowledge of the local language during any foreign travel.


I refuse to learn Spanish too, and don't plan on having any buisness with any US resident that doesn't speak English. OK, so maybe I'll make considerations someday for interacting with refugees as well as Europeans and Asians here for various reasons, but I'm sick of the illegal immigration and I refuse to do anything to accommodate it!