Two headlines struck my eye today - one in the paper about English being a minority language in 1300 schools and the other one on TV about how 80% of the surveyed people did not know the words to Christmas carols.
I can see the popular press screaming "immigrants!!!"
Not the ones I know, if you please. Growing up in India, I remember spending months - both at school and in our community at home - practicing for the nativity play and carol service. We loved it, coming straight in the lull after Diwali. Christianity just meant another god in our pantheon - as children we were not political, but that's another post altogether.
Language? i used to speak better English in India than I do over here. We meet friends - all economic immigrants who have invested in the economy here -and we still play word games - IN ENGLISH. Our children speak English as well as a couple of other languages.
The problem:
1. Statistics, Dammned Statistics.... For all of us, the data collected by schools will say that English is our second language. Historically yes, but really all of us speak in English first before we think of other languages.
2. "Am I bovverred!!" Culture. How can you not care about getting it right!!! I just don't get it! How can one not care about speaking and spelling and traditions?!! And if you don't care and don't put in the effort then how can you expect to be treated at par with those who put in that effort? And how can you complain about others? Classic deflection strategy.
3. Mixing economic immigrants who benefit the economy with asylum seekers. Do not deny that the immigrant influx boosts tax revenues and pays for all the job (non) seekers and pregnant teenagers and the we-cant-look-after-our-parents pensions.
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