|
|
 |
|
The
views expressed
on this page are soley those of the author and do not
necessarily
represent the views of County News Online
|
 |
From the Other Side of the Edge….
“Income
Inequality”, …starts with Language Inequality
By Joe Facinoli
To take full advantage of all the myriad opportunities available to
everyone in this still industrious and productive, embracing, and
mostly free country, …you have to speak the language.
And that would be the English language.
The better you speak it, and the more you are able to communicate to
the general populous with it, then the more of all those wide open
chances for success this country provides, will be attainable for you.
But you have to work at it, hard, …and you have to want it.
Recently, I had an incredibly revealing, near “out of body” experience,
which brought home to me the depths, and true issues, of how and why
any inequality of income exists in our nation.
I was in a Safeway grocery store in SouthEast Washington DC (in a poor
and depressed, sad and nearly forgotten area of our nation’s capital),
surrounded by people who were speaking a language all unto themselves,
and not caring even a little bit that it was unintelligible to any of
the rest of us, who were there at that time.
But as I looked around, after this phenomenon became apparent to me, I
realized that the “rest of us”, …was only me.
Oh, for sure, the store was full of people, but it was like I had been
dropped into it somehow, as if I had been snatched up unknowingly, and
deposited on some faraway island, where I was immediately the sole
outcast, or foreigner.
Now, …I am very used to being the lone this or that, due to my work
situations, and other endeavors, but this was quite
different.
And I’m familiar with not knowing a language being used at a given
moment, as I am the only “gringo” in my company (even though I am the
boss), and have learned to speak Spanish out of self-defense (and for
my own sanity).
But this was eerily different.
Because the language being spoken by nearly all of the folks in that
Safeway store that day, had enough of a familiarity to it to give me
some hope of understanding it, …yet took me aback because try as I
might, there was no hope of fully comprehending what was being said
among the many there, …and understood by all of them.
Except for me.
As I gathered my items, and picked up all the food essentials needed
for my hard working crews, toiling close by, I continued to listen, and
to be amazed, that right here, in the midst of this bustling and
important city, a culture existed that had virtually no contact with
the rest of “successful” America, and no care to ever be a part of
that.
I was born in SouthEast DC. And lived there for a few
years until my family moved to nearby Prince George’s County, MD (a
virtual extension of the District, on the east side), where I was
raised and eventually graduated from high school.
So I knew of the ways of this area, but had forgotten how lost and
disjointed it was, from the other thriving parts of the Capital
city.
Sadly though, my memories becoming more vivid now, …it hadn’t changed.
As I continued on throughout the store, my tasks taking maybe ten
minutes or so, I watched as folks spoke this “other” language to each
other, recognized one another with it, used it to laugh at shared
experiences, and were genuinely involved with all who happened in, on
that very normal day.
Everyone was quite comfortable with their “native” language, and made
no apologies to this strange interloper, this blatant outsider, (that
would be me) for using it so freely, even right in front of him
(me).
He (me) was probably only there to judge them, anyway, they were most
likely thinking, or to take advantage of them somehow, and their shared
“plight”.
But as I approached the checkout stands, and piled my purchases on the
conveyor belt, to be rung up, …that “strange” language became
increasingly more clear to me.
First, …I was actually able to make out a few words, from the checkers
and a few office workers, and then most of whole sentences, …albeit,
with still some difficulty, …until finally, …I recognized
it.
It was English.
Oh, …my, …God. It was
English.
And more than likely, all of the people inside that store were American
citizens, who only spoke one language, …this one, …whatever it
was.
There were no Hispanics, not that I saw anyway, and no Asians, nor
Eastern Europeans, nor Middle Easterners, nor folks from India or
Pakistan, or the like.
All people who struggle with learning the English language, but who try
to communicate in the best way they can, somehow.
But none of those peoples, cultures, or nationalities were there that
day, while I shopped. Only
Americans. African Americans.
What a shame, …I thought, thinking immediately of the contrast between
the other peoples mentioned above, and this group. Of
Americans.
Now, to be completely fair, quite a few among the folks I saw that day,
were clearly having more success with their lives than others among
them, …but all, I thought, were holding themselves back by the use of
this bizarre language and manner of speaking, which all obviously
embraced, and used so openly.
The English they spoke, and speak, is so idiomatic, so colloquial, so
broken and so made up, that it’s nearly unusable in any other venue or
endeavor.
Some have called it “Ebonics”, and it seems to me, it’s used and
perpetuated by choice, not by any necessity. Nor
because it has been handed down from one generation to the next due to
lack of education, or sophistication, or from some isolated
culture.
No, this is happening right here in the USA, and by Americans who are
doing it to themselves.
Whatever we think of our education system, in inner cities or anywhere,
there’s enough there to learn the language, …if we want
to.
They are allowing the cultural pressure of the uneducated among them,
and the desperate need to have their own, individual cultural identity,
to supersede all the advantages which learning and speaking the
language the rest of Americans use, would bring them.
At least a lot easier than they are getting them now.
We hear a lot today about “Income Inequality”. Too
much. But what we don’t hear, at least not enough,
…is why that is.
Everyone wants to blame the rich, or the successful, for being greedy,
and unfeeling, and selfish.
Well, maybe some of them are.
But why spend the time beating these people up, verbally, when for the
most part, these same possibilities are available for all who prepare
themselves for life, who work hard, and who see life’s obstacles as
merely challenges to be overcome, on the way to successfully achieving
their goals and dreams.
Then, …and only then, …if we find that true inequities exist, which
hinder efforts that would otherwise succeed, …then let’s get after
those hindrances, and in a very big way.
But don’t come to me, with both hands out, at 35 years old (or more, or
less), with no education, no discernible skills, and no desire to speak
a language that would help get you out of your situation (many times
self-imposed, or self-allowed), while telling me that some rich (white)
guy has kept your people down, so you have no chance.
Not buying it.
I’m not saying that there’s not major issues in this world, which make
it hard for some, even many, to overcome, and to have a good
life.
Truly, there are, …and more than there should be.
But not speaking the language, which an entire country speaks despite
what you would like, is no way to start the path to a better
life.
If you can’t communicate, you can’t succeed.
Period.
Most foreigners and immigrants (legal and illegal) find a
way. Through education, hard work, or both.
Low income Americans can’t deal with this. And
instead of doing the same, to level the field, …they just give up, cry
foul, and beg their government to fix it.
And the government listens, opens their coffers, …and the Big Lie
perpetuates itself.
And one solitary white guy, standing in the middle of an American
grocery store, in the middle of the capital city of the United States
of America, can’t understand what dozens of other Americans around him
are saying.
The problems, …and the solutions, …are all in this same
picture.
Joe Facinoli
--Joe can be reached at: joefacinoli@gmail.com
Intelligent Response Encouraged !!
© Copyright 2014, Joe Facinoli
|
|
|
|
