[quote=“drvelocity”]I can see both sides of the argument, and as with anything it’s not a black and white, “either you should or you shouldn’t learn situation”. Everyone’s situation is unique. But in trying to really objectively analyze this one, I thought about the same situation in the US, at least from my perspective, and I have to say I personally would never live in a country long-term without being able to communicate effectively in that country’s native language. (With the exception of countries in which 80%+ of the people speak fluent English).
As a child, I had a Vietnamese babysitter who had emigrated to the USA about 16 years previous. Her English wasn’t perfect but she certainly spoke well enough to be a productive member of society. As a result, from the perspective of a five year old, I saw her as another “normal person”.
On the other hand, the few times I encountered people who lived in the states and didn’t speak a lick of English (mostly illegal Mexicans where I grew up), consciously or not they were basically non-entities to me. I don’t believe it’s a racist thing, either, as I was actively learning Spanish at the time, and tried to talk with some of them when the opportunity arose.
I think it was just the fact that here you have this community of people within a larger community that stuck to their own customs and languages, having no time or perhaps just not wanting to expend the effort to become a true member of the larger community. Now if it was a city of 90% Spanish speakers in the states? Sure, at that point they have their own complete society and I can see why one might not feel the need English in that situation, in fact I probably wouldn’t.
Again, not learning English is certainly their right, as it is the right of anyone living in Taiwan to not learn Chinese, but from my perspective, I kind of always felt like these people where living a sad, limited life - completely powerless to do anything other than whatever invariably mundane job they were currently doing. Better than the life they would have had in Mexico, I’m sure, and they can always go back. But knowing that I myself would never want to be in that position makes me feel bad for them. And if I planned on living in Taiwan indefinitely, with English teaching as my only option, I know I would feel the same way about myself.
For me, it’s just a part of being human - being able to communicate with the majority of people around you. Actually I think I’d probably go insane if I couldn’t![/quote]
You’re absolutely right but somewhat idealistic. Tossing around words like “community” kind of pricks my ears. While Fox News throws ‘anchor babies’ out the window of a speeding car, we all could use a little more empathy. Sure. :neutral: I’d like to believe the issue isn’t about cultural assimilation, it’s about convenience. Pedro should speak enough English to meet his needs – or, or, and this is true about almost every city in the world with an immigrant population about 2% – spend his free time in the barrio or Chinatown. Fifteen hours a day of putting up drywall? Who the fuck has time or energy to learn “I would like to go to the hotel” when every other cab driver speaks fluent, albeit subject to dialect Spanish?
Meanwhile, all it takes is a couple of days on the mainland before you start thinking, “Fuck! I need to sharpen my Mandarin skills.” Problem solved in spite of yourself. The main sticking point is, YOU DON’T HAVE TO SPEAK A WORD OF MANDARIN TO GET BY IN TAIPEI CITY. There’s no inherent need. No driving force. No impetus. As previously noted by other posters, for some laowai, the less Mandarin they speak, the better. They call us barking dogs behind our back. Don’t be so sensitive, super_lucky, yes I can hear you. At the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, when the fat lady sings, when the final shoe drops, when worst comes to worst, when you’re at the end of your rope, the only question you need ask yourself is: did I get what I wanted or did I get what I needed?
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