I Define Myself

Once a month I am part of a group of friends which meets at Mudville Grille, a sports bar with many franchises in the Jacksonville Florida area, to challenge other groups in supplying correct answers to Trivia questions.  It's an activity mostly enjoyed by nerds and intellectuals.  I fall in to only one of those categories.  This is just a backdrop to the theme I would like to discuss in this issue of my blog.

I was showing my dear friends, both African American women, a photo of a pair of blue flamingos with (faux) pearls around their necks, that I had placed in the front yard of my house.  They seemed unaware of their political meaning so I explained that the blue flamingos signified turning Florida blue (Democrat) and the pearls was in my support of the new Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.  I was surprised by their polite but unenthusiastic reaction.  I could see by their body language that they were uncomfortable.  I heard a muttered unflattering response to the effect of "I am not too keen on her".  I was confused.  Why would these two intelligent women not be ecstatic of the possibility of the first female president of the United States?  And a black woman at that?

The chief complain was that she was not black.  The logic behind this reasoning was that to be black you have to have two black parents.  Vice President Harris' mother is Indian and her father Jamaican.  I questioned them "who said that?"  I was ignored.  I then asserted that as a Puerto Rican I come from three races; Spaniard (European), African and Taino (Native American).  To that I received a dismissive "That's you."  And they continued discussing the subject among themselves.  The next assessment to Vice President Harris' ethnicity was that she was at best 1/4 black.  And besides, according to the other friend, Ms. Harris at some point, had stated, "She did not want to be associated with being black."  I started googling to find when and where Ms. Harris had made such a statement.  I then heard, "You are not going to find that anywhere now that she is running for President."  That sounded a little like a conspiracy theory.  Again, I was perplexed.  I had reached the end of my patience and blurred out, "I have heard of black racisms among the black community, but this is the first time that I have actually witnessed it."  For the rest of the night they mostly spoke amongst themselves.  Followed by long silent pauses.  I was so disappointed.

My disappointment does not come from someone else having a different opinion from my own.  Being raised in New York City taught me to deal with many viewpoints and respect each person's individualism.  My disappointment came from being excluded from my own sense of self.  I grew up learning about the people that made me who I am.  The flirty Flamenco dances of the Spanish Gypsies, the heart stopping beats of African drums and the spiritual Taino connection to our island; have contributed in equal parts and therefore, I proudly claim my heritage in all of them.  From a young age, I became curious of every aspect of these unique groups, both contributions and detriments to humanity.  And somehow managed to blend them all nicely and accept that a person can appreciate and be a part of more than just one community.

I pray that we can find common ground and see pass the exterior of our prejudices.  I pray that people truly want peace on earth.  I pray that people truly learn to love their neighbor.  I pray that people realize that we can not continue to live off hate and greed.  There is a better way.   Whether you believe in the teachings of Jesus, Gandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou or any other pacifist that exists or none of the above; I pray that we accept one another and strive for a peaceful resolution to the troubles we are facing today because in doing so, we might just be saving ourselves.

Which English Do You Want Me To Speak?

I can't help but laugh when I am having a conversation in Spanish and someone blurs out "Speak English"!  The reason I find this intrusion into my culture hilarious, is that English has very little English components to it.  This is not news to the average, high school American graduate.  In fact, when discussing the subject with my friends they seem to know all about it.  Which then makes me wonder?  Where does the ignorance come from?

I decided to write this blog to bring this case and plight to light.  How can anyone look down at me and demand that I speak English?  As if English was such a pure language?  As a matter of fact, there are thousands of Spanish words in the English language.  Heck, there are thousands of words from languages around the world in the English language.  The truth is the English we speak today is more of an international language.  The product of the blending of languages that occurred during our 250 years as a nation.  And to be honest, it is nothing unique.  Throughout history common languages were developed to facilitate trade by traveling merchants.  The same way English is used today as the primary language in International Affairs.

For those that do not know, English is derived from a Germanic language.  Meaning, the people that lived in the areas of what is today known as Dutch and Germany; are the ancestors of the English we speak today.  Did you know that 60% of the English language comes from Latin?  Add Greek and French to the mix and it becomes a sticky web indeed.

During the Iron Age, around 800 B.C., a Celtic people known as Britons inhabited the British Islands. Romans invaded the area in waves commencing in A.D. 43.  By the 5th century, Rome was in decline and no longer interested in keeping a stronghold in the region.  That gave an opportunity for the Anglo-Saxons to introduce the Old English language.  A language that is no longer spoken.  Also known by Linguistic Scholars as a "dead language".  Further invasions by the Danes, colored the language with Danish.  There is also documentation of Scandinavian influences from Denmark and Norway.  Known as the Anglo-Normans.  The words "them and their" come from Old Norse.

So, as proof of the accuracy of what I am stating here and to jab all the people who have told countless immigrants to "Speak English"; I have composed an abbreviated list of English words and the language they originate from (I could not possibly include them all.  To do so would convert this blog into a lengthy dictionary):

LATIN (Italian, French, Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese, et al.)
abdomen, vinegar, exacerbate, acetone, cute, edification, emulate, image, imagination, adequate, equal, equator, equilibrium, equity, equivalent, inadequate, inequality, esteem, estimate, estuary, age, eternal, longevity, mediaeval, agriculture, pilgrim allegro, albino, album, algae, alias, alibi, alien, adultery, alter, alternator, amaretto, ambiguous, amenity, quadrangular, rectangle, triangle, animal, animation, unanimous, annuals, annuity, antenna, aquarium, sewer, arboreal, arc, alarm, armada, armadillo, armor, armory, artifact.

GREEK
abaciscus,, acme, acne, panacea, academia, academy, acrobat, acropolis, aorta, meteor, meteorology, aerobic, aerosol, anestesia, ether, agony, antagonist, agape, analgesic, nostalgia, allegory, parallel, alphabet, amniotic, amphitheater, almond, atypical, Alexander, android, philander, antagonist, antagonize, antibiotic, antebellum, antiquated, antique, antrax, anthropology, philanthropy, synagogue, apostate, aphrodisiac, arachnophobia, anarchy, archangel, architect, archaeology, monarchy, ardor, arson, aristocracy, asterisk, asteroid, astrology, astronaut.

FRENCH
abandon, abash, abatement, abbe, abbess, abbey, abbreviation, abdication, abhor, ability, abjection, able, abnormal, abjection, aboard, abolish, abolition, abominable, abrasion, abridge, abrupt, absence, absent, absolute, action, danger, debit, deceptive, definitive, jacket, jersey, judgement, macabre, machine, maintain, malice, march, mauve, melodrama, zest, zigzag, zany, zenith, wafer, wage, wait, wallet, war, warren, warrior, waste, William, tabernacle, table, tack, tail, tambourine, tapestry, target, taste, tavern.

GERMAN
angst, delikatessen, doppelgänger, fest, gesundheit, kaput, kindergarden, kraut, poltergeist, rucksack, wanderlust, leberwurst, gestapo, nudel, cobalt, streusel, sparerib, waltz, autobahn, Dachshund, pumpernickel, spritz, seltzer, nosh, Schnauzer, bagel, hamster.

SPANISH
Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Montana, Nevada, Texas, Buena Vista, El Paso, fresno, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Antonio, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, buckaroo, corral, chaps, desperado, hackamore, lariat, lasso, quirt, ranch, rodeo, stampede, ten-gallon hat, arroyo, breeze, caldera, canyon, mesa, playa, sierra, temblor, tornado, alligator, barracuda, bronco, burro, cockroach, mosquito, mustang, aficionado, bodega, fiesta, macho, atador, patio, plaza, piñata, pueblo, quinceañera, rumba, silo, tango, telenovela, conquistador, flotilla, renegade, vigilante, cargo, embarcadero, embargo, galleon, chorizo, cilantro, daiquiri, habanero, jalapeño, mojito, oregano, piña colada, salsa, sherry, taco, tequila, vanilla, bonanza, cafeteria, incommunicado, jade, nada, palmetto, peon, platinum, pronto, savvy, siesta, suave, vamoose.

NATIVE AMERICAN
avocado, chili, chipotle, chocolate, cocoa, coyote, guacamole, mesquite, mole, tamale, tomato, shack, canoe, iguana, hurricane, key (Key West), potato, savanna, tobacco, condor, Inca, jerky, pampa, puma, cannibal, cigar, barbecue.

ARABIC
alhambra, albatross, alcatraz, abobe, crimson, tuna.

BASQUE, CATALAN, CELTIC
zorro, paella, camino.

There you have it folks!  If all foreign words were deleted from the English language, we would end up speaking gibberish.  Perhaps something like the Slavs spoke.  We will never know.  There is no one alive to tell us.  So, my suggestion to our lovely international community is this; if someone of questionable intelligence demands that you "speak English" simply smile and say "I am".  Fin.