Tolerance and ignorance

By Denisa Dobrin

Suddenly, I understand how unbelievably lucky I am to have grown up in a country where we truly do respect all cultures for what each has to offer. I’ve learned to appreciate the European, the Asian, the Spanish, the Indian, the Mayan and all other civilizations for the amazing things they have done to contribute to the history of the world live in today.

That’s maybe because my own people have such a long and rich past and the ethnical pressures, although still present, are not felt as strongly as they are here in US.

In my country, even if some don’t really like the American dominance and don’t agree with its political moves all the time, we still admire the American spirit and appreciate USA as a modern twist of history.

When I came to America (almost six years ago) I didn’t know much, but I knew that I got to a place where there’s a marvelous cultural mix and tolerance is on everyone’s lips. Or at least so I thought. Turns out it is indeed a very stressed upon aspect in the work place but not so much on the streets and in people’s hearts.

Friends used to ask me what shocked me the most when I first arrived in US. And I couldn’t really think of anything. Sure, the bread and the milk have a different taste here. Then there’s the fact that you become so dependent on driving, ‘cause without a car you can hardly get anywhere.

The “funniest” thing I’ve heard: some girl from India said she was shocked by the fact that people here actually had time to be “depressed”. J In her own country nobody cares about themselves enough to be depressed; it’s all about the family and the community to which they belong. “Depressed? What is that?” In America depression is like a second nature. Everyone has been through that at one point or another.

My real shock, however, didn’t come right away. I’ve been discovering it slowly while living here. The biggest surprise was the absolute ignorance and plain stupidity that I’ve seen in some of the people who claim their Americanism by their luck of being born here.

It always makes me smile in disbelieve when people that never stepped out of USA and don’t even know how a passport looks like start belittling those from other countries shamelessly. They have no clue what other cultures are like really, but they blab away and generalize everything.

They can’t stand the French ‘cause “they’re too dumb”, or the Chinese are ‘cause “they make everything cheap and they overload the American economy” , or the Russians  cause they have “stolen everything from USA so they’re just stupid thieves”. … Just too mention a few of the things I’ve heard lately.

Also, I can’t believe how many Americans tend to be incredibly intolerant! And the worse part is they don’t even realize that they are that way.

Quite frankly, I absolutely agree that everyone who comes here planning to stay should certainly know how to speak English. Personally, I don’t see how I could ever live and work in a country where I don’t understand anything. On the other hand though, I heard this said on several occasions by some silly American: “They should put everyone who doesn’t speak English together and “throw” them over the border…”

 I’m not making this up. I’ve actually heard this from people that seemed very open minded and “educated”.

My problem with this that so many Americans don’t know how to write or even speak correct English today. And in my culture we have a saying: “Look at the tree in you eye before you see the branch in someone else’s”.

I am a first generation immigrant, but an American none the less. I speak and understand fairly well five languages; two from school, three I learned on my own. Yet some of those who can barely speak their own language still have he ridiculous “gut” to tell me that they are a better American than me.

Although some might argue that I don’t speak English better than some (with my hint of a European accent still in there), I certainly know better English than most; and I can challenge just about any “American” to prove me wrong.

My TOEFL (test of English as a foreign language) score was 220 out of 240. I’d say that’s not bad. I just took the test a couple of months ago for my MBA and I can tell you right now, I have not touched an English grammar book since high school.

People who have no clue what fighting and sacrificing everything to become an American really means are the ones who lecture and complain about things.

If that’s not the core definition of ignorance, than I don’t know what it is… 

But what amazes me the most is how easy the throw around the word “deportation” when you disagree with what they think. It’s like they can’t even tolerate freedom of speech! And that’s what drives me over the edge!

At the end of the day, we are all humans and, wherever we may live, we all share the same world and thrive under the same sun.

What brought many people here to America could be the promise of a better paid job; but for me and for most was the promise of freedom and hope.

Yet time and time again, I’ve come to see that taxes and silly restrictions (prompted by some frivolous lawsuit), as well as the incased and limited way some Americans think are starting to turn this “land of dreams” into a thrust for vengeance and sheer stupidity.

America is more and more governed by the “law of the weak”; everyone seems to have rights and protection except the normal, working people, who actually obey the laws and always do the right thing.

You don’t have to agree with me. It’s America. I’m free to think and formulate my opinions as I wish. And I’ve earned this right. I know how it is to live in a place where even thinking is a deadly sin.