Real Americans are not offended by diversity.

I love hearing the sounds of other languages in a grocery store or other public venue when a family is speaking, for example, Spanish. It’s the sound of a genuine America. Spoken in a predominately English-speaking environment, where a rude stranger can be expected to tell you to go back to “where you belong,” it is also courageously honest.

Chicana scholar Gloria Anzaldua said, “I am my language,” adding, “Until I take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself.” Americans who take pride in English should welcome others taking pride in their language.

For some inexplicable reason, that tends to anger some white Americans. A recent Pew poll concluded that nearly half of white Republicans and 18% of white Democrats become angry upon hearing someone speak a language other than English.

What’s that about? What could possibly create that sort of reaction? Paranoia? Intolerance? My guess is that before some politicians stirred animosity toward those who are different, this was not a problem.

The language other than English most likely to be heard around these parts is Spanish. Spanish has a special grace distinguishing it from and making it more dignified than English. Spanish is lyrical, almost poetic, especially when heard in public and spoken in love in a familial relationship.

As adjectives trail nouns, one gets a sense of purpose otherwise inexpressible in English. English seems intentionally designed to confuse listeners. Spanish is intentional about alleviating confusion. For example, the use of an “o” or an “a” signaling masculine or feminine informs listeners that gender is part and parcel to speaking when a precise communication is more than utilitarian. It is respectful.

Complaining about someone you don’t know, speaking a language you cannot understand betrays a narrowness of mind and experience. As the world grows smaller, second and third languages will be required for successful participation in the U.S. and international economy, politics, and travel.

Those satisfied with knowing only their own language, and yet angered when hearing another, are surrendering to a self-destructive chauvinism serving neither them nor their community.  

I am delighted the elementary school my grandchildren attend teaches them Spanish. The ability to speak another language will enable them to participate in the wonderful diversity of our nation. Thankfully, the United States has no official language. Whether sitting on a subway in New York or in the mall in Cheyenne or a dentist’s office in Laramie, you’ll hear people around you speaking Spanish, Mandarin, or a variety of other languages.

It’s the sound of freedom, a true expression of e pluribus unum. Taking offense when those around you speak a language other than English makes your world smaller than God Intended. It betrays an insecurity that is neither patriotic nor tolerant.

Remember that time when the early Jesus followers “came together” and “each heard the others speaking in their own languages” and how everything turned out well for them? It’s in the Bible.

At the Tower of Babel, God gave everyone a different language to confuse them in their effort to be God-like. Today, in order to avoid confusion and get along with one another, it matters that we know, or at the least respect one another’s language.

Heaven knows we don’t enjoy enough diversity in Wyoming. Making room for the little you do encounter doesn’t ask much.

Whether you travel anywhere else on this planet or only within Wyoming, you’ll inevitably hear people speaking other languages. It’s what God intended when God created such a wonderfully diverse world. As you encounter those who speak another language, recognize the experience as a reflection of God’s perfect intent.

If you become angry enough about a stranger speaking a language not your own that you are compelled to confront them in public, you may or may not be someone who takes an assault weapon into a Walmart to target Mexicans, but you are somewhere on that continuum.

Real Americans are not offended by diversity. They celebrate it and welcome its display.