English

I can't stress enough how important the English language is.

Coming from a family that is mainly English educated, and also mostly because my Mandarin sucks max, English is very important to me. So you can understand my frustration when people I converse with don't know what the fuck I'm trying to say, especially those Cina-Thinking bunch, who always call me a "West-Worshipper".

I'd like to clear things up by saying: I DO NOT WORSHIP ANYONE OTHER THAN MY GOD! I don't care if your preacher claims that your God greater and better than mine, leave me the fuck alone and don't try and preach to me about how great your God is. Everyone has their own believes and I respect that but just don't try to convert me.

Anyways, this posting is about English, so we'll leave debate of the religion aspect for future postings.

Like it or not, English is very important. Everywhere you go, English is the one international language that holds you together. In today's working world, whether this country likes to admit it or not, English is widely used everywhere. You go to a major corporation to meet someone, you speak English. You don't see people use Mandarin or Bahasa Melayu. English is extremely important.

I've been talking to quite a number of those conservative Cina-thinking bunch lately, who thinks that they as Chinese, Mandarin is the one and only important thing to them. Ok, fine with me, that's your preference. (If I worship the West, does this make you an East Worshiper?) But you coming to my face and tell me that all Chinese MUST speak Mandarin???? And you ONLY speak Mandarin to everyone who is Chinese? That's just too much! Yes, I am Chinese, but who say Chinese cannot excel in other languages other than their own? I am still Chinese, I don't forget my roots, and that's all that matters! If you're so staunch a Chinese, can you master all the local Chinese dialects? If you can't don't come to me with this bullshit!

When asked what do they speak when they work, they proudly reply: English!

The first thing that crossed my mind was: What the fuck?! If yu really think that English is unnecessary, why use it? Why not speak Mandarin to your Malaysian-Chinese boss? Or better still, why not attend an interview and tell your interviewer you refuse to speak English with her because she is Chinese and you would prefer to converse in Mandarin to all Chinese. See if you can still get that job?!

Wake up and smelll the shit people! It's the new millennium we're living in. You wanna speak Mandarin everyday, everywhere you go? Here's a thought: As Maureen nicely puts it - "Go back to China!"

- jessism © 28122007 -