There’s a passage from my favorite book, Cold Mountain that to me is the deepest insult anyone can ever say about someone. It’s when Stobrod and Pangle are set upon by the home guard who ask them to play some music:

“Stobrod did not much want to. He was tired. And figured that his audience had no thought of music, lacked entirely what was needed to love it.”

That is devastating. Do you know how broken you have to be inside to not enjoy music? I know that for some people, music is not that big of a deal. That they don’t keep up with particular bands or artists. But this feels like something different. An empathy and joy that they just can’t access because of what they’re missing.

I feel the same way when I see people complain about people not speaking English in America. Every language and I include English in that, has its own music, rhythm to it. I’m fortunate that I live in an area where I get to hear many different Asian languages. I can go to a store and if I turn off my headphones, I can hear people talking in whatever they speak.

I’m sure there’s some kind of insecurity in not knowing if people are shit talking you. But people can shit talk me all they want because this is America.

I know that it’s not just the hatred of music that makes people not want to hear other languages. It’s pointless bigotry. You want people to comply and become as miserable as you are. It’s just so boring. Language is how we express our hearts and you want to change that when you tell someone to speak in a language other than their own.

If you hear someone speaking in a different language that you don’t understand, maybe it’s best to do something that these people who tell them to speak English, don’t do. Listen and mind your fucking business.