This Is America...You Can't Speak That Language Here

     If you look back at the history of this country it is hard to imagine how we arrived here, at this moment in 2010.  The discrimination of so many people must surely have evoked some divine retribution from a higher benevolent power--believed by a close friend to be a female....but that feminism article has yet to come.  Discrimination comes in all sorts of shades--most simply associate it with the enslavement of blacks during the formation of this country.  However, discrimination is not limited to physical prejudices.  The most prevalent type of prejudice is not physical enslavement.  It is the irrational fear exhibited towards the language, culture, and belief structure of another culture resulting in the subjugation of that group. 

     In America, Hispanics unfortunately suffer the brunt of prejudicial sentiments of that depraved portion of society who regard members of other races, or indeed their own, to be inferior in some shape or form.   

     This article however, does not deal with the discrimination of Hispanics--although they are a usual favorite of society.  I never particuarly understood why....they have an absolutely beautiful culture.  If you have had the opportunity to attend or even watch a hispanic festival or gathering--you know what I am talking about.  And the food!  My, my, my--anyone with food that good should be given an award...not prejudice.  No this article actually deals with a group of Filipino workers at Delano Regional Medical Center who were prejudiced against because they spoke their language, Tagalog, at work.  The complaint of the group is that they were unfairly prejudiced against on the basis of their language.  Ironically enough, the complaint alleges that Spanish speakers were freely allowed to speak their language while the Filipino's became the recipients of unfair work-place treatment.  The use of the language occured outside the bounds of patient/hospital staff contact--removed from any individual who could have possibly been insulted or otherwise affected by the use of the language. 

     Granted, I am not saying that the use of a foreign language in the presence of English-speaking patients is beneficial.  It's use would be completely inappropriate--hospital efficiency would be cut in half, and then halved again.  Patient complaints would fill up the adminstrative bureaucracy's offices and doctors would leave in droves.  But the complaint by this group of workers alleges that they were prevented from speaking their native language on breaks.  Now lets go crazy here and ask for a little bit of reason, but is it really necessary to prevent a group of Filipino workers from speaking their own language on a break in which they converse...among themselves? 

     The use of a foreign language by immigrants is, if anything, of a positive nature.  It is, in an appropriate context, a reminder of the culture of the individual--a promotion of ethnic individuality and uniqueness.  Culture above all else is something that should be maintained regardless of location.  Many Hispanics live in the southern and western portions of the United States and the language of a great portion of those areas reflects this.  Despite this, the mother of a very close friend of mine lost her job due to the fact that she spoke Spanish on her break.  Modern society is inundated with examples of racism and prejudice towards the language of other cultures.  People should not be prejudiced against with this facet of culture as a premise--it prevents the expression of individuality.  Without culture, you, me, and Mr. Dupree all become the same person.  Being a European in a foreign country, I am especially aware of this--my culture is a defining aspect of who I am.  To prevent these workers from being able to talk in their native tongue, the most fundamentally basic mode of expression, is to figuratively euthanize the expression and immersion of themselves in their culture. 

     If the discrimination itself was not bad enough, there is an additional element.  The complaint alleges that the hospital threatened to use video surveillance to ensure that the workers complied with the racist rules of hospital management.  Furthermore, workers outside the Filipino ethnicity were encouraged to report the use of Tagalog to their superiors.  For the management to sink to the level of childish tattling, in which employees were encouraged to tell on their Filipino co-workers is pathetic.  It perfectly captures the racist and childish sentiments exhibited by that depraved portion of society. 

     The discrimination that is so rampant in society is explicity demonstrated by the actions of this hospital.  How can society strive to achieve anything, move beyond what appears to be an in-built tendency to prejudice, or attain a universally accepted way of life if people are prevented from using their native language to express themselves?  If we as a society are truly to move past the sentiments of racism, we absolutely need to root out discrimination in all forms.  Start with language.  Its a beginning.