[lg policy] UK: London Diary: Language rigidities, fluid identities

[Harold Schiffman]

 London Diary: Language rigidities, fluid identities
COLUMNIST | *KISHWAR DESAI*
*Published *Jan 26, 2016, 12:50 am IST
*Updated *Jan 26, 2016, 12:50 am IST
It might be better, for instance, to reverse Mr Cameron’s suggested
“language” policy.
 British Prime Minister David Cameron (Photo: AP)

Extremism is a difficult issue to deal with. And yet everyone thinks they
have a solution. More so, if you are the PM of Britain. Of course, it has
to be a whole host of measures which will eventually come together, and
some might be more effective than the others. But could the language you
speak actually turn you into a terrorist?

In one of the most controversial statements of recent times, the normally
sure-footed David Cameron stumbled rather badly when he told Radio 4 that
“if you’re not able to speak English, not able to integrate, you may find
therefore you have challenges understanding what your identity is and
therefore you could be more susceptible to the extremist message coming
from Daesh.” Oh dear.

Among his critics is the erstwhile co-chair of the Conservatives, Baroness
Sayeeda Warsi, who felt that whilst language skills were of great use in
getting a job, they had no direct link to terrorism.

Speaking of “minority communities”, how many of us genuinely believe that
the UK is a White country? Certainly, some of its areas are, especially in
the Midlands. But London is now more or less completely taken over by us,
the migrants. Balle, balle! All of us, together, now have crossed 50 per
cent of the population. I remember when my mother had come to London she
had been astonished at the lack of Whites on the streets.

Could they really be called the majority community? According to government
statistics, the percentage of White Britishers in London has halved in the
last 40 years! It has dropped sharply from 86 per cent to 45 per cent. That
is an astonishing statistic — and it only goes to give the British National
Party another reason to shout about. But what is even more surprising is
that London has more than half a million illegal migrants. Is this what
happens when a country has been ruling half the world for centuries? All
the chickens seem to have, literally, come home to roost!

My only worry now is what will happen to all those authors who write about
the Asian migrant angst in UK? Or will the White Brits now begin to write
books about being a minority?

So, obviously, migrants are now the heart and soul of London. And given the
fact that the Syrian refugee crisis is far from over, there are going to be
more and more foreign nationals arriving on this small island, and heading
undoubtedly for London. Calls are coming from leaders of many parties to be
more humanitarian and Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party, has
been insisting that children who have arrived unaccompanied by their
parents in Europe should be given safe harbour in the UK.

As one had written in the last column, there is a fear that the immigrant
population, especially the adults, bring certain behaviour patterns,
particularly towards women. And this has led, quite quaintly, to the
Austrian authorities issuing cartoons, to be placed in public spaces, which
they believe will stop the migrants from misbehaving.

One of the cartoons depicts a man with his hand raised, towering over a
woman, obviously ready to beat her. This has a large cross over it, in bold
red, indicating it is forbidden. Another cartoon shows gay lovers kissing
each other, and has been marked with a green tick, i.e. acceptable
behaviour. The problem with such simple signage is that it can be
misinterpreted. Can’t there be better means to communicate?

It might be better, for instance, to reverse Mr Cameron’s suggested
“language” policy. Instead of migrants learning the English language, the
resident community could learn theirs. It might give the host country a
chance to appreciate some parts of the migrant culture  — and help migrants
learn about the country they have entered.
And last but not the least, UK has been mourning the death of one of its
best homegrown talent: David Bowie, a multi-talented iconic musician. Those
shoes, those clothes, that music! The music might live on though, as  news
has come in that he had prepared records to be released after his death.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/columnists/260116/london-diary-language-rigidities-fluid-identities.html

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