Dealing With Diversity

I'm not xenophobic, but sometime I'd like to live in a place where everyone. just. speaks. English.

Here in South Florida, we have a real melting pot. We have Southern English, Yankee English, and accents: Caribbean English, Canadian French, Haitian French, Creole, several varieties of Spanish, Mayan, Urdu, Hindi, Chinese and goodness knows what else, and I deal with those folks every day at work.

Don't get me wrong: I'm glad they're here. My ancestors came to this country to make their fortune, speaking a foreign tongue, and I don't for one moment begrudge the chance to anyone else. Neither do I subscribe to the anti-immigration bullshit that the Right uses to terrify their ignorant followers. Immigrants are what made this country what it is -- a vibrant mix of cultures that has developed a civilization unlike any that has ever existed on Earth, or likely ever will again.

The same xenophobic, bigoted crap has been said about every wave of immigrants and other folks who were different, whether it was Indians speaking about my French ancestors, or English talking about my Scotch-Irish ancestors, or those folks talking about my Native American ancestors. I never did buy it, and I never will. I also understand that it's difficult to learn a new language -- impossible after the age of about 14 without an accent, and so difficult for older adults that it might as well be impossible (especially since our cheesy government won't pay for the lessons that would enrich everyone's lives, not just the recipients). I hold in contempt the narrow-minded ignoramuses who believe all the garbage that's spouted about our nation's newcomers.

But, on a purely personal level, I get so tired of dealing with diversity. I'd just like a rest.