COMMENTARY | I saw the headline and my jaw dropped.
"Gingrich hits Mitt Romney for knowing how to speak French" on The Ticket left me flabbergasted. Is being ignorant of other cultures part of the new requirement to be president? Shall we officially institute the tradition of Ugly American and make it mandatory for the White House?
When Jon Huntsman spoke Mandarin during last Saturday's debate, there were people upset, according to the Yahoo! poll I was following. You can read the actual exchange on the Huffington Post.
In Europe, most people speak at least two, often three or more, languages. People who only speak one language are generally considered arrogant. The French are notorious for not bothering to learn any other language but theirs, and the rest of Europe considers them rude. I had a chat with a French tourist in Malta about this, in French. This was after I helped him figure out where to catch the bus, and he was humbled and grateful.
People who live in close proximity to other cultures understand that what they know is not the center of the universe. Understanding another language is how you understand a culture even more deeply. To be a citizen of the world takes lateral thinking and effort.
Romney went up in my estimation for having taken the time to understand the culture he lived in. French is not an easy language.
Our ethnocentricity is notorious overseas. This is why many people in other countries do not like us. I know this firsthand because I was living in Malta when 9/11 happened. Some people cared and showed support, and many others told me to suck it up, because we Americans deserved what we got. I met some Americans there who I'm sure contributed to this view. They were the ones who lived in Malta for decades and never bothered to learn the language, and whenever they wanted something they flashed money.
Gingrich's ad also blasts Romney for his voting history, particularly because he voted Democrat at some time in the dim past. So what?
I'd rather vote for a candidate who votes by what he believes rather than blindly following the party line.
Gingrich is not only revealing his true colors, he is reveling in them, and expecting us to like it. The message is: Don't be interested in other cultures. It's un-American. Don't ever vote outside your party, no matter what your conscience dictates.
I, Newt, am the only right and true way, and all you other Bozos (carnival music in the background) are losers.
Democrats eat their young.
Really Newt, it's getting painful. Can you give it up please and just accept that we don't like you?
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