verumai-blog

[verumai-blog]

On ‘english-only’ speaking kids

I was watching this tamil TV show ‘Neeya naana’. About kids who speak only in english with grandparents who don’t know the language. Now, I don’t give a shit either way. If the kid is too confused to pick up a certain language, go ahead and make them speak only a few words for all I care.  But what infuriated me was the condescending tone that came along with it. If a grandma asks in tamil “saapadariya”, apparently it’s making the kid sad, and they want them to ask “you want to eat?”. Are you fucking kidding me? Can you get anymore pathetic than this? The amount of your self-hate is so high that everest lost out on it! I don’t understand what the big deal in all of this. I spoke two languages so easily when I was growing up. All I could remember was the curiosity to learn new words irrespective of the language. The parents are so pathetic to tie a judgment to a language. And this is all something I remember only too well, because I have also seen these “high society” parents who would want their kids to speak only in english. We were once instructed by a “high society” grandmother to speak in english when we were chatting away in tamil. Well guess what old bag? Your granddaughter cannot understand any language at all! So much for your colonial hangover.

Fuck all of this. Fuck your colonial mindset. Stop associating a communication skill with status.