Take off the blindfolds

I can relate to Zach Rubio, the 16-year-old suspended for briefly speaking Spanish at school. We’re both fluent in another language, speak unaccented English, and have grown up with the opportunity and ability to understand more than one culture.

We have only one significant difference: if I were to speak Swedish in a hallway, nobody would suspend me. It is, unfortunately and unfairly, a true statement; let me explain. I don’t pose a threat. See, Swedes are everywhere but we’re spread out and we blend. We’re considered okay because we’re Europeans and even though many people have no idea where Sweden is on a map, I don’t endure as many hurtful stereotypes and nicknames as my Mexican friends. I fly under the radar because I’m white. It always surprises friends when I hear someone speaking Swedish on the street and jump in and start speaking to them.

But I’m no different from Zach.

Fear is the only reason Zach was suspended. That’s why he poses a threat and I don’t. Nobody is scared of a Swedish person because there aren’t enough of us around to make anyone fear that we’re becoming a majority (and for the record, we’re not all white… Sweden is changing, too). There is no fear that Swedish will become the national language of the U.S., that Swedes will force everyone to shop at IKEA and eat meatballs every Sunday, that Swedes are using up all the tax dollars because we’re printing extra voting materials in a different language. See my point? It’s not only in Kansas where incidents like this suspension happen, it’s just not always visible.

The thing is, we are lucky and we don’t even appreciate it. In the U.S., we are surrounded by the opportunity to learn about various people and places, taste foods from around the world, spend time in neighborhoods with unique characteristics and energy, learn new dances or traditions, hear new music, and listen to languages we don’t understand while observing body language or facial expressions to try and understand. But rather than relish in our differences, many let fear overcome any ability to appreciate something foreign.

"Fear is not the natural state of civilized people." ~ Aung San Suu Kyi

Zach received an apology for his suspension last week. To me, the incident is a clear reminder that we still have a long way to go.