Monolingualism only serves to promote ignorance

'If you are ____ you are spreading ignorance.'

Let me take a run at filling in the ____ .

- proud of the fact that you don't read certain newspapers don't watch certain TV channels, don't listen to certain radio stations, because based on hearsay, you don't agree with them

- denigrate and demonize people you disagree with

- are and atheist or religious and feel superior about it

- if you are liberal and demean conservatives without listening

- if you are conservative and demean liberals without listening

- if you believe that one skin colour trumps another.....

Shall I go on? We all fall to some of these foibles from time to time, but as long as it happens without ill intentions and malice we should just agree to disagree and hope that we did not spread ignorance.

That's a decent run at it YJ.

Speaking strictly about the language issue for a minute, I've been told now from this article that unilingualism (gives Dex a nod), breeds ignorance, and, when I was discussing previoiusly the fact that my kids are in French immersion, I was told that having them learn two languages breeds divisiveness. For the purpose of this discussion, I really don't feel the intention of the person who was against bilingualism meant anything much different from ignorance.

So, in digesting on these ideas for a minute, I came very simply to the conclusion that the issue lies not in people who choose to speak languages as the desire or opportunity comes naturally to them, or with the government who has to try to meet the needs and wishes of its people, but rather, with the people who lend such incredible weight to ultimately minor differences.

Among others, yes. No, obviously they didn't, but (a) they were Quebecers, (b) they were violent, to the point of murder, and (c) they aren't the only Quebecers who've displayed violence in recent times.

And yet they were still few in numbers to actually represent a portion of the population.

Monolingualism promotes ignorance? How well do multilinguists understand monolinguists? I can't say how many times I've been in the company of people who know my French is limited and yet they speak French in front of me as if I am not there. Same for a couple Swiss German-speakers here. How does that not promote ignorance?