Close to home
English is a funny old language. When an area of a city is populated by the (mostly non white) poor, it’s called a ghetto. If it’s populated by (mostly white) rich folks it’s referred to as exclusive.
When people move to another country in search of a better life they’re called economic immigrants. Unless of course they’re moving from a predominantly white, western country. Then the term is ex-pats.
When English speaking people move to another country they’re applauded if they learn even a smattering of the local language. When people move to English speaking countries they are expected to speak faultless, accentless English from day one. I know several Asian doctors who have lived in this country since their early twenties, speak better English than 98% of the population and yet still have patients who turn to the nursing staff and ask “What’s he saying? Can’t understand a word he’s saying”.
Despite criticism [of the BBC at least], journalists continue to use the term “… no-one has claimed responsibility for the attack” rather than the (to me, preferred) “admitted responsibility”. And I’ve noticed that “asserted responsibility” seems to be gaining a little popularity recently, as in this Washington Post article.
If this were a journal style blog I’d have written this weekend about the car bomb in Doha.
I woke up in the early hours of Saturday morning gasping for air, certain that the reservoir behind us had burst its banks and that we were desperately trying to escape. Peering through the window I realised that the (40 ft thick) walls were still intact but the feeling of dread stayed with me throughout the day. Even the Grand Slam victory for Wales didn’t lessen the feeling.
And then late on Saturday I heard about the suicide bombing. My niece attends that school, she was due to break for Easter next week and then complete her last term before moving to secondary (high) school. Her main concern was at missing her best friend, who will be going to the Islamic school. Now I guess the main worry is when will the school be able to re open and will the children (of all races and religions, it’s known as the English school simply because classes are taught in English) be able to go back.
Do I want them to come home immediately? Yes of course. Do I want them to stay and enjoy the life they’re building? Yes of course. Eight months in and they love Doha. The people are wonderful, the climate hot and life there is geared toward the family.
Is this a long rambling post? Yes. Sorry. Normal service to be resumed in the near future.
March 21st, 2005 14:31
Sometimes a long rambling post is what you need. Thanks for sharing that with us.
March 21st, 2005 14:33
I’ve always attributed the use of claiming responsibility rather than admitting it as a purposeful indication that there is pride rather than shame in being the perpetrator.
March 21st, 2005 15:20
Ghetto is a little dated, I haven’t heard any neighborhood called that in a while, and I live in NY. Exclusive, because it excludes biggest part of the population (me included) who can’t afford to live there. In my neighborhood the ‘white’ population are probably a minority, and to be honest, if I was purchasing a house now, I wouldn’t be able to afford to live here. My house has tripled in price over the space of 8 years.
Never been called an immigrant, or an ex-pat - most call me an alien. Used to be illegal-alien, now it’s legal alien :o
If I moved to a non English speaking country I’d make a point of learning the language. It’s very costly for a city to make subway signs, maps, instructions, etc in 4 different languages, better for the city to spend it’s money on education, improving roads so I don’t hit pot holes constantly.
“Claimed responsibility” is a term which has been used for years. Even back in the IRA bombing days.
Claimed, admitted, asserted - all boils down to the same thing, it’s just semantics.
Bottom line, different people interpret words in a different ways. Can’t please everyone all the time.
March 21st, 2005 18:50
Firstly, so happy your neice and all the family are safe - that is the #1 priority. I get those occasional feelings of “harm is near” and am not happy until I have checked in with all family members and friends. I also like to know if my blogger friends are allright when I don’t see their post on a regular basis. And, indeed, I wondered if you were ill. As far as the semantics, the use of claimed indicates pride as in claiming a prize or an award. It can also mean “not proven to be as such” or “not yet confirmed”. I am hoping the “unproven” is the case. Then there is the English thing - I was in Georgia, U.S. recently and heard a group of people speaking English with such colloquial terms that I had no idea what they were saying. So I was a foreigner in my own country.
March 21st, 2005 21:15
The phrase “claimed responsibility” is better because it is the most accurate. When a group says that it was responsible for some bombing you can treat this only as a claim. It is not unheard of for groups to claim responsibility for things they did not do. If you say they “admitted responsibility” it sounds like their guilt is established.
Also, a friend of mine from Germany told me he’s found British people very tolerant of mistakes he’s made when speaking English. It annoyed him, as he’d rather have his mistakes pointed out so he could learn from them.
March 22nd, 2005 07:59
Here (the Western Isles) us non-Gaels are called White Settlers, which (I’m ashamed to admit) makes me smile.
March 23rd, 2005 12:47
English and the Western world’s “strangle-hold” on the world’s economy have much to do with how the world interacts. The “Western world” isn’t perfect; not by a long shot. We are, however, centuries ahead of other cultures which, as rich in history and diversity as they are, are more backwards in their thinking than we were a hundred years ago.
Yes, we took most of what we have by force. They’ve done the same. The difference is that now we feel bad for what we did and they are still under the impression that might makes right. We were given the opportunity to see our transgressions and learn from them, but at the same time there’s no denying that we would have NEVER have become the world powers (in Military as well as technology and ideology) that we are now had we our current apologetic attitudes then as we do now. Men fought and DIED so that you and I can talk about how horrible their efforts were to the indigenous peoples of the world from our comfortable living situations.
We took over the world as a whole. Our culture has infiltrated other cultures everywhere. Our economy became the world’s economy. Our business language became the world’s business language. We won. Now we’re supposed to feel bad for our situation because those winners took advantage of existing opportunities?
Bullcrap.
And I’m praying for your family: A home in a war-zone is still in a war-zone.
The people are wonderful
Some of the people there would kill them as infidels and be praised for their “heroic” actions and never, ever be tried for a crime.
the climate is hot
So is Arizona’s and New Mexico’s. There are no groups dedicated to blowing up SCHOOLS there.
and life there is geared toward the family.
Of course it is. “I wonder if my FAMILY will be killed by someone on a fast-track to Islamic heaven?” or “I wonder if I’ll have every member of my FAMILY home after we take a trip to the market, or if some will be shot by snipers/kidnapped and executed in an orange jumpsuit.”
Living anywhere outside the western world is a gamble. MY family is too important for me to gamble on them.
April 2nd, 2005 08:01
I’m not going to respond to the above comments - he’s not worth it……..but I do feel sorry for his family.
One question for everyone - how many of you would feel safe to let you 11 year old daughter and 15 year old son walk 500m to your local KFC at 10pm - I do.
I couldn’t back in the UK!!
Doha is a lovely place to live.