Me, Myself, and Eye

Everyday of my life I try to learn, unlearn, and re-learn. Sometimes I don't even re-learn what I un-learn because it was a waste of time and space in my brain; I'll just take away the lesson from the whole ordeal. I sit back and contemplate shit and analyze it in a manner which others probably wouldn't and it influences how I express myself. I always have to know why things are the way they are, because everything I believe which is taught to us by an authoritive figure comes with an agenda. I've never used a math formula at the Macys or needed to break down photosynthesis in the vegetable section of Pathmark. I mean those were two easy ones but let's look a little bit deeper than that...

The English language is a very peculiar one, a very harmful tool. The fact that we as citizens of this country who now call ourselves "natives," look down upon or discriminate against people who come here and prefer to use their native tongue. I find that shit fascinating being that the United States of America has no official language. What's even more fascinating is that there are African countries whose official language is English, but we'll delve into that later. As a nation (yes all of us) we will unite as one to hate something or someone, and if you're offended by me including you as us then tell me what you're doing that is effective enough to end this hatred; and yes, I include myself. When civilizations were conquered, one of the weapons used to destroy a people was to strip them of their language and force your's upon them.

I may have lost some people (hopefully not) by calling English a weapon, let me elaborate. If you take 10 Black people from 10 different countries, there is a very great chance we all speak a different language. If you take 10 people from Hispanic decent, there is a great chance they'll be able to carry on a conversation. Now this is not to say that all people of Hispanic decent speak or understand Spanish, but there is a greater possibility they'll be able to. My family is from all over the Carib Islands and so are most of my friends. They all speak just about one language which is English or  sometimes a creole'd or patois version of it (except for those from Haiti who speak a Haitin Creole). Them coming to America and learning American English did not really effect their lives like people who've never spoken an English word in their life before they got here. The English language can shape and shift one's culture, because the way it translate other languages is in a manner to which makes no sense to someone who knows no other language except English. To translate a statement from Mandarin or French to English gives it a very literal meaning and no space for ambiguity, two of many contradictory factors the English language thrives on. Double-meanings and vagueness can be harmful to someone whose native tongue spoken to be clear and understood.

Let's explore how the English language views the speakers. When we learn our first words and how to spell them, we break down words into categories. The most simple version: noun, adjective, and verb. I would like to speak on nouns, because nouns are us. We the nouns of the world are usually cultured to care for ourselves and told it is human instinct to be selfish. Through various outlets and influences, we're taught to be selfish and think we are the most important person to ourselves. Now I just used we and ourselves although I meant you which translates to I because you are reading it to yourself. Nevermind the last word "yourself" because that also breaks to you and I. All of those words showed a double meaning except for I, because all of those words could include a group of people. We are a very long way from the days of community, and in fact with the oppressive English language comes a driving force which breaks down that notion of thinking a group of people is more important than you (you meaning I because you're reading it to yourself). We're taught to capitalize the letter "i" (I) when speaking about ourself. I am is not im it's I'm. I have is not i've it's I've. Even when we add a word to the letter, it is still capitalized. Rule of thumb is that we always capitalize the first let of the first word in a sentence. So words like we, they, them, us, you, him, her, etc... are all capitalized (first letter) when starting a sentence, but never again in a sentence. Why is that? Why are we emphasizing on ourselves by capitalizing the letter "i" when speaking about ourselves at all times, but not when we're speaking about us as a whole? Should those type of words which include and involve others be as important as I? People who come from other cultures who do not learn the English language usually come here because of the conditions they've lived in which are most of the time poor countries. They come from a village or town where everyone relies on one another to survive and now they're being taught a language which negates & oppresses any sense or thought of community, just worry about I. We, them, they, us, him, her are just filler words used in sentences to make them complete and bring some sort of awareness that you're not speaking about yourself. Well if you were speaking about yourself we'd all know by that single slither of a font in the alphabet which sticks out in every sentence we write about ourselves; how else would we remember to remember abour ourself? Peace Yall!