American Speech Syndrome (A.S.S.)

Since all afflictions now have initials, I will use the acronym, A.S.S., for my newly discovered malady. I recently had the pleasure of attending a Global Credit Solutions conference in Lisbon, Portugal. Lisbon is a wonderful city. There is centuries of history all around you, even under the streets. At the same time it is a modern, fast moving metropolis. This GCS meeting was attended by representatives of approximately 40 countries. There were many things that impressed me in this meeting. No one was killed, no one was injured, and no one even argued! Why can’t they do that at the United Nations? I was humbled by the fact that the majority of the Nations that attended have native languages other than English. However, the meeting was held completely in English and every representative had a working knowledge of the English language. I realize that English is informally “The language of business”, but I must admit I felt a bit of awe looking at all these people from as far away as China and Africa speaking English. The extent of my linguistic skill involves cursing in 4 or 5 different languages.

I can only speak for myself and my A.S.S. One thing that strikes me whenever I go to Europe is that there are so many foreigners there. Why don’t these people understand me? I even go out of my way to speak louder and still they look at me like I’m speaking a foreign language. That is so annoying. Same thing happens when I speak slower, go figure. Don’t they know that Americans expect them to understand and speak our English? Certainly it makes no difference if we speak with an accent from Maine, Alabama, Minnesota, or New Orleans. If we understand it, so should they.

The previous paragraph, in case you were wondering, was an example of A.S.S. It was also completely tongue-in cheek. Remember when I warned you about my sense of humor? We Americans (?) usually speak only one language and get frustrated when we can’t communicate with someone from a different land. I followed the word Americans with a question mark because it is a vague term. Technically, everyone from the Hudson Bay down to the Strait of Magellan is American, South American, North American, but still American. Calling someone from the Americas, the two continents sliced only by a thin canal at Panama, "American" is technically correct. But the term is sanctioned to refer only to those from the United States. Perhaps that in itself is a symptom of A.S.S. or just simply arrogant. How did this term gain recognition? How does any slang word gain recognition... simply through its use. Curiously, the term "American," did not begin in the United States, it was used by the British, or to be exact, citizens of England in the early 1800s. At that time, England was thought of as arrogant by other nations and cultures. During the late 1700s and early 1800s, Great Britain was after all the world's super power. After a few wars, the British saw only one other true player on the map, America.

But I digress, we are talking about A.S.S. The way I see it, the purpose of traveling abroad is to explore new cultures and see new things. Perhaps to gain a perspective outside of your own, broaden your horizons and open your mind. Doesn't that seem a bit at odds with spending your first week in a foreign country suffering from A.S.S?

I don't mean to sound self-righteous, and I recognize that I am certainly no better than anyone else, but I am finding it easier and easier to understand why people in other countries are sometimes disdainful of Americans.

It is not uncommon, especially in the New York metropolitan area, to get annoyed with people who do not speak English. Maybe, just maybe, if we treated these people as guests, instead of pests, the world might start to change its view of the people of the United States. It’s worth a try.

David Ward, CEO