(04-20-2015, 09:06 AM)Viewfromthe42 Wrote: I am Caucasian myself, but with the language issue, it becomes a barrier. The many non-Caucasian friends I have had in life have tended to speak better of Canadian experiences when they sought to speak English in public, and Hindi/Farsi/Cantonese/etc at home or within those community centres.
Imagine for a moment a couple talking about random subjects, and looking at you, then your kids, then someone else, then some birds. Now, imagine them looking in the same ways, but this time they are covering their mouths and whispering while doing the same things. That barrier suddenly creates discomfort, and it can be the same when speaking a language not understood by anyone around. ...
This is odd to me, as someone who is white and has occasion to speak a language other than English in public. I don't think I have encountered this myself in KW, nor have I really felt that towards others. Now, if this experience is limited to non-white people who speak languages other than English, then our community may have a problem....