diplomatic-immunity.dk

I have never been much of a wordsmith, as I am often in a hurry to exchange ideas or find out more about a different culture. I know, I know. Not being precise in your wording and grammar can lead to misunderstandings and worse. What could be worse? Well, “worse” could be total incomprehensibility. I am not talking about the “spin” kind of incomprehensibility, like when a spokesman for the United States government can’t get the words “we use torture” over his lips, but rather the “what the hell are they on about” kind of incomprehensibility. I am absolutely positive that I from time to time mangle whatever language I am writing or speaking as well, but I know my limitations and would never claim that I am infallible. English is an international language and is mangled on a daily basis by people that tend to equate “familiar” with “fluent”. There are a number of books that have been written with anecdotes about how other nationalities mangle the English language.

One of my favorite stories on this topic comes from my brother in law. He told me about a small Danish turnkey dairy company that was very successful in Europe, but wanted to expand their horizons. The head of the company went down to the local copy shop (!) where the company got their folders and brochures printed. He asked the owner of the copy shop if he couldn’t drum up some sort of English language campaign for the company. “Yes, yes, English is my best” says the owner of the copy shop and the rest is history, as they say. The copy shop owner made a fundamental linguistic mistake. He mistook the use of “construct” and “erect” in the English language. The title on the campaign brochures should have been “construction all over the world”, but instead was “erections all over the world”. While this was an obvious mistake, it none the less attracted much attention, for obvious reasons, and helped garner a steep increase in business for the company.

The story never fails to be an ice breaker in the right company. It is a reminder of what we all have in common as people, regardless of race, culture or religion.

“Give me, give me, give me just a little smile, that’s all I ask of you…”

Sunshine and relatively warm weather have finally hit Denmark. People have started to relax a little bit. Taking some time to smell the roses, as it were. That doesn’t mean that Danes as such become more friendly to people that they don’t know. You can always spot the people that feel at home in Denmark, but have been living abroad for some years. It takes a year or two after having returned to Denmark, to perfect the art of blank stares on the buses and trains. Returnees having yet to adapt to the local mindset are almost always the ones that talk to the cashier in the checkout line, comment on things to their fellow train or bus passengers, smile as they are walking down the high street, etc.

People from the so called “western world” consider themselves in general to be hospitable and in some cases we are. A vacation a generation ago was to exotic places like Spain and Italy. Today we travel further – to Africa, Latin America and Asia. We expect the locals to be “hospitable” as we are spending money to visit them. The connection that develops between money and hospitality can be a slippery slope. The local population becomes dependent on tourism and we get used to the idea that we can pay for hospitality. The reality is that hospitality comes from the culture and the ethical basis of the culture and not from the wallet.

Refugees and immigrants to Denmark often find that they are expected to be thankful for living here. This, regardless of their background. Imagine a young American immigrant to Denmark being told as part of his “career counseling” that he should be thankful for the honor of living in Denmark. No mention that Danes should be thankful for the Marshal Aid that they received after WW II from the US. A Greek friend of mine has both a Greek university degree, an MA degree from a Danish university, a BA degree from a Swiss university and another BA from a British university. The only job he can get in Denmark is sorting the mail at a postal distribution center. Many refugees and immigrants have skills that could enrich Danish society both culturally and commercially, if they were valued and utilized.

Topless bathing has been a longtime sport at the local beaches; now it is allowed in public swimming halls in the Copenhagen area and a burgeoning export is taking place to many new countries where Danes vacation. Despite having been a fan of the female form since I was very young, I find it to be weird bordering on bizarre that wearing religious symbols in public should be more controversial for some politicians and opinion makers than bare breasted women, as this last week’s newspaper headlines can corroborate .

While globalization and multiculturalism need not necessarily be goals in and of themselves, intercultural and interfaith cooperation and understanding is much preferable to cultural (and religious) arrogance, smugness and inhospitality.