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The f$#&@!* American guy!

2 comments | Wednesday, December 19, 2007

I still couldn't get it over. The f***ing incident with a conceited American guy just keeps on coming back to me, even to this moment! The story goes like this:

Mr. Y is my friend.
Mr. X is Mr. Y's American friend.
Composed Gentleman (CG) is me.

I met my friend's American friend, Mr. X, while having lunch at the Student Union. As if to strike a conversation --

Mr. X asked: Where are you from?
CG: I'm from the islands in the Pacific. The Philippines.
Mr. X: Is there someone you know from your country who's here in Brookings?
CG: As far as I know, I am alone. How I wish I could meet one Filipino someday. I am starting to miss my dialect.
Mr. X (about to eat his noodles): It's better for you to not to meet any of them, so you can improve your English accent!

SILENCE. That instant, I said to myself, "this guy is only kidding me". But he wasn't.

I was taken aback, glued to my seat.

Mr. Y (sensing the sudden change of mood): But his accent is better than mine and the rest of us, isn't it? I think he has a good command of the English language.

SILENCE again.

Mr. Y (trying to really break the ice): Your accent, is that common here in America?
Mr. X this time started to explain how he acquired his "good" accent from his good education background (comparing himself to locals from other States). He mentioned how he mastered all the English terms and idioms through his strong desire to learning the language - the English language, his native tongue. He said he was so attentive in class.

Then he began to utter sample of clichés. "You know what a cliché is?", he asked with judgment in his look that we didn't know the word. Before I could even stop him from further demeaning us by defining it straight to our faces, he gave the definition of cliché: "It is something that when you say it often, it loses it's meaning".

Huh? Loses its meaning? Helloooooo! Correction please. A cliché or idea never loses its meaning. The idea only has lost its originality or intended force through overuse, but never loses the meaning. Cliché can also mean overused expression.

This American guy totally sucks! I would suggest that he should let his mind work first before he utters words he himself don't know. Before he brags of his fluency in English, he must realize first whom he is talking to. I don't brag of my know-how because I am not a native English speaker. I am just someone who reads too much novels, magazines, newspapers, journals and writes too many essays and poems -- all in my second language, English. I am just someone who thinks this American guy would never beat me in any English exam.

I intend not be like him, nor pursue his not-so-impressive accent. I am proud of what I have and I do not want to be like anyone else.

Although at some point I'd think what he did was discrimination, I still try to compose myself and think differently. Discrimination in the United States is a big deal.

I pity Mr. X for being so hifalutin. Most of the time, this attitude doesn't get someone anywhere. I hope he realizes it sooner before he get killed by someone who doesn't have the patience and control like I had.

Mr. X, here is my final advice: go and learn your clichés!
*****
Whenever I see him around the campus, I am reminded of his discriminating act! Damn him!

Labels: USA Blogging