English is not just a language in Pakistani society. It is the proof of one’s education and a symbol of sophistication and class. Above all, it is a sign that the speaker can be treated as a human. Parents go to great lengths to ensure their children can speak English.
And those who cannot are the pariahs in the bourgeoisie world. And if these ill-speaking English people are the employees/workers, they are probably some subhuman entities that are just there because of their functionality. Every other day, we get to see how this mentality is thriving in our country. Today has been once such day.
A video has been doing rounds on social media where the owners of a café, Cannoli, can be seen humiliating their manager for not speaking proper English. The video has irked internet users immensely. However, many have been raising the question if all of us are guilty of having this mentality at some point. The complex of the English language is a bitter truth. It can be attributed to our colonial roots.
During the British rule, the seths and public servants used to take pride in their mannerism and ability to communicate in English. Behind this pride was the envy they felt toward the folks who ordered them around. This envy transferred and intensified among the so-called underlings who were below in status than these seths. They looked up to those who had it in them to imitate the people who ruled over them.
Even when freed, our people seem to have inherited this mentality. Just as in the colonial time, people who can speak English would earn society’s respect and even get more job prospects. The same mentality peeked through the behavior of those café owners today. Notably, the manager has been working there for nine years. And yet, he could not get the due respect for his work. A clarification (if we can call it that) has been released by the café.
This clarification raises more problems than it intends to resolve. The fact that the owners thought it justified to publicly humiliate their employees because they were bored is just not right. Here is a discussion on the issue by Neelum Aslam.
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