And I used to be so liberal...

[Mea]

Yes, very true about languages. I wish I knew more Spanish.

funny story...

A black guy I knew in Chicago was very interested in German culture and language partly because of his German great-grandfather. He studied German all through college and became fluent. He was not at all a ghetto-type person...he was into fine wines, seashells, sculpture, classical music and other wimpy type stuff. (No offense, anyone. ) But he was about 6'4" and muscular.

One summer, he went to Germany to see the country and meet with distant relatives. When he was by himself on one of those gondola things that goes up a mountain, some locals speaking German were calling him a stupid ni**er and went on and on about black people. When they were dangling at the highest distance from the ground, my friend, in flawless German, started talking in a friendly way about how interesting the scenery was and that being from Chicago, he'd never been on a mountain before...how high up were they anyway? long way down...

Sure wish I could have seen the looks on their faces! After that, they talked nice to him, but he said they looked more scared than anyone he ever saw.
From going to summer school in France (French haughty? oh you bet!) myself in the same timeframe, I know Europeans thought of Al Capone when they heard Chicago. It had a rough reputation. And they were hanging in a car high up. Eeeek!

In France I'd be some places where they claimed there was no one who spoke English so I would stumble along in my one year of college French, and lo and behold, I'd get an answer in English. They respected you more if you at least tried to use their language. But I wonder how many tourists in France thinking no one around speaks their language provide entertainment talking about the French or even private business.