Selome Tewoderos writes in an Oregonian guest op-ed that doctors should have to take foreign language classes in medical school, and receive training in "cultural competency" to qualify for license renewal, because too many non-native English speakers can't work the public health care system in English.

Silly me. Here I thought that maybe "cultural competency" ought to mean competently operating in the culture, and native language, of the country in which you have chosen to reside. I would be tempted to say that the money Tewoderos thinks should be spent for teaching foreign languages to medical students or cultural competency to doctors ought to instead go for more publicly-funded English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. But I'm not going to fall into that trap. Because you know what? You move here, and you don't speak the language; it's YOUR goddamn job to learn it.

Imagine an American in France, or Germany, or China, or (just for fun) Yemen or Djibouti; complaining that teachers, doctors and government officials were not demonstrating enough "cultural competence" toward Yanks. Hah-hoo! The men with the very long-sleeved white jackets would be sent out with great dispatch!

Yet if anyone "of color" is having a problem in America, it's increasingly attributed to teachers, doctors, social workers or businesses that aren't "culturally competent." Though to their credit, many immigrants don't give a rip about victimhood because they're already too busy getting educated, and working their way up the socio-economic ladder.

To Blame America First-ers, tho, "cultural competency" means always having to say you're sorry for being white.

And so we are gifted with a growing cadre of snake oil salespersons masquerading as "cultural competency" consultants. Apparently, it's not enough to be sorry for being a culturally imperialist white American. No; some employer has got to PAY for your being sensitized, to boot.

These are the sorts of issues - along with gay marriage, assisted suicide and pandering to illegal immigrants - that light up the intellects and impassion the hearts of Blue City Liberals. They'd do much better for their party and their country, in the end, by instead finding common ground with moderate suburban conservatives. For example, against corporate tax breaks and government waste; and for school choice; hybrid fuels, and better mass transit.

But, noooo. "Saving" the "oppressed peoples," and rectifying the scourge of cultural bias; mainly to preserve the hegemony of the Clientized State and the public employee unions upon which it stands, always comes first.

I really, really, really wish I was wrong about this - but Way Too Often; liberal=simpleton.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at March 14, 2005 06:30 PM

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