Съобщения: 82
Език: English
Vestitor (Покажи профила) 08 септември 2015, 16:13:37
sudanglo:...do not Esperantists have a duty not to hide away their interest.
Tempodivalse:But I'm not sure one has a duty to reveal that one is an Esperantist, even in an appropriate circumstance. Surely this is best left to the individual's discretion and comfort level.The above two quotes do not express the same idea. I too feel that an Esperantist has a duty not to hide Esperanto; especially for fear of mockery.
I don't set much store by the idea that people pursue any ostensibly social activity (Especially one like Esperanto), with a view to keeping it either private or only within a small circle. There's a difference between proselytising, and being open in order to avoid the idea that you are pursuing something completely normal and legitimate.
sproshua (Покажи профила) 12 септември 2015, 04:40:22
i don't think any Esperantist has a duty to do anything for la E-a movado. yet personally, i like bringing up E-o to people, and i share my opinions of it freely, revelling in my nerddom. some people respond with confusion. most people respond to it as a quirky anecdote.
sudanglo (Покажи профила) 12 септември 2015, 10:16:48
my mother-in-law, who had interest in E-o at one time, sees the language as too Euro-centric. every time i bring up E-o around her, she never fails to mention that. she opted not to learn the language, though she likes the idea of a universal Lingua francaTo be consistent your Mother-in-law should also disapprove of English being used as a lingua-franca - on the grounds that it is too anglo-centric.
Vestitor (Покажи профила) 12 септември 2015, 10:54:39
sproshua (Покажи профила) 12 септември 2015, 13:40:45
sudanglo:To be consistent your Mother-in-law should also disapprove of English being used as a lingua-franca - on the grounds that it is too anglo-centric.don't worry, she's very consistent. i think she's a really great woman.
vikungen (Покажи профила) 12 септември 2015, 21:47:39
RiotNrrd:"So, what do you like to do for fun?"I don't know man, where do you find these people, I suppose if I went far out to some lowly educated fishing village people would react somewhat like this. Most people I talk to are curious as to what it is, and are interested in learning a couple of words and phrases, but say they don't have time or are interested enough to learn any more, and some others finds it fascinating that I can speak it and have learned it myself. I guess my experiences are more from circles where knowledge and education is valued, thus it might reflect their opinions, but even outside those circles the least positive response I've heard from some average Joe is him/her simply not being interested in it.
"Oh, I play tennis"
"Good deal! That's a great pastime. OK, how about you?"
"Uh, I'm into video games. I'll play my favorites for days on end."
"Yeah, I like those, too. And you? What do you like to do for fun?"
"I'm learning guitar. It's hard, but kind of rewarding."
"Excellent! And, finally, how about you?"
"I'm learning Esperanto."
(All in unison) "WHAT? Why are you wasting your time with THAT?"
erinja (Покажи профила) 13 септември 2015, 01:43:10
Vestitor:The above two quotes do not express the same idea. I too feel that an Esperantist has a duty not to hide Esperanto; especially for fear of mockery.That's what I used to think, but the mockery really wears you down after a while, and it gets exceedingly annoying to have people bringing it up constantly in contexts where it has no bearing on anything. "This is my colleague, Erin. She speaks.... what's it called? Esperanza?" [at a defense job where this was totally irrelevant]
It's hard to hide it completely, though, especially since contacts with the Esperanto world provide you with almost all of your best "Weirdest person I ever met" stories. I've had some great ones just recently and it has provided excellent fodder for dinner party conversations.
Certain things, you just couldn't make up something so weird, but they happen in the Esperanto world!
sudanglo (Покажи профила) 13 септември 2015, 10:26:04
You don't have travel far in Europe before you cross a language boundary, and it is estimated that in London alone there are more than 200 languages spoken.
It is a no-brainer that the more you mention to other people, in a matter of fact way, that you speak Esperanto, the more it is likely to be generally accepted that the speaking of Esperanto is a normal thing - provided of course that in other respects you come across as a perfectly 'normal' sort of person (stranguloj, keep it a secret).
So wear the star, and hold your head up high.
It is true that in the very early days, an interest in Esperanto was subject to some mockery. See for example "Joseph Rhodes kaj la fruaj tagoj de Esperanto en Anglujo".
However, nowadays with the mobility of populations, the changed social attitude to deviations from the norms, and Google Translate including Esperanto, it would seem less problematic to stand up to and dismiss any ridicule.
Whilst in the early days you might have encountered the argument that Esperanto isn't a real language, in the 21st century the battleground is more likely to be English versus Esperanto as a lingua franca.
vejktoro (Покажи профила) 14 септември 2015, 05:18:03
vikungen: I suppose if I went far out to some lowly educated fishing village people would react somewhat like this.Watch what you say, buddy.
Tempodivalse (Покажи профила) 14 септември 2015, 17:30:33
In assuming that 21st century society has these biases against Esperanto, I think we flatter ourselves. Most of the younger generations aren't even aware of what Esperanto is - meaning they can't have an opinion of it, positive or negative.