I was born in the Prairies, but I spent 6 years of my childhood in the United States. As a result, I like Americans and. in some cases, understand how they think. That is why I am watching the current flap over the Spanish language version of The Star Spangled Banner with such interest.
Canadians, being who they are, may not understand the passions that are being inflamed. We have created a culture of inclusiveness, in ideology if not in actual consistent application, so we tend to side with Hispanic Americans who wish to show their patriotism in their native tongue. And that, in a nutshell, is the problem -- Spanish is their native tongue.
Spanish may be widespread, but it is not an official language of the United States. That honour belongs to English. Nor is it likely to become an official language any time soon. And since the national anthem is an official song, the traditionalists feel that all citizens should sing it in English, regardless of what language they speak at home.
What Canadians forget, or perhaps what they have never known, is that a large part of American society still believes in the "melting pot". They not only believe; they want it to be true. Canadians, on the other hand, prefer our "cultural mosaic". If we must use a vessel-analogy, we think of our society as a stew pot, where discernable chunks float in a flavourful broth.
Perhaps the problem lies in the image. I propose that from now on Americans replace the phrase "melting pot" with "blast furnace", for when American society works according to the ideology, it refines ore from disparate veins and produces a single pure alloy. It may not give one such a warm and fuzzy feeling, but it is way more accurate.
