Discourses of Bilingualism: Facebooking in the Margins—Generating and Reflecting on Sexist, Classist, and Racist Backlash

Abstract

A look at a Facebook exchange about bilingual education and bilingualism prior to the last presidential election led to a polarization of bilingual empathizers with teaching backgrounds versus political conservatives promoting a pro-reactionary political agenda. Verbal jousting led to the exercise of power in racist, sexist, and classist discourses. The emergent problem of such exchanges appears to be to what degree we might consider engaging with naysayers in purposeful dialog if there is little hope of changing minds with facts. After several readings of the threaded and asynchronous conversation that ensued around postings involving the theme of acceptance of bilingual people in the U.S., three ideological impasses were found in the dialogue—attempts to be logical and open versus closed commentary with no room for discussion; attempts to consider history and current economic contexts in the U.S. versus dismissive sexist (as well as racist and classist) statements that demonize non-English speakers; and with political naysayers’ claiming bilingual education is expensive and unnecessary versus the view that bilingual education is a way forward for non-native English speakers.