Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(the language of Galicia, in northwest
Spain), Euskara (the Basque tongue),
and then German, French, English…
and a button for all the rest. While
all of these groups—Catalan, Gali-
cian, and Basque—speak the common
language of Spanish, they respect each
other's native tongues as a way to honor
their shared ethnic-underdog status.
h ese groups' ai nity for each other even factors into where they travel.
On a recent trip to Northern Ireland, I was impressed by how many travel-
ers I met from Basque Country and Catalunya. Because the Basques and
Catalans feel a kinship with the Catholic minority in Ireland's Protestant
North, they choose to vacation in Ulster.
Europe is burdened with the image of a too-politically-correct bureau-
cracy, notorious for dictating the proper curve of a cucumber in 23 oi cial
languages. But they don't mind the teasing. While attempting to honor the
linguistic and idealistic wishes of its unruly gang of members isn't always
ei cient, Europe understands that watching out for its ethnic underdogs is
essential for maintaining its hard-won peace.
Language options on an ATM show soli-
darity among smaller ethnic groups.
Planting People Brings a Painful Harvest
In some cases, minority groups didn't wind up where they are by choice,
but were “planted.” While the world is i lled with struggling minority groups
who stand in solidarity with each other, groups of people sent as settlers by
dominant cultures to establish their control
over disputed land also have hardships and
feel a related solidarity for each other. For
instance, I saw Israeli l ags l ying from l ag
posts in Protestant communities all over
Northern Ireland. Ulster and Israeli set-
tlers empathize with each other. Protestants
“planted” in the 17th century by a bigger
power (England) in Ulster are having a tough
Israeli fl ags fl y next to the Union Jack in Northern
Ireland, because settlers empathize with each
other's struggles.
