„Don't deprive your children of cultural and professional opportunities in Valencia“: Pressure on families not to choose Spanish, ABC.es judged for the new year, quoting a teacher: „Personally, I think it's a shame to deprive your children of integration and cultural opportunities in bilingual Valencian society and, of course, job opportunities.“

The Valencian President Carlos Mazón, on the other hand, only wants to free some Valencians from the language obligation and only removes: „...in Spanish-speaking areas (the obligation) to learn Valenciano“

Spreading fear

Anyone with even a passing interest in psychology knows that fear triggers blockages in the brain. Politicians love fearful people because you can tell them what to do and they follow. (Turning people into sheeple) Enlightened people, on the other hand, know that the world is full of dangers and it is best to check what methods are available to avoid or counter the danger.

So the question arises, what opportunities will the children miss out on if they don't learn Valenciano? This refers to the fact that the previous government decreed that only those who could speak Valenciano could find a job in the public administration.

Regardless of the fact that not everyone appreciates the undoubted advantages of being a civil servant, it is easy for Spanish speakers to learn Valenciano after finishing school. Quite a few people suspect that Valenciano, Catalan etc. are just dialects of Spanish and, without wishing to enter into this linguistic debate, I would like to remind you of the bon mot: „A language is a dialect with an army and a navy“

It should also be remembered that a multilingual education at school (e.g. French and English) expands and facilitates the ability to learn another language - in this case Valenciano. So no child is prevented from getting a job as a civil servant and the ability to have learned English and French will hardly reduce the chances of getting a job.

It should also be borne in mind that in some cases it was only a few decades or centuries ago that the blacksmith's son became a blacksmith, the farmer's son a farmer and the priest's son a ... ehm, I better stop at this point. Sons are not clones of their fathers but the product of two (and not diverse) sexes or genders and can therefore develop completely different interests as adults than their parents believed. Of course, this also applies analogously to daughters.

Insofar as intellectual ability is a prerequisite for a civil service job, no child is at a disadvantage if it does not learn Valenciano at school.

Divide

Why should only those who live within certain municipal boundaries be exempt from the language requirement? What sensible reason is there for this?

It's clear that this is about political division, as you can see as well, when they argue it is about cultural and integrative opportunities.

Which children are deprived of these opportunities if they don't learn Valenciano at school? They can always decide to take part in typical Valencian events. In sports, I have not been able to discover any discrimination against children who did not choose to learn Valenciano at school (when it was still largely possible).

The children talk as they please anyway.

I myself never became a member of a marksmen's (Whom-ta-whom-ta music) or a bavarian Schuhplattler club in Germany and, to the disappointment of my parents and teachers, I wasn't interested in classical music at all. I opted early on for music that was defamed by my parents' generation as negro music (blues and rock 'n roll).

Cultural opportunities are not always what politicians think they are. Let's get rid of the idea that we determine what our children should do later on. Let's make them offers and they will use and apply and adapt what they like. That is evolution.