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This was also my first thought, that for example if you interact with official bodies in Germany, there is definitely an expectation that you speak German, even

This was also my first thought, that for example if you interact with official bodies in Germany, there is definitely an expectation that you speak German, even though you'll be accommodated if you're lucky and the other person speaks English. But then again, I noticed that in the last few years more and more offerings were in other languages, too. During covid, many announcements or the app paid for by the government supported multiple languages. There might not be a right to perform official duties in languages other than German, but more and more it's a possibility. Sibling comments found similar examples. My point being: much of the western world seems to move towards openness, inclusiveness, and accessibility, whereas the US currently moves backwards, as exemplified by the OP.

Muromec 2y ago
>My point being: much of the western world seems to move towards openness, inclusiveness, and accessibility, whereas the US currently moves backwards, as exemplified by the OP. US doesn't just move backwards, it has a very specific behavior mode -- one of a culture that perceives itself to be under a threat of disappearing. It's usually a behavior of a diaspora community that doesn't want to give in to assimilation or a country resisting colonization. Thus a focus on token symbols -- ash crosses, fetishization of language, grandstanding on the most nonsense and minor token issues. The group that exhibits this behavior struggles to put up boundary between "them" and "us".