During my elementary school years, NATO bombed Yugoslavia. Amidst the social turmoil, some classmates initiated a boycott against learning English, which resulted in a stern reprimand from our teacher. Today, skepticism about learning English has resurfaced, louder than before.
Recently, I visited several major museums in Norrköping and noticed that many exhibits lacked English descriptions. The city library has an extensive collection in almost every language, but Swedish predominates. A mid-week trip to the neighboring IKEA in Linköping revealed not a single word in English.
Though I’ve met very few Swedes who don’t speak English at all during my half-month stay – countable on one hand – I fully understand how the locals can live well speaking only Swedish. In a city of over a hundred thousand people, the abundance of cultural and educational resources provides a basis for seeking a degree of independence.
The more open a place is, the less necessary it is to learn English. Yet, paradoxically, the most open places are the least likely to see English as a threat. This is the paradox we face.