Dear Mr. Berko: I’m writing for a 46-year-old friend of mine who escaped Cuba and came to the U.S. in 1981. I told him to write to you, and he did so in Spanish (he doesn’t speak English) to ask what to do with the 319 shares of Medtronic PLC stock he inherited. Your response — “Write me in English and I’ll answer your question” — was insulting and racist. My friend has been here for 36 years and has worked every day. This is important to him, and your insensitive, bigoted response proves that you and your column are xenophobic and full of hate. You probably voted for Donald Trump. Disgusting racists like you make me sick. I’ll never read your column again.
— P.L., Miami
Dear P.L.: Wow! You really got your dandruff up. However, if your friend came here 36 years ago at age 10, why hasn’t he learned to communicate in English?
Several times a year, I get letters written in Spanish. But because I’m not fluent in Spanish, I always ask that they rewrite their letters in English. My response always begins with the adverb “Please,” and I say, “I need your question to be crystal clear so I can give you the best possible answer.” But you insist on jumping to conclusions, which is so common among oversensitive, emotional rants like you. I’m tired of tolerating the intolerance that people like you have for our culture.
Among the most defining elements of a nation’s culture is its language. Our culture is defined by the language of Jefferson, Adams, Franklin and Madison — Americans who wrote the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This language is dear to me, as it is to 300 million other Americans. And if you can demand that I respond to your friend in Spanish, why won’t you allow me the right to ask that your friend write to me in English? Your illogical response begins with your misguided sense of entitlement, which has taken a quantum leap into extremism. Is it possible that you’re the racist? Because I know nothing of your friend’s needs and objectives, I’ll assume that he’s a long-term investor.
