They Should All Be Spanked

My supervisor at the Community Mental Health Center makes it a point to share with me specific cultural reflections, which I appreciate greatly. When I went in yesterday, he wanted to make sure I understood the nuances of the Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian languages, as this is somewhat of a sticky wicket for the region. As you may or may not know, these all used to be the same language, and depending on who you talk to, they still are. Since the end of the war, regions are attempting to differentiate their language, and have been successful to some degree. For example, depending on where you are, coffee may be kava or kaffa. However, regardless of which of these you choose, you will be understood everywhere. According to my supervisor, the European Union told the Balkans that they would not recognize multiple languages from the region and would acknowledge only one. My supervisor also said that people from Croatia protested quite rigorously, even getting television coverage. In his words, all of these people are incredibly spoiled and need to be spanked. As he sees it, it is the same language. I find it incredibly significant that people are so invested in trying to differentiate themselves in this way. Maria mentioned that schools in her area of the country have different classes for students of the differing languages. My supervisor also told me that in some political situations people from Croatia, Serbia, and or Bosnia use translators when they speak. I cannot imagine what that looks like. My closest approximation is having a translator for someone from Nebraska speaking with someone from New York.