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to learn another language or to learn about another culture. They do so because they think it will be easy, or because they can take a couple of classes and be done with it, never having to worry about whether or not they will ever need it for any reason.

We live in a society where people are no longer curious about other cultures. When we feel that our lives and safety are threatened, we close ourselves off to what is going on in the rest of the world. We no longer accept that other countries have different cultures, and that we should accept those cultures and respect them, just as we would expect others to do of us. We aren't willing to open ourselves to anything that happens outside of our own insulated experiences.

The concept of education isn't valued the way it once was, and because of this, it has become necessary for every type of academic institution (whether it be elementary school or college or universities,) to do away with or minimize their offerings. When it comes to subjects that aren't so popular anymore, French is probably quite high up on that list.

It seems that there is a great resistance on the part of people all over this country, to study any foreign language. Perhaps it is born out of the realization that because of the large non-English speaking Hispanic population, we are having to provide services for these people in Spanish. People resent the fact that these immigrants are coming to the U.S., regardless of whether it is legally or not, and expecting to find that it is possible to do business in Spanish, find employment, take advantage of social services and much more.

The decline in French foreign language study in this country is related to the decline in all foreign language study in this country, except, of course, for the study of Spanish. There is no need to study a foreign language when one is not likely to travel, and given the current economic climate and the cost of travel, it isn't likely that the average citizen will be able to afford to travel.

The lack of financial resources for communities and for individuals has forced us to prioritize when it comes to personal spending and for our school districts. When one of the manifestations of our current economic situation is a lack of interest in other cultures and travel, it is only natural and logical that it would be necessary to eliminate an expense which doesn't benefit anyone. Our priorities as a country have shifted. The study of French isn't "hip," "stylish," or "popular," the way it once was. People have no interest in things that aren't fashionable right now.

The old line that was such a famous part of Bill Clinton's campaign for the presidency "it's the economy, stupid," couldn't be more appropriate. It is all about the economy, and the changing face of the way we see our place in the world. We live in a world in which necessity has taken our international focus away. In our own country, knowing Spanish is no longer just a helpful skill; it's almost a requirement. Knowing any other language is pretty much useless.

Learn more about this author, Theresa Rose.
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