Surely it’s a misunderstanding and it has nothing to do with his politics? He’s MAGA in case anyone was wondering, a huge Trump defender. Anyway, whenever I tell Grandpa (who I live with) that I want to see the world or go to Germany or Norway on a school trip, or see Norway when I get older with my dad perhaps, he says “Why can’t you just stay here?” or “Why can’t you visit this country first?”
Then he goes on about how people speak English in America and in Germany and Norway, they speak other languages when I want to learn another language. I want to be fluent in my second and heritage language Norwegian and in German, which I will hopefully become a polyglot in English, Spanish, German, Norwegian and Toki Pona by 2029.
Also, I’ve told him that I know several monolingual English speakers who went to other non-English speaking countries like Mexico, but he still won’t listen and help me save up. (I don’t have a job yet and I’m only 15).
Not only this, as much as I love him due to him being family, I don’t love his views. He doesn’t really like immigrants due to his thinking they all can’t speak English. If they speak accented English, he still tells them to “speak English”. Maybe he doesn’t want to “BECOME the immigrant” (in quotes, because well… we’re not Native). Also, I will forever not understand people’s hatred towards immigrants and their desire to embrace their home culture in a better country.
Some people and especially old people have a lot of experience in not doing anything. They like to reaffirm their decision.
If he suddenly changed his mind, he’d also have to acknowledge that he had lived most of his life with a narrow mind in all the situations where he chose not to take a chance. It’s the sunken cost fallacy.
It’s not just old people. It happens all the time in all kinds of ways when someone doesn’t want to rigorously investigate their options in a situation and simply go with what they already have. They’ll make up excuses for their (lack of) choice afterwards. It could be chosing a restaurant, buying a car, settling in a certain neighborhood or anything really.