Chapter 2: The Double-Edged Sword of English

English is vital in our connected world. It links countries, continents, and different cultures more than any language before it.

Think about how we use English:

• Talking Across Borders: Countries use English to talk to each other. You hear it at the United Nations. Even countries that didn’t speak English historically, like those in BRICS, use it to communicate. We expect to use it when travelling or doing business worldwide.
• Learning and Discovery: Much of the world’s new knowledge – in science, tech, medicine, and schools – is written in English first. To learn about the latest ideas, you often need to know English.
• Tech and the Web: The internet and computers rely heavily on English. Think of coding languages, web rules, major websites, and software – most started in English.

For people and countries, knowing English often means having more chances, more access. It means you can join the global conversation. In many ways, English feels necessary to get ahead, even to survive, in our fast-changing world.

However, this indispensable tool is also a double-edged sword.

But the same thing that makes English powerful – the fact that it’s everywhere – also makes it potentially dangerous. We can’t separate its worldwide use today from the history of British and American empires and the power these English-speaking countries (like the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) still hold in culture and money.

Because of this history, English isn’t neutral. Its words, rules, and common sayings carry the history, biases, unseen attitudes, and political ideas of English-speaking cultures. If we use English without thinking carefully, we risk:

• Thinking like them: We might start thinking about the world, sorting things out, or judging events based on English-speaking views and goals, not our own.
• Repeating harmful stories: We might use words or accept stories that excuse past wrongs or keep old power structures in place, without realizing it.
• Believing their message: So much news and media comes from English-speaking sources. It’s easy to soak up views that push certain political or cultural goals.

So, we need English to get by today. But we must use it carefully, with our eyes open. It’s useful, no doubt. But it can quietly change how we think, twist what we see, and even make us act against ourselves. We need to see this danger and fight it. This book wants to give you that awareness. You can use the tool of English well, without getting cut by its hidden dangers.