Chapter 12: Conclusion - Beyond Betrayal

English connects the world. It is a valuable tool. But it also carries the ideas, biases, and history of English-speaking countries, mainly the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. This book showed how this hidden influence shapes how we see the world. It affects the history we learn, the news we read, the words we use, world politics, and even how we see ourselves and others.

The main idea was what we called the “Anglophone Betrayal.” This does not mean English speakers betrayed the world – their actions often served their own interests. Instead, it means we risk betraying ourselves. If we use English without thinking carefully, accepting its built-in viewpoints, we might adopt ideas that harm us. We might accept judgments or blind spots from English-speaking cultures. This can hurt our confidence, twist our view of the world, and make us act against our own good or the good of our communities.

We saw how history often gets told from one angle, favoring English-speaking perspectives. We saw how the internet and news can trap us in those same viewpoints. Simple words can carry hidden, harmful meanings. World events are often explained in ways that serve specific interests, not the whole truth. We looked at cultural habits like showing sympathy for some groups but not others, spreading local problems worldwide as if they were universal, and ranking people unfairly based on where they come from.

Why did we explore this? Not to attack the English language itself. Not to attack every person from an English-speaking country. The goal was simply to show the hidden patterns and strong influences within English as it is used globally today. We wanted to make you aware.

What should we do now? We probably don’t need to stop using English. It is too useful for connecting with others and accessing knowledge. Instead, we need to use it carefully. Question the stories you hear. Look closely at the words people use. Reject terms that put people down or twist the truth. Choose thoughtfully how you engage with news and culture from English-speaking sources. We can also proudly use our own ways of speaking English. We can help build our own dictionaries or knowledge sources. We must actively write and share our own histories and views.

You have the power to resist this quiet influence. Once you see the traps in language and culture, they lose some of their hold over your thoughts and actions. You can think more freely for yourself. You can understand the world more clearly by seeing many points of view. You can help create a future where one culture’s view does not dominate global conversations. By refusing to betray yourself without realizing it, you and your community can grow stronger and reach your full potential. This helps build a richer, fairer world where people truly connect.