Maple leaf mélange: Softening your speech in Canada’s cultural collage

Say what you mean and mean what you say?

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” — George Bernard Shaw

In the iconic movie “Ghost,” there’s a memorable scene that perfectly encapsulates a certain communication style, one that I closely identify with. In this scene, Whoopi Goldberg’s character, Oda Mae Brown, finds herself in the challenging position of conveying a critical message to Molly, played by Demi Moore, who is in imminent danger from someone she knows. Oda Mae, acting as a medium for Sam (Patrick Swayze’s ghost character and Molly’s dead fiancé), accompanied by her friend, finds her way out of Flatbush projects to the “finer” side of town, with guidance from Sam. She arrives at Molly’s apartment and struggles to relay a message. And so, with little patience, given the ghost had kept her up the night before, she suddenly blurts out the urgent and unsettling news:

“Molly, you in danger, girl!”

This moment is pivotal not just for its dramatic content but also for the way the message is delivered.