I'm from India, specifically, a city called 'Kolkata' (pronounced coal-kah-tha).

"Calcutta" (pronounced cal-cuh-ta) is the Anglicized version of the word.

On the first day of classes, when I was asked where I was from, I pronounced my city's name not in the traditional Bengali or English ways of pronunciation, but as one with an American accent might and made it sound completely different from the two. I felt a lump in my throat the moment I said it like that because I felt like I was betraying my history and like I compromised the complexity and accuracy of my heritage for the sake of unquestioned acceptance.

This is why I feel so strongly about Rihanna's new single, "Work."

At first, the song was just one I would dance to at parties, but the more I listened to it, the more it would randomly run through my head all day and I would want to sing it. Therefore, I looked up the lyrics because I was not able to comprehend what Rihanna was saying.

Since "Work" is sung in Jamaican (some say 'Bajan') Patois, Rihanna's native dialect, I could not understand it. Nonetheless, I appreciate the hybrid nature of Rihanna's art and continue to enjoy the song although I can't sing it as effectively as someone with knowledge of the dialect.

But, the issue arises when people do not make the effort to engage with Rihanna (or artists in general) in her creative process to understand what her work means and humanity suffers this:

1. Ignorant Youtube comments

2. Ignorant Tweets

... To name a few social media sites where one might find public displays of confident idiocy.

The problem is not only a general lack of acceptance and celebration of cultural differences but also a high level of ridicule and shaming when someone expresses their culture, especially when the dominant one is unfamiliar with it.

Art is a collaborative process between the artists and their audiences. You stare at a painting, listen to a song, watch a movie or read an article before you decide whether or not you like it; and to make that decision, you must first understand the craft and its basic point.

Intellectual curiosity should be the driving force when you are met with ideas you do not immediately understand. Why is one's instinct so quick to blame, especially in the face of culture? People are so proud to list off the number of languages they speak, the various countries they have traveled to, and the number of different cuisines they have tried. But, when foreign culture invades places of familiarity, such as verbal speech where one does not have to put much effort into constructing sentences or comprehending them, people become averse to the concept. The burden, intentionally or unintentionally, is put on the 'outsider' to explain, communicate, and simplify the beauty of his/her/their heritage.

Art is bred from self-expression. It is not shocking to think that artists' background and heritage would influence their work. Rihanna amazingly fuses two language codes- Patois and English- to create a multilingual piece of work. She educates her listeners in linguisitcs and sparks conversations on "differences" being "resources" for art. She is fearlessly saying her version of "Kolkata" every single time the song is played.

I understand that commercial music must cater to the masses. But, Rihanna's song is well performed, catchy, and features Drake. It is definitely sellable. So what if she injects her native culture into it? So what if you have to make a special effort to understand the song? Why does something become "gibberish" or nonsensical because you fail to understand it and do not make the effort to do so?

Displace your linguistic privilege, build bridges to other cultures, participate in their art, and celebrate it. Now, more than ever, when the world is becoming increasingly more connected and vastly different societies are finding ways to coexist, we need attitudes more welcoming in their outlook than those that are rigid and discriminatory.

Today, you miss out on a wonderfully code-meshed, translingual song.

Years down the line, bigotry and intolerance becomes your mantra for everything different and unfamiliar.