Why do they get mad when I suggest that they learn Chinese?

Question

It should me noted that China contains 1/3 of the world's population, and there are millions of Chinese communities in countries all around the world. China's economy is growing and is on track to rival that of the U.S. When I tell people given the statistics it is a good idea for an individual to learn the Chinese language. These people get mad and start to act ignorant saying "I don't want to learn that", then they start making fun of the Chinese language. I mean why are they so offended because I want them to learn another language that will be needed I mean useful to them in the future

Answer 1

That's why I'm currently learning Mandarin.

I believe they are ignorant, seeing that it is predicted in 10 year's time, the number one location for the majority of English speakers will be in China, then followed by India. So if such can occur, it seems pretty logical to return the favour. Although it may sound like a generalization, there are more ignorant English speakers than any other language. English speakers, for the most part, assume that everyone, everywhere, will speak English and it is a 'lingua franca'. Such was clearly depicted during a EU conference where the conference had to be spoken in English, even though the conference was held in France. That's like me saying that the conference to be held in the UK and the language to be spoken should be German.  

Answer 2

In what context are you telling people they should learn Chinese?  Are you a teacher, a guidance counselor or head of an international HR firm?  If you are just a random guy walking down the street telling people they should learn Chinese, then I'm not surprised that you are getting annoyed responses.  

Answer 3

I think a lot of people are afraid of change, because they are intimidated. However, it matters in the context in which you are suggesting people learn the language. I am currently in a country other then the US, and am trying to learn the language because it is rude to not try and I don't want to offend anyone by assuming they will understand or should understand English.

Personally, think about how you are approaching people. This could make a world of difference.