MSD

Texas lawmaker suggests Asians adopt easier names | Front page | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
Reminds me of the old joke, what do you call someone who only speaks one language? American. Forget speaking other languages, why the hell should we have to try to pronounce foreign names? This is America, dammit.

I understand having trouble with foreign names, and I am admittedly terrible at understanding foreign accents. I know plenty of immigrants and first-generation Americans, many Asian, who choose to go by anglicized names, and asking them to change their legal names is just asking to leave their culture and identity at the door since they're Americans now. Without full context, I'll give Rep. Brown the benefit of the doubt and assume that she specified Chinese because she was talking to a representative of the Org. for Chinese Americans rather than calling all Asians Chinese. Maybe if people opened their minds a bit, they'd learn something and expand their way of thinking. This seems like the next step up from "Speak English or get out."

essendoubleop

I think calling him 'racist' is going too far. That word carries a lot of connotations to be thrown around so lightly. I think ignorant is the right word.

The guy is certainly ignorant, if that's what the Asian immigrants want to be called then so be it. Personally, I think it helps to tell more about the person and their background and could even be helpful in polling situations.

But one thing that is almost unique to Americans is the influx of immigrants from all over the world. If everybody retained everything about their cultures, there wouldn't be a common bond to unite people from different backgrounds. They HAVE to lose a small part of who they are so they can gain a part of who they will be. I think that's one of the reasons why America is one of the best countries in the world in many regards. The vibrant energy you get through fresh influxes of people by way of immigration, as we accept people from cultures who are looking to improve their lives or to change where they could not in a rigorously traditional homeland.

There's no arguing that it would make it easier for Americans to deal with if immigrants changed their names. Maybe part of his frustration (and many others) is that when they or their families immigrated into the U.S. they had to change their names like everybody else and became American. When they see people coming into the country now who aren't sacrificing part of who they are, it could be interpreted as a display of not choosing to sacrifice part of who they were and choosing to make the same sacrifices that current Americans had to make.

I don't want to extrapolate to much about the congressman based just on one comment he made, but it is both ignorant and understandable. I certainly would not call him a racist though.

BadNick

Don't these "hilarious racist Texans..." have anything better to do?

I'm sure this kind of mentality has been around as long as immigrants, but in my humble opinion, the narrow minded ignorance of someone who espouses such ideas proves to me that they should stay out of government (and most other challenging jobs) and just sit home and drool on themselves.

Here's a pictorial showing a similar issue at Geno's Steaks in Philadelphia, where the owner, Joe Vento, became a "celebrity" by publicly announcing his policy of not serving anyone who doesn't order in "english" as he might understand it. At least he's found his niche as a meathead

dippin

Are you really saying that immigration is unique to the US? Or that at least the levels of immigration that the US received are somehow unique?

Historically, places like Brazil are as diverse, if not more, than the US.

Recently, places like Canada, Australia and New Zealand all have a larger proportion of foreigners living within their borders.

Baraka_Guru

This reminds me of a story from a couple of years ago where Canada wanted to ban the Sikh common name "Singh" for ID purposes in immigration. It didn't stick:
Gov't isn't forcing Sikhs to change names: Finley

Apparently the practice of having Sikhs change their names for immigration purposes dates back to the '90s. I think this story politicized the issue, so I wonder if the pressure is off Sikhs in this respect.

I think it's silly to suggest name changes on this ground. I don't know if I'd call it blatant racism in this Texas case, but it's certainly ignorant, rigid, and backward-thinking. It smacks of "don't be so Asian...you're an American now."

In 2006, Toronto surpassed Miami by having 49.9% of the population being foreign born.

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—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
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dksuddeth

there are stupid crazy legislators in every state. It's extremely shortsighted and generalistic to think that only Texas has them. I'm sure I could go through some of the legislative sessions in every state back 5 years and come up with something idiotic from at least one of them.

__________________
"no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything. You cannot conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

filtherton

Exhibit A: Michelle Bachman.

Willravel

Is it possible that Rep. Brown is mentally handicapped in some way? If so, she should leave Texas immediately, so as to avoid the death penalty.

laconic1

I'm going off my fuzzy memory from high school history class here but if I remember right many immigrants names were changed when they got to Ellis Island. Seems the immigration workers couldn't be bothered to type a name like Wojkiewicz or some other difficult name on the paperwork so they just changed the immigrants name to something easy like Wilson. Bad then, and even more unacceptable now that a legislator would make such a suggestion.

BadNick

my "ex's" family history has a related name change story from Ellis Island in the early 1900's. The grandfather and grandmother are being registered by The Authority Man and he asks them their family name, so they tell him and he responds "you can't possibly live in America with a name like that! let's pick a different one; what's your wife's family name?" So henceforth that branch of the family started using the grandmother's last name as opposed to being a Shittenburger forever. disclaimer: this was a story my ex told and she usually told the truth

ring

When my grandfather emigrated from Greece,
he was told to pick an 'easier' name, at Ellis island.
Many people from Greece chose traditionally first mens names for last names.
Peter, James,George etc.


CBC News In Depth: Immigration Names

Strange Famous

I can never get my head round this stuff.

The Spanish conquered America first, not the English. If you dont speak Spanish, or a native language, surely YOU are the outsider?

__________________
"Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate,
for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing
hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
without being uncovered."

The Gospel of Thomas

abaya

In Iceland, up until the 1990s, immigrants were obligated to choose a new Icelandic name to replace at least one of their names (first or last) when they became citizens. And we're talking about a patronymic system in Iceland, where your last name is basically your father's first name + "son" or "dóttir" (daughter) on the end of it... which makes it even crazier. I know several Thai women who ended up with last names such as, "Pétursdóttir'' (Peter's daughter), when it's obvious that her father's name was NOT Peter, seeing as she was born in Thailand and had a completely different name before immigrating. Totally absurd. They finally changed their "assimilation" policy and allowed all new immigrants to keep their original birth names. Pity those who came in the early days... image a completely Thai woman named Helga Pétursdóttir or some such nonsense!

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for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
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highthief

I dunno, that's sorta kinky ... I like it!

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dksuddeth

cynthia mckinney

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"no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything. You cannot conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

Cynthetiq

and that's yet another reason why I prefer Pat's over Geno's

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I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

Strange Famous

A Sri Lankan born sub postmaster did the same thing a few weeks ago over here (refused to serve people who dont speak English) - in the UK I'm pretty sure its technically illegal (as it can legitimately be shown as discrimination on grounds of race) but I expect prosecuting would just give the bufoon even more attention which he clearly craves so I dont see the point (and the tax payer would have to pay any fine, which would just be paid back into the state - less the administrative cost of doing it...)

One the things I need to look at in myself is that I speak no other languages other than very basic German. Dealing with partners in Europe its just embarassing how everyone speaks tolerable English and hardly anyone in my company can speak anything else (other than a girl who actually IS from Germany, and a guy from Belgium)

__________________
"Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate,
for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing
hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
without being uncovered."

The Gospel of Thomas

MSD

I know they're everywhere, it's just that this one from Texas made the news this time, and one of my hobbies is messing with Texas.

My biggest problem with ignorance is that every situation like this I see comes across to me as an opportunity to learn something, whereas a lot of people plug their ears and run away screaming "I can't hear you!"
When people go on about illegal immigration, I ask them if they're native American. If not, I tell them to get the hell out of my country (note that I am not native, either, but it's more fun that way.)

I will not derail the thread talking about how much I hate Cynthia McKinney.
I will not derail the thread talking about how much I hate Cynthia McKinney.
I will not derail the thread talking about how much I hate Cynthia McKinney.
I will not derail the thread talking about how much I hate Cynthia McKinney.
I will not derail the thread talking about how much I hate Cynthia McKinney.

Sorry, I had to restrain myself a bit there.

xuvio38

~~~~~

jbuffett

I laugh at these idiots.

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I do blame you for voting for Bush.

QuasiMondo

Japan used to have a requirement that all naturalized citizens must take on a Japanese name. Maybe that's where he got his inspiration from.

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-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

Savinkov

As the Baptists I once rubbed shoulders with in Oklahoma told me, "If English was good enough for Jesus, it should be good enough for you and me." I cringe at the trainwreck of fail that such thinking implied.

Carry on, o blissful practitioners of sheer idiocy. You know not what you do!

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Even better if we love them in return. Anything can be endured if that idea holds fast." -- Martin Cruz Smith, RED SQUARE

sapiens

So true!