Texas lawmaker: Asians should change their names to make them ‘easier for Americans to deal with.’
Texas lawmaker: Asians should change their names to make them ‘easier for Americans to deal with.’
On Tuesday, State Rep. Betty Brown (R) caused a firestorm during House testimony on voter identification legislation when she said that Asian-Americans should change their names because they’re too hard to pronounce:
“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” Brown said.
Brown later told [Organization of Chinese Americans representative Ramey] Ko: “Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?”
Yesterday, Brown continued to resist calls to apologize. Her spokesman said that Democrats “want this to just be about race.”
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“On Tuesday, State Rep. Betty Brown (R) caused a firestorm during House testimony on voter identification legislation when she said that Asian-Americans should change their names because they’re too hard to pronounce…”
I suppose that she thinks that they should all get plastic surgery so that they look more like us…
April 9th, 2009 at 9:50 amTa shi tao yen de gwailo.
See? Mandarin is not that hard after all.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:51 amSounds good, as long as Rep Brown changes her name to Lao Wai.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:51 amLOL I know plenty of European names that give people problems. Just ask any Scandanavian, or Polish person.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:52 amand most Chinese DO have an English name for idiots who can’t pronounce anything over 1 syllable. You just have to be polite enough to ASK.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:52 am…could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?”
Also, can you just forget your heritage and country’s history? While we’re at it, just go ahead and erase your entire culture and identity, it will be much easier for you. Now I want you to have the words to God Bless America memorized by tomorrow…
Holy crap what an incredibly ignorant thing to say, especially for a politician who holds power.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:53 amMaybe Americans should change their names to make it wasier for Asians to deal with .. did she ever think of that?
April 9th, 2009 at 9:55 am*sigh*
Another example of ‘fixing’ a group of people just to make it easier for an ignorant few….
April 9th, 2009 at 9:56 amMaybe I should proofread to catch those typos to make it “wasier” for readers to deal with … did I ever think of that?
April 9th, 2009 at 9:56 amAhhh, the boundless intellectual curiosity of Republican state legislators, from Texas no less!!!
April 9th, 2009 at 9:57 amOr you could ask someone how their name is pronounced!
April 9th, 2009 at 9:58 amTranslation:
April 9th, 2009 at 9:59 am“What I am trying to say is we’ve worked so hard at dumbing down Americans that the idea of them having to learn to think again is painful. I mean, it has worked so well for me.”
Tell that to Zbigniew Brzezinski.
Betty Brown: “Your name is too difficult, Zabooboo, you should change it to make it easier for us Americans.”
Brzezinski: “But I’m an American, too.”
Betty Brown: “Yeah, I’m going to call you Bubba.”
April 9th, 2009 at 9:59 amWhy does leplesentataive Blown hate Asian Amelicans?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:00 amBarfly that was tastless…but funny.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:00 amMCH Says:
Maybe I should proofread to catch those typos to make it “wasier” for readers to deal with … did I ever think of that?
I thought it might be Internet shorthand for way easier. Scary part was I understood it.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:01 amPlease help turn my red state blue by calling ((512) 463-0458) or emailing Betty Brown’s office:
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/email.php?dist=4&rep=betty.brown
Truly disgusting that she can’t recognize that we as a nation are a melting pot of diversity.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:02 amthe brown acid Says:
Ta shi tao yen de gwailo.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:51 am
____________
“That is gluttony grandfather’s expensiveness?”
Sorry, my putonghua’s a little rusty…
April 9th, 2009 at 10:03 amGiven the amount of the national debt that BushCo off-loaded on China, maybe we will be changing our names soon.
PEACE
April 9th, 2009 at 10:04 amThere’s dumb and then there’s Texas dumb.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:04 amLOL:
No, it should read: “She is a stupid white person”
but maybe it is I who is rusty. Easier to forget the language when I’m here in the states.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:05 am“Her spokesman said that Democrats “want this to just be about race.”
It’s not about race, it’s about racism. If she’s not smart enough to sound out a name she’s not smart enough to be a legislator, execpt in Texas, of course. And to any random trolls out there who may want to point out my hypocrisy about generalizing in a negative manner a whole group of people, how you feel about this is how “they” feel when you say crap like “please change your names so we don’t have to feel stupid when we mis-pronounce your name”.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:05 amThe ‘Texas Stupid’ runs deep in this one…
April 9th, 2009 at 10:06 amMy first girlfriend’s last name was Jaroszenko. The second one was Theodossiades. The third was Li. Tell me which one is easiest to pronounce.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:06 amExpensiveness is “gue le” as in “Tai gue le” or “too expensive”
April 9th, 2009 at 10:06 amRep. Brown: a living example of the dumbing down of America.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:06 amHoodathunktick, you beat me to the response to MCH. I also read it as “way easier”.
Krazny, you are correct. My Danish grandfather had his name mispronounced when he emigrated to the US and subsequently changed to a more English sounding pronunciation.
Betty Brown, you are an idiot and I say that as a person with ancestors named Brown.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:07 amHer spokesman said that Democrats “want this to just be about race.”
__________________________________________________________
If Betty Brown doesn’t want to be perceived as making racist statements, she shouldn’t make them. Why is she picking on Asians? It seems there are plenty of European names just as hard, if not harder to pronounce. Has she ever heard of “Mike Krzyzewski”? Here in North Carolina, he’s a household name. We’ve managed to learn how to pronounce it. Then in addition to Polish names, let’s look at Czech names, Slavic names, Welsh names, Greek names, etc.
By singling out Asian-Americans and demanding they change their names just so she won’t be inconvenienced by them, and ignoring people of her own race with difficult names — yes, it appears to be about race.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:07 amStay classy Texas!
April 9th, 2009 at 10:08 amThat explains why early European immigrants to this country had their last names “Americanized” by immigration officials. This happened to many Slavic European immigrants.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:08 amTexas is a Mexican / Spanish name, Betty Boop…maybe you should change the name of your State to something American.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:10 amthis is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes
So, she wants all Texas asians to adopt an alias, and have an “AKA” after their name, on official documents? Texas law-enforcement officials would just love that, I’ll bet. It would make their jobs so much easier.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:10 amBobwurst Says:
It’s not about race, it’s about racism. If she’s not smart enough to sound out a name she’s not smart enough to be a legislator, execpt in Texas, of course.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:05 am
____________
Exactly. One would think that being able to remember – and at a bare minimum pronounce – constituents’ names is a prerequisite for getting elected and reelected. It’s the only actual talent most politicians have!
April 9th, 2009 at 10:10 amthe brown acid Says:
Expensiveness is “gue le” as in “Tai gue le” or “too expensive”
April 9th, 2009 at 10:06 am
__________
Yah – that’s one of the few bits of Mandarin I remember. Quite useful for bargaining.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:12 amLadies and Gentlemen, the GOP mind in action.
Ignorant, foolish and bigoted.
-GSD
April 9th, 2009 at 10:13 amHow about Texas voters ask for an IQ test of anyone running for office there Betty? Deal with it.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:13 amBrian Crooks Says:
My first girlfriend’s last name was Jaroszenko. The second one was Theodossiades. The third was Li. Tell me which one is easiest to pronounce.
That, my friends, should be the last word on this ;)
April 9th, 2009 at 10:14 amDr. Moth Matt Says:
. Her spokesman said that Democrats “want this to just be about race.”
If it’s not about race, what is it about then?
Fair question… but note well (n.b.) that they carefully said: just about race. They acknowledge the racial aspect of this — they want to spin it as being MORE than that.
But, that does not excuse the racism (which is what they want to imply… saying, basically, “Yes, there is a racial aspect, of course, but it is more than that and that more is the important part… please ignore the racism.”).
And, just to be mean and pointless (I’m STILL “in a mood”) — does she need an ‘extra-wide’ pointy hood to fit on that bobble head?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:14 amBut why stop at one? Why not have several aliases, in case one’s too hard to pronounce?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:15 ambarfly Says:
this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes
So, she wants all Texas asians to adopt an alias, and have an “AKA” after their name, on official documents? Texas law-enforcement officials would just love that, I’ll bet. It would make their jobs so much easier.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:10 am
____________
And isn’t the very act of transliterating from Asian/Middle Eastern/East European names into the rather restrictive Latin character set, by definition, the adoption of a name for identification purposes?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:15 amActually, Texas is no dumber than any other state. They’re just prouder of it.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:16 amAs a resident of Texas, every time I think we have reached the bottom of the barrel another republican crazy jumps to the top. Save us from the loons.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:17 am“Betty Brown” seems to be a name Betty Brown can cope with. Perhaps all Americans of Asian descent should change their name to “Betty Brown”? There you go — easy to read, easy to pronounce. And having hundreds of thousands of Betty Browns won’t cause any identification problems at all (snark).
Perhaps Betty needs to go back and re-examine how important a person’s name is. One does not make changes to it lightly. She might as well be asking Asian Americans to all get plastic surgery so they would look more “American” and be “easier for Americans to deal with”.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:17 amI’m not sure where I stand when it comes to the use of names in the U.S. After all, I know of a few Japanese friends that adopt an English name in place of their actual name, but this is more out of friendship and less out of pronunciation difficulties.
In the past, if one were to become a Japanese citizen, as far as I understand it, one needed to adopt a Japanese family name, but that law had been abolished in the 1980’s. I see no reason as to why we should pick up on a rule that doesn’t apply anymore to Asian countries.
And let’s not forget that all Asian languages are not difficult to pronounce. Chinese is not the same as Korean or Japanese.
So here’s a thought: be a little more global and reach out to citizens. We’re all immigrants to some degree.
Buraun-san, omae wa honto ni baka da ne.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:19 amI have a euopean surname that is not difficult to pronounce, however it has an extra (and pointless) silent letter, and it is ALWAYS mispronounced because of that.
I guess, according to Betty Bigot, I should change my (English) name.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:19 amAnd isn’t the very act of transliterating from Asian/Middle Eastern/East European names into the rather restrictive Latin character set, by definition, the adoption of a name for identification purposes?
And even that’s too hard for Mls. Blown.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:19 amHer ignorance is only matched by her arrogance.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:22 amI have a german surname of only three characters, yet very few people get it right the first time.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:22 amRacism so PURE, that she truly doesnt get it!..you see why I left Texas, now? ..do you see?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:23 amYesterday, Brown continued to resist calls to apologize. Her spokesman said that Democrats “want this to just be about race.”
Please explain how it’s NOT about race.
We’ll wait…
April 9th, 2009 at 10:23 amGee, Ms. Brown, they all look alike too so maybe you could just come up with one name that they call all go by.
How about Slanteyes McBigot? That sounds very Texan.
PEACE
April 9th, 2009 at 10:23 amActually, a fair amount of dissent is being heard on the LPGA.
They feel the dominance of Asian women in their sport has led to some language interpretation issues and they claim Asians tend to stick together in enclaves and can’t be understood by the media in interviews.
They aren’t, however, asking any of these golfers to change names.
America is growing up. Get used to global names and people. It’s not going away, it’s just begun. Cultural diversity includes names…deal with it, Texas.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:24 amUp here in Minnesota we thought nobody could be as stupid as Bachmann, and then along comes Betty Brown. Stupid sure loves company.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:24 amI agree. In addition to race, let’s make it about ignorance and rank stupidity as well.
Just saying . . .
April 9th, 2009 at 10:24 amWho knew that it would take less than 100 days into the new administration for the GOP’s grand old racism to openly and brazenly bubble to the surface.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:24 amBetty: If y’all would jest, like, change both yer first and last names, then the rest’a’ us could tell which is the first and which is the last. ‘Cause all-a-y’all do the whole name thang bass-ackwards, ya know?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:24 ammisscoleopteramolly Says:
Good points. There are still people who have pride in their family escutcheon. My ancestors were the principal founders of a city here (among other interesting things), and our name is seen in historical sites there (and going back to Engalnd it gets very interesting).
I would hold up my family tree against Betty Bigot’s any day. Any day……
April 9th, 2009 at 10:26 amI have a German surname that is a fairly common name in the US, but it’s spelled oddly. The pronunciation of the name was particularly mangled when I lived in the south. Even though I’m American, I guess I’ll have to change my name.
When my mother’s family came over from Holland, their name was Kuhn. The American doing the paperwork for them ever-so-helpfully changed it to Coon. Yikes.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:28 amspencers butterfly mom Says:
Gee, Ms. Brown, they all look alike too so maybe you could just come up with one name that they call all go by.
How about Slanteyes McBigot? That sounds very Texan.
PEACE
April 9th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Mom, you crack me up. :-D
April 9th, 2009 at 10:30 amWhat a shallow self-centered moron, it is painful to me to think this women is representing Americans.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:30 amWith idiocy like this coming from the Regressive side of the House floor it’s no wonder why Eric Cantor feels it is necessary to have his GOP aides go around videotaping and trying to ridicule the new Dems in the House.
I for one welcome our new Chinese overlords.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:31 amLet’s not lose sight of the “you and your citizens” part of Betty Brownshirt’s statement as well. Perhaps she gets an “enlightened for Texas” gold star for not saying “you people” but that sure sounds like a backhanded classification of anyone who lacks the right pigment and the right anglo saxon name.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:31 amShe been hitting the jimson weed salad or what? Chinese is easy for English speakers–it’s grammar is remarkably similar to English–position in the sentence determines function and modifiers generally precede what they modify. How do they elect these ignoramuses?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:32 amZooey Lepidoptera Says:
When my mother’s family came over from Holland, their name was Kuhn. The American doing the paperwork for them ever-so-helpfully changed it to Coon. Yikes.
I’ve seen a lot of stories about this kind of thing. My understanding is that those coming over either had no idea what was being done with their name or they were just so ready to get in to America that they didn’t argue.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:32 amCageyCretin Says:
I’ve seen a lot of stories about this kind of thing. My understanding is that those coming over either had no idea what was being done with their name or they were just so ready to get in to America that they didn’t argue.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:32 am
This was in the early 1900s, and they just had no idea. I always wonder if that guy got a good laugh with the family that evening.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:34 amI can just picture what happens to a Texas asian-american who travels out of state and is stopped for a traffic violation, if her idea is adopted:
“Says here on your driver’s license that your last name is Ngyen, but when I checked, I learned you are also known as O’Shaunessey, Stevens, and Running Elk. I think we need to take you down to the station, and straighten this out..”
April 9th, 2009 at 10:34 amWow…how’s that campaign to win hearts and minds goin’ there Repubs?
This woman is the epitome of ugly American.
She should vanish into the wilderness.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:35 amPerhaps all Asian immigrants could adopt the name “Betty Brown” so that not only could she pronounce it but maybe even spell it as well.
J.R.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:35 amBruce Lee is too hard to pronounce… its sooo. American-Asian. He should be named Trigg Wrobelowvisky.
Can we change his name posthumously?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:35 amIn the past, early 20th century, people how immigrated here did exactly this. Eastern European, Russian and many many others ‘americanized’ their names, to fit in better. But this was a time when there was much bigotry and hatred to all those NOT American. America has changed, we are more accepting of others not matter what the name or the color or religion.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:38 amBut for this lady to tell people they should change their names is being very narrow mind and ignorant.
Sure thing better, and whilst you’re at it why not insist that Texans learn to speak ENGLISH properly?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:38 amBetty Brown’s name is racially misleading. Maybe she should change it to… Betty KKK White?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:39 amZooey Lepidoptera Says:
This was in the early 1900s, and they just had no idea. I always wonder if that guy got a good laugh with the family that evening.
Probably. From what I remember about these incidents is that a LOT of such “oddities” were done on purpose… just ‘for amusement”.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:39 amCan we change his name posthumously?
You really want to take that chance? Even dead, I wouldn’t risk a Bruce Lee ass-whuppin’.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:40 amYesterday, Brown continued to resist calls to apologize. Her spokesman said that Democrats “want this to just be about race.”
April 9th, 2009 at 10:40 amMentioning Chinese specifically in your comments made it about race, Betty Brown,you ridiculous woman.
JohnnyR Says:
Perhaps all Asian immigrants could adopt the name “Betty Brown” so that not only could she pronounce it but maybe even spell it as well.
Methinks you may be giving her too much credit. She can’t spell that.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:40 amDoc Rock Says:
She been hitting the jimson weed salad or what? Chinese is easy for English speakers–it’s grammar is remarkably similar to English–position in the sentence determines function and modifiers generally precede what they modify. How do they elect these ignoramuses?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:32 am
___________
Grammatically it may be easy, but it’s a difficult language to pronounce correctly since it’s tonal and has a lot of consonants that don’t exist in our sound set. Southeast Asian languages like Thai and Khmer can be even more difficult, with very odd vowel combinations. Then in South Asia you’ve got the retroflex consonants, and in the Middle East you’ve got the glottal stops and pharyngeal fricatives and whatnot.
None of these are impossible, of course – they can all be learned by anyone willing to make the effort. The problem is that too few Americans want to make that effort.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:42 ambarfly Says:
Can we change his name posthumously?
You really want to take that chance? Even dead, I wouldn’t risk a Bruce Lee ass-whuppin’.
Hmmmm… good point……
Zombie Bruce Lee, returned from the dead to avenge his name?…. Hell, I’d pay to see that movie….
April 9th, 2009 at 10:42 amI tried, without luck, to find out Betty Brown’s maiden name. It would be a hoot if it was a difficult to pronounce European name.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:43 amDoc Rock Says:
She been hitting the jimson weed salad or what? Chinese is easy for English speakers–it’s grammar is remarkably similar to English–position in the sentence determines function and modifiers generally precede what they modify. How do they elect these ignoramuses?
That is a wonderful point that had me wondering the same thing, but the pronunciation is much more difficult, is it not? I think that was Brown’s concern, as unjustified as it was.
After all, isn’t English one of the hardest languages to understand, with all of its homophones, heteronyms, and grammar rules?
Speaking of grammar rules, you ended on a preposition, Ms. Brown.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:44 amWow, how STUPID do you have to be, to not be able to pronounce a name like “Ko”???
April 9th, 2009 at 10:45 am“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” Brown said.
Huh. Chinese? How many Chinese immigrants are there in Texas, anyway?
Maybe Vietnamese, Cambodian, Hmong? Oh, what’s that? They all look the same?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:47 amI wonder how Betty feels about our Insect Cabal names?
Way to science-y, I’m sure…
April 9th, 2009 at 10:47 amWell, this was said in relation to voter identification, so I guess her REAL point is that people with unAmerican sounding names (which, i am not sure what that REALLY means… but whatever) should not vote.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:48 amPurple State Says:
After all, isn’t English one of the hardest languages to understand, with all of its homophones, heteronyms, and grammar rules?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:44 am
__________
From my experience teaching ESL, yes. It’s all exceptions with very few rules. And pronunciation is insane rote memorization – just think how many ways there are to pronounce the consonant “c”.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:49 amI’m not sure which is worse.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:49 amOne who is blatantly racist, and proud of it.
Or one who has no clue that they are being racist, and refuses to listen and understand why.
As a Republican, she can probably pronounce “no”. I’m not sure that “Ko” would be that hard to handle.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:50 amCagey,
She’s probably succeeded in intimidating some Asian voters into staying away from the polls next election — Mission Accomplished.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:50 amOf course immigrants have long done this very thing. My own name is something that was made up because the original Norwegian name of my family was difficult to pronounce, embarrassing because it revealed our roots, or simply inconvenient for some other reason.
I have been pleased to see more and more immigrants keeping their names. It is far more interesting to call people by their given name and learn something of their culture and language than it is to use an adopted name simply because it is easier to pronounce.
Aren’t we the melting pot?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:51 amBetty Brown has a point. After all, Sam Wurzelbacher wasn’t getting anywhere with that name. So he changed it to Joe the Plumber and – Bingo!- he’s now a celebrity pundit/war correspondent.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:51 amZooey Lepidoptera Says:
Cagey,
She’s probably succeeded in intimidating some Asian voters into staying away from the polls next election — Mission Accomplished.
Good point.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:52 amAnnoying thought.
200,000 Texan Chinese-Americans should change their names “for identification purposes” to “Betty Brown”.
See if that helps sort things out for Rep. Brown.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:53 amIt never ceases to amaze me just how unbelievably ignorant, arrogant, egocentric, intolerant, hypocritical, and short-sighted people like this can be…and one of the things which never ceases to disgust me about people is the way in which so many of them almost instinctively label anything which differs from their own experience as being at best inferior and that they therefore are fully entitled to correct it.
Ironic that when Rep. Brown’s far-flung ancestors and others like them first arrived in North America, it’s unlikely in the extreme that they would have even considered making the sort of accommodations to the existing indigenous culture that Rep. Brown is suggesting Asians should make to American culture as it currently exists. On the contrary — they did everything within their power to force Native Americans into abandoning their own culture in favor of European culture. They’re still doing it today, insisting to newcomers that they do everything they can to blend in despite the fact that American culture as it currently stands is at least in part the result of our ancestors’ adamant refusal to do that themselves.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:54 amWhat is so hard about Andrew Yu-Jen Wang.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:54 amMaybe he should send her his resume…
My name is an Americanized version of my European ancestors’ name, and people still mispronounce it, and misspell it for that matter, constantly.
What’s your solution for me, Ms. Brown?
I am appalled at what a stupid b!tch she is. That’s a horrible thing to THINK let alone be dumb enough to SAY OUT LOUD.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:55 amBut seriously… where does she buy her bobble-head shaped clan hoods? Do they have to be special ordered?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:55 amAlso, I’m new here! I think this may be my first post, though I signed up a few days ago!
I look forward to some lively discussions. I’ve been following the threads for a long time before finally signing up to put my two cents in to the conversations.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:55 amBrown must be referring to these “Americans”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaxECcTjCuw
Just saying . . .
April 9th, 2009 at 10:55 amfletc3her Says:
Aren’t we the melting pot?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:51 am
____________
I prefer the salad bowl metaphor, personally. Melting pot implies that all cultures will eventually lose their individual characteristics and blend into one uniform monoculture. Salad bowl, on the other hand, implies that cultures stay separate and intact, but intermingle to form something more interesting than any one culture on their own.
Of course, if you follow either of these metaphors to their logical conclusion, they all turn to shit in the end, so perhaps I’m reading too much into it.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:56 amJohn Yoo would like to hear from her personally on this. Or would he follow the party line?
inquiring minds want to know.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:58 amWelcome, smidget. :)
April 9th, 2009 at 10:58 amDumber than a Brown Betty.
And like most stupid Texans, just bristling with pride.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:59 amHey, it’s only fair for asians to change their names. After all, Betty Baby changed hers from Braun. Just so it’s easier to pronounce, don’tch know? Seig Hei— I mean, guut mor-r-rnink.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:00 amsmidget, allow me to echo Zooey’s welcome. I look forward to reading your comments.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:00 amI like the salad bowl metaphor, toasterhead — although I won’t follow it all the way to it’s conclusion. ;)
Just because we’re all Americans, doesn’t mean we all become the same. It’s our diversity that makes us interesting — and a stronger nation.
Dumb shits like Betty have no capacity to understand that.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:02 amNow, which Native American tribe is it that uses Brown as a surname?
April 9th, 2009 at 11:03 amI think that was just in the movie ‘Alien Nation’. =D
As an aside, my grand parents got an Americanized name on Ellis Island. Yeah, its unpronouncable and sounds French, but at least it doesn’t end in a vowel any more. I might be discriminated against for my eye-talian heritage.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:09 amHe must be on vacation. Maybe to attend one of the ‘Tea Parties’.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:13 amEvery bigot with (R) after their name should be defeated next year in the election. The only way to put a stop to the hate and ignorance is to silence it through the elections. These people are the real enemy we have to fight.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:20 amhuidan !
April 9th, 2009 at 11:20 amAnd gays should stick with the opposite sex to make it easier, and everyone should be christian to make it easier, and…
This darn diversity thing is so annoying!
April 9th, 2009 at 11:32 amIt is one aspect of that kind of bigotrythat is most revelatory–the one thtat feels entitled to its laziness.
Long ago, I realized that most of the anti-Latino folks don’t want them to learn English–they want them to forget Spanish.
They recoil at signs they can’t read, or at people jabbering away in some funny lingo of theirs–but is there a twinge of embarrassment at their ignorance? The merest glimpse of a thought that maybe they should learn something they don’t know?
No way, José. This is America! I shouldn’t have to learn a furrin langwidge!
Gawd help it that Betty Brown would have to actually learn something. Far better to rework an entire cultural tradition.
Subconsciously, though, it penetrates. Those Hispanics–especially if they’re second generation–have more skills than they have: a second language. They can get jobs you can’t–because they have an additional skill.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:33 amAnd they react violently to the resulting though–that they ae inferior to them–and want them thrown out of the country. Weshould be on top no matter how lazy and ignorant we are!
Good morning fellow insects and my welcome to smidget too.
I’ve been mulling over the make it easier for “Americans” remark and wonder she didn’t say “precinct workers”.
I wonder how other areas of the country where there are concentrations of people with “non-American” named voters handle this.
Would it be too simple to have people fluent in what ever language that the “Americans” are having difficulty with working at problem precincts?
In lieu of “melting pot” or “salad” I would say “vegetable stew” with lots and lots of interesting flavors.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:36 am“…adopt a name just for identification purposes… ”
I agree. And if you have a common name, say, Betty Brown, I suggest that we make it mandatory that you have to add a number to your name like Betty Brown 1, Betty Brown 2, and so on so we can identify which Betty Brown you are. State Rep. Betty Brown of Texas could be Betty Brown 4791 – I don’t think that number is assigned at the moment.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:36 amRep. Brown,
Change yours. “Betty Cracker”.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:43 amBetty Brown is right. This is not just about race. It’s also about arrogance, willful ignorance, xenophobia, and a lot of other things that I’m probably forgetting in the confusion normally encountered in the face of such staggering stupidity.
I keep thinking that I’ve heard it all, but the Republican Party is most certainly the gift that keeps on giving.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:43 amJeez I can hardly wait till Hannity,Limpballs,Beck and BillO get ahold of this one………..my bad they think just like her .Why do these reich Wingers hate so much?
April 9th, 2009 at 11:45 amPachydiplax de St. Augustine Says:
Would it be too simple to have people fluent in what ever language that the “Americans” are having difficulty with working at problem precincts?
April 9th, 2009 at 11:36 am
_________
One would think. It was on the questionnaire I filled out when I signed up to work at the polls this November – they actively seek out fluent speakers of foreign languages and place them in precints that have heavy immigrant populations. It’s just good governance.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:47 amCan you just imagine what this poor dragonfly might have to go through with Ms. Brown, considering my last name – longipennis!
April 9th, 2009 at 11:52 amI’m not saying I agree with Rep. Brown on this, but the people here who actually suggest that Americans change their names to Chinese can understand them are ridiculous.
Just a reminder.. we live in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, not Asia.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:59 amAnd the difference between the melting pot and the salad bowl is that the melting pot creates metal.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:59 amIn the melting pot we all change. not just the immigrants, and ultimately make something miraculously strong.
Can you just imagine what this poor dragonfly might have to go through with Ms. Brown, considering my last name – longipennis!
And this poor housefly, with the adopted name “Farkindrunk.”
April 9th, 2009 at 12:04 pmJust a reminder.. we live in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, not Asia.
So what, whitegirl? You think you’re OG?
April 9th, 2009 at 12:06 pmPlease give this ignorant hillbilly a call.
April 9th, 2009 at 12:10 pm512-463 0458
somedaygirl Says:
I’m not saying I agree with Rep. Brown on this, but the people here who actually suggest that Americans change their names to Chinese can understand them are ridiculous.
____________
Is there anybody here who can translate this statement?
It doesn’t make any farkin’ sense…
Is it in some sort of foreign language or something?
Ooooooh… I got it… somedaygirl is still LEARNING English…
Well… you can come here and practice all you want… it’ll get easier!
April 9th, 2009 at 12:11 pmWhat a F’n idiot!
April 9th, 2009 at 12:16 pmI sometimes ask myself why I live in Texas but then I realise I live in Dallas (in the city) where you won’t see people like Betty.
April 9th, 2009 at 12:16 pmsomedaygirl Says:
Just a reminder.. we live in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, not Asia.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:59 am
______________
You’re absolutely right. We should be changing our European names to Native American names instead.
This is why many years ago I changed my name to Fixes Paper Jams.
April 9th, 2009 at 12:18 pmpbeeg Says:
And the difference between the melting pot and the salad bowl is that the melting pot creates metal.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:59 am
__________
I don’t know what kind of fondue parties you have at your house, but count me out…
April 9th, 2009 at 12:21 pmI will change mine to “flying clown who hates brown”
April 9th, 2009 at 12:22 pmTexas, she’s a representative there? I am trying to change my feelings about states that screw up and then I blame the whole state. Like Florida for screwing up the election and sticking us with George W., Texas for where George W is from, California for their ignorants on voting for H8, Texas for where George W lives now and Texas for this retard and BIGOT holds office!!!
April 9th, 2009 at 12:23 pmobama-biden2009 Says:
__________
Hmmm…
April 9th, 2009 at 12:27 pmsomedaygirl Says:
I’m not saying I agree with Rep. Brown on this, but the people here who actually suggest that Americans change their names to Chinese can understand them are ridiculous.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:59 am
__________
You do make one other valid point – it’s extremely presumptuous for us to adopt Mandarin names in anticipation of our coming Chinese overlords.
We should really be hedging our bets and adopting Hindi transliterations also.
April 9th, 2009 at 12:28 pmIf it’s Brown
April 9th, 2009 at 12:33 pmFlush it down
@someday girl:
jesus christ. That’s the whole point of it. They DON’T want you to change your name to theirs, nor vice-versa! Asian-Americans are seeking to live and let be.
Do you travel to China and have people tell you that you white people can’t have your names any more?
April 9th, 2009 at 12:35 pmI would think that somebody on the public payroll who has this much difficulty with names should be removed from their job immediately so no more tax dollars are paid to somebody so incompetent.
April 9th, 2009 at 12:36 pmsomedaygirl, that was a put on right? You’re not really stupid enough to believe that people were serious about changing our names are you?
April 9th, 2009 at 12:39 pmsolution – she should change her brain to make it easier for everyone to deal with.
April 9th, 2009 at 12:41 pmBecause we’re all too stupid and too ignorant to learn beyond our capabilities, perhaps we should take it one step further and have everyone pick one of 10 names…all with one to two syllables. Here are some suggestions; Sarah, John, Mary, Jason, Anne, Mike (Michael would be too difficult), Kim (Kimberley would be too difficult as well), Ben, Chris…and of course, Betty.
All joking and sarcasm aside, I can’t believe that she (Betty Brown) represents my great and incredibly diverse State of Texas.
April 9th, 2009 at 12:45 pmCome on people, look at the bright side.
Something like this caused a firestorm in Texas ?
There’s hope for those Texan’s yet.
April 9th, 2009 at 12:46 pmFIXES PAPER JAMS – LOL!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for my first big giggle of the day!
OK, I think we all need NA names now… I want to be Sleeps Late.
And, someday girl, you are obviously humor-impaired. I am so sorry!
April 9th, 2009 at 12:52 pmYou could say, if yu’re Vietnames, at least, that what Betty Brown is proposing is a “no Nguyen” situation, I suppose…
April 9th, 2009 at 12:52 pmMy wife is chinese and I still can’t pronounce her first name. Dammit, why did I do this to myself?
April 9th, 2009 at 12:59 pmMs. Blown need holmone lepracement
April 9th, 2009 at 1:05 pmthelapy; she then not tark so clazy.
How do you pronounce her name? Braun, Bruien, Broom, Browd, cripes, why can’t she change her name to something easier, like Smith?
Fcuk the Republicans
April 9th, 2009 at 1:07 pmAh, Texas! That’s why I left ya!
Being of Eastern European Descent, my father when he was in the service during WWII, people would call him “-SKI” because they couldn’t be bothered to learn his last name.
Dozens of people had their last names shortened or changed to be more accommodating to English speech as they immigrated into America through Ellis Island.
If she doesn’t think that this isn’t about race, then what is it about?
Probably just ignorance and laziness. But it is still a very stupid thing to say.
And Rep. Brownski should apologize.
April 9th, 2009 at 1:11 pmStupid b. Ignorant. She needs to get laid.
Hey Betty,
April 9th, 2009 at 1:17 pmThe SPCA called. They want the poodle on your head back.
how does one pronounce “Betty” ??
April 9th, 2009 at 1:20 pmbet tea?
bet tie?
bee tea?
bee tie?
beet eye?
she should change her name to some think easier to pronounce,
like maybe Benito Mussolini? Pol Pot?
She needs to apologize now or this will be the end of her career. Who is going to vote for someone so ignorant and uneducated? She’s an embarassment to politicians.
April 9th, 2009 at 1:22 pmMaybe if the right wingers allowed the rank and file to have a decent public education other cultures and things like science and math wouldn’t be so difficult to us ugly and dumb Americans.
Maybe one solution to illegal immigartion is to give them Texas. Be nice to have some reasonable people there for change.
And it is refreshing for a Republican to publically admit they’re so butt stupid they can’t handle learning a Chinese person’s name. Oh well, little minds. What you gonna do?
April 9th, 2009 at 1:22 pmHow will they translate all the chinese food menus?
Does “Moo Goo Gia Pan” become “Cow Sticky Male Cooking Utensil”?
April 9th, 2009 at 1:25 pmNext she’ll suggest that all the asians come in and get a barcode tattooed on their arms so the real americans don’t even have to bother with their complex names. Or “let’s just give them a number for identification purposes”.
April 9th, 2009 at 1:28 pmFolks, this is Texas. Notice that in Texas they can’t even pronounce their own names right.
I live in Missouri where Cairo is pronounced Kay-Rho,
Plus the good rep is on to something. There are an awful lot of geographic names that are hard to pronounce. I bet our children would do a lot better in geography is all these cities in China, Poland, etc. were to change their name to good, solid, American names.
April 9th, 2009 at 1:39 pmWhat I would give to see what Molly Ivins would would write about this twit. I really miss her.
April 9th, 2009 at 1:40 pmDon’t judge all Texans by this close-minded, bigoted person! Actually Texas has a very large, and growing Asian population. As a native Texan I welcome them and enjoy the opportunity to learn about other people’s cultures. Wouldn’t it be boring if everyone did everything exactly the same way?
I agree with the above comment, I would have loved to see what Molly Ivins would have said about this, or if Ben Sargent hadn’t just retired, oh, the wonderful cartoon he would have come up with!!
An apology isn’t enough, Rep. Brown needs to open her mind!
April 9th, 2009 at 2:02 pmYou don’t even need to be an “R” after the identifier. Anyone who says something this assinine has got to be a repub.
She and Michelle Bachmann should get together.
April 9th, 2009 at 2:10 pm.
So says State Rep. Betty Brown (R)…
… Because we all know the name Betty White is already taken.
.
April 9th, 2009 at 2:12 pmSure, this isn’t about race….That’s why Rep. Brown will next ask all Polish, Russian, Irish, French, Mexican, Peurto Rican, Brazilian, etc etc Americans to change their names.
Equal protection under the law for voting should not be based on how hard it is for someone buried in the state bureaucracy to pronounce you name.
This is almost as bad as imposing a poll tax (it costs $ to change your name) or literacy test. No, this is worse, because you’re not asking the VOTER to pass a literacy test, but some nameless, faceless, government worker or poll volunteer to pass one.
Man, nothin like Texas politicians…
April 9th, 2009 at 2:17 pmOops there goes the asian voter block for the republicans. These guys are good.
April 9th, 2009 at 2:21 pmsomedaygirl Says:
And many of those Asians with Asian names are as American as YOU are and have as much right to THEIR names as YOU do. It is likely many of their families have been in America as long as YOUR family. Remember this is America isnt synonymous with this is EUROPEAN.
April 9th, 2009 at 2:30 pmThis woman is an idiot and that may have been the most un-American thing I have ever heard of. I am ashamed to be the same species as this moron
April 9th, 2009 at 2:31 pmSomeone should put pee pee in her coke.
April 9th, 2009 at 2:33 pmSecond thought on this —
I’m sure Betty would not mind any of those difficult to pronounce Asian names if they were on checks contributing to her campaign!
April 9th, 2009 at 2:34 pmRight now my state (Texas) is debating a bill that will require photo ID to vote.
April 9th, 2009 at 2:36 pmIt’s clearly aimed at suppressing the minority vote.
Please call her 512-463 0458
Considering who the president had been the last 8 years, this comment does not surprise me coming from another Texas politician.
April 9th, 2009 at 3:01 pmXenophobia and ignorance go side by side…
April 9th, 2009 at 3:22 pmLove how she wants to turn herself into the victim here…Boo Hoo! The Democrats want to turn it into everything about race.
April 9th, 2009 at 3:22 pmcc: from the letter I sent her office:
your recent quip regarding asians adopting ‘american’ names is truly sad…… you are doing your constituents a disservice, and are representing them as a backward, myopic people. I can only hope you’re not also on your town/district’s tourism board, too…. because you’d frighten the Hell out of Me ever considering a visit.
Do your constituents a favour: pull your head out of your @ss, or kindly resign.
April 9th, 2009 at 3:35 pmI guess Betty believes that many Americans are too lazy, callous and intellectually challenged to make an attempt. By her suggestion, it seems that she endorses this standing.
April 9th, 2009 at 3:42 pmMaybe Betty Brown can change her name to “Baby Blown” to make it easier for Asians to pronounce.
It is about racism, but more than that, it’s about respect. Be respectful enough of a fellow human being to pronounce his/ her name correctly.
April 9th, 2009 at 3:43 pmRight on Somedaygirl, you have redeemed yourself after that awkward start.
I grew up in a very smal CA town with only one Asian family 0 the Fongs, who had been there since 1849. A good 50 years before most of my family came to America. But of course, they still got a lot of racist attitude from the locals.
It isn’t if you were born here or not, it’s if you are white-European that makes you a person, in the minds of racists like Betty.
And before we had a lot of Aisans or Moslems or Mexicans or whatever that looked different, they were just as racist about the Irish… who are pretty darned white.
Bigotry is bigotry and maybe someday our country will have the courage to PROSECUTE people for it.
April 9th, 2009 at 3:54 pmI’m appalled when I hear comments like this, especially from a Republican. I’m also a Republican. I’ve never heard of Rep. Brown, but it sounds like she grew up not know anyone with names such as hers, ie, Brown, Smith and Jones. She really needs diversity training in the worst way. Why would people need to learn all the languages of the world in order to pronounce their names. Is she also implying that no one, even if they ARE American citizens and served their country, can vote unless they have common name like hers? I am Asian and served from 1967 – 1969 so people like her can enjoy our precious freedom. I have an Uncle who was with the Flying Tigers in WWII. One of my wife’s cousins also served with the Flying Tigers. I hope people in her district read her comments and vote her our of office. What a disgrace Rep. Brown is to our great country. Needless to say, I would imagine her forefathers came from another country, too.
April 9th, 2009 at 3:58 pmHey bluedog,
April 9th, 2009 at 4:00 pmBetty Browns voicemail box is full. I wonder why. I also wonder why a woman with such a large forehead has no brain.
I am a Caucasian American, born and raised in the Midwest. Embarrassingly enough, my first real experience with Asian culture was when I was 24 years old and moved to Korea for a year and a half. While living there, I learned the language out of sheer embarrassment that every other culture outside of America not only speaks at least 2 languages but has enough knowledge and reverence of one another to at the VERY LEAST learn another person’s name correctly. I am extremely angry about what this Texas Lawmaker is proposing and honestly, if this is how we are going to run things in America, then I’m going back to Korea.
April 9th, 2009 at 4:04 pmGweilo means “ghost”. It’s like “honky” or “gringo”.
This woman is stupid.
April 9th, 2009 at 4:07 pmWow. Well, can we also please stop white people from naming their kids things like Pilot Inspektor and Bronx Mowgli? We shouldn’t be racist on top of ignorant.
April 9th, 2009 at 4:08 pmI wonder if this Texas Representative (of the 4th Reich) asks her gardners and fast food employees in Texas to allow her to just call them Paco or Taco? Blacks have some strange names too like Barack & Michelle so maybe we can just call them the cotton pickers, Native Americans can be called Injun? How about we just call the WHITE HONKEY B*TCH?
April 9th, 2009 at 4:11 pmSo, let me get this straight. The MONOSYLLABIC last names, such as Lee and Kim, are too difficult to pronounce? I think we need to look into additional funding for the Texas public school systems if this is the case :)
April 9th, 2009 at 4:16 pmHey sscncturn64:
I just tried again too and got the same message as you.
But to answer your question, I’m guessing it’s all due to family in-breeding.
April 9th, 2009 at 4:24 pmGod forbid they take the umbrella out of her MaiTai or serve her shrimp fried rice with an insufficent number of shrimp or tell her that no such thing as Crab Rangoons exists in Asian cuisine…
April 9th, 2009 at 4:33 pmHer comments are illogical and ludicrous. I Have worked at votong polls and trust me the last thing a poll worker or a voter thinks about is mis-pronouncing an Asian name. Ms. Brown apparently has lost her focus and stopped realizing that most Americans are not named Brown, Smith and Jones. How do these people get elected?
April 9th, 2009 at 4:56 pmuh yeah im asian and my last name is PARK. AND it is a typical korean last name. so if she cant pronoune that then thats pretty sad.
April 9th, 2009 at 5:13 pmI suggest Rep. Brown apply for work at the IRS, Social Security, or Dept. of Motor Vehicles. Her fine appreciation for cultural diversity would suit a numbers-driven bureaucracy perfectly. (She’s an embarrassment to European-Americans everywhere. I apologize for wayward great-great-grandmother.)
April 9th, 2009 at 6:19 pmWay to represent where you’re from, Betty, as if George Bush wasn’t enough.
My name is Muirgheal Nic an Bheatha (Mur-el Nic an Va-ha), but it’s not Asian – do you think i should change it too? It’s probably harder than some Asian names.
(It’s Irish by the way, our names are notoriously difficult to pronounce. Even in Ireland people struggle with the names)
April 9th, 2009 at 6:57 pmMaybe Rep. Betty Brown should wear a bag over her head to make her face easier for the rest of us Americans to deal with.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:12 pmwow. not everyone can or wants to have such a generic name like betty brown. what a dumbass. and the sad thing is that ppl like her can’t even pronounce my last name. its felts. said exactly how it looks. i get philips or something like that. whats worse is when you dont know how to say something instead of asking you have to act ignorant and tell me what it should be or i should change it. cuz you know, growth is based off ignorance.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:21 pmShe seems to be talking about two separate things. In the first quote, by requesting that “you and your citizens” adopt Anglo names so that ‘we’ can deal with you better here, her scope seems to go beyond American borders. This makes her presumptuousness beyond offensive.
In the second quote, she is clearly talking about Americans of Asian ancestry. Asian presence goes back to the mid-19th century in the United States. In the early 1900s, many Asians were accused of being intentionally evasive by having an alias (paper sons, for instance, are among this group). Ahhh the irony of racism…
April 9th, 2009 at 7:22 pmAlright wanna hear my view?
April 9th, 2009 at 7:29 pmHer saying Chinese people should change there name to make it easier for us to deal with is absolutely absurd. I’m pretty sure that diversity is part of America. Making someone change there name is like telling them to get rid of their originality and their identity. Betty Brown should think about what she’s saying because as far as i’m concerned that’s very prejudice and one large statement.
Obiously this woman doesn’t know the meaning of and doesn’t care about a person’s name. Especially their last name and passing on the legacy of a last name.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:45 pmMaybe I’d consider it only if she agrees to getting some work done on her face so it can be easier to look at. Just a thought.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:51 pmI currently live in Texas and every year it gets more and more embarrassing to admit that. I can’t wait to leave this state where this is an accepted view by a political figure.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:58 pmMaybe a cheaper solution would be to pass out intelligence boosting pills to Texas politicians.
April 9th, 2009 at 8:02 pmOn second thought, maybe those intelligence pills should be passed out to Texas voters as well. Looks as if they really need therm right now.
Where is FEMA when you really need it?
April 9th, 2009 at 8:03 pmMy name is Van Bever. I should really have it changed to something simple like Smith or Li…oh wait.
Betty Brown makes Palin look like an absolute genius!
April 9th, 2009 at 8:04 pmHere’s the thing.
the US is one of the most diverse countires, if not, it IS the most diverse country.
So, ms. Betty Brown, welcome to America.
Yes, they may be Chinese, but they are American, too.
They can deal with it, so once again, ms. Betty Brown, welcome to America and suck up your racist, and uneducated remarks instead of passing a bill advocating your ignorant beliefs.
that would be what I would tell her. And more, definitely.
April 9th, 2009 at 8:07 pmWhile you´re at it, Mrs. Brown, why don´t you change the name of your country too?
After all, America pays homage to Americo Vespucio, Columbus bestman and cartographer that helped discover the continent. It´s also italian. So maybe you should consider changing it to something more English-sounding, uh?
(BTW I´m brazilian, and we have a shitload of different surnames and first names as well, and we deal with it. Look, I even dealt with learning a second language! I´m sure Mrs. Brown can make an effort to comprehend something as difficult as, ya know, Chang Li.)
April 9th, 2009 at 8:08 pm“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?”
I work with many Chinese people. My experience is that they are genuine, good natured and good hearted. I would be embarrassed, no mortified if they ever knew that some narrow minded, arrogant American would ever suggest this. Betty Brown, I suggest you get your butt to church and ask the good Lord for a little insight, and maybe a little humility.
April 9th, 2009 at 8:13 pmThat’s soo dumb. Nobody should be told to change their name for someone else’s convience. This is the kind of shit that makes Asian Americans and other minorities feel inadequate with their identities. Truth be told it’s not us, its the hypocrite Americans that need to check themselves!
April 9th, 2009 at 8:42 pmWith all due respect, State Representative Betty Brown, asking Asian American’s to change our last names to make them ‘easier for Americans to deal with’, is akin to a designer at GAP or JC Penny (or wherever your unfortunate wardrobe is from) requesting that YOU loose 40 lbs. to save on material and/or fitting issues.
April 9th, 2009 at 8:55 pmMy last name is two letters long, if you can’t pronounce “Wu” then gtfo.
Oh and for your information Ms. Brown, immigrants go through US Customs to get their names translated into English. So technically it’s not our fault. I mean it’s not like you’re reading the actual characters.
April 9th, 2009 at 8:57 pmAnother ignorant bigot from Texas. Quel surprise!
April 9th, 2009 at 9:04 pmWho the hell is making you learn Chinese anyways? Have you ever thought that maybe learning another language would increase your mental capacitance – not just that but public relations? – Ha! who am I kidding.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:06 pmHis name is Ko. KO. How hard is that to pronounce?!?!
April 9th, 2009 at 9:45 pmStereotyping all Texans as racist bigots is just as ignorant as Ms. Brown’s comments. Keep the feedback directed at the person who deserves it, not the state she came from.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:54 pmAlright, seriously, Asians, and every other ethnicity out there that have tried their hardest to come over here in the U.S., legally, have gone through a lot more difficulties, suffering, and sacrifices. My mother came over here in the 60s, in her teens from Vietnam. She managed to get by with the very little English that she knows, and having friends and family members who’ve been here longer than she has. She is now a college graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree, and is persuing for her Master’s. And she is working for a computer company with a sub contract with the military. Now, the majority of lazy Americans, or technically, the head leader of Lazy/Racist Americans, Mrs. Brown, wants Asians to simply change their last names, just so you fatasses wouldn’t have to waste a breath pronounciating someone’s last name? English is a difficult language for those who have to learn it as their second language, and you cannot pronounce a name, so you change/make a “law” for “Asians” to change their names? I hope you get kicked out of office, and hope you end up dead in a car accident on the way home, after getting kicked out of office.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:13 pmYou know what would be even easier?
Why don’t we just tattoo numbers on everyone’s arm?
Ms. Brown (and her peers) the above comment is sarcasm, I fear you are too stupid to realize that.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:21 pmOnce again, I find myself mortified to say I live in Texas. Representative Brown’s proposal is nothing short of disgusting. If it weren’t so incredibly offensive, it would almost be comical.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:25 pmI don’t know if you all know this, but it’s common practice for people in China to give foreigners Chinese names. In fact, when a foreigner is introduced to a national, they routinely ask for their Chinese name. I wonder if that changes the paradigm a bit.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:29 pmreally Betty Brown???
my name is karwan cung, should i change it to t carwin kung or is that still too hard?
brb, going change my name to Jane Smith. and while i’m out i’m also going to lighten my skin, dye my hair blonde and buy blue contacts so i look more causcasian (yeah i’m canadian not american). k see ya later guys!
p.s. yes i’m aware my name easier than zhao wei but i still get plenty of ppl who can’t pronounce it.
p.p.s. Betty Jill Bob Hillbilly, there are over 1 billion chinese people in this world, maybe you should change your name so its easier for them?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:30 pmHere’s how to email old Miss Betty Brown to express and demand her need to apologize (public apology), http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/email.php?dist=4&rep=betty.brown
April 9th, 2009 at 10:35 pmone last thing. our Chinese names ARE IN ENGLISH YOU RETARDED IDIOT… you clearly can’t read chinese as my name isn’t written in chinese characters. neither are any of the names on your voters list, so please explain to me how you’re being forced to learn chinese?
April 9th, 2009 at 10:35 pmDid anyone mention palin, boner and blago’s names?
Oh no she isn’t a racist she just asks racist questions like a racist. She is all so ignorant as hell. How do these people get into office?
There must have been a whole lotta shit going on before the tubes.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:50 pmWhile I think BB’s statements were pretty hillybilly sounding, I DO think it is a problem when people mix their adopted and legal names on official IDs. People shouldn’t be doing that.
As for adopting local names, I’m pragmatic when it comes to this issue. I’ve legally adopted an English name (and I do mean ENGLISH in ethymology). In many places in the US, China and around the world, it just makes practical sense to adopt a local sounding name. I wouldn’t change my family name, though I understand that many Jews did in the Austrian-Hungarian empire (one of the reasons so many Jews have German sounding last names).
April 9th, 2009 at 11:08 pmThis video sums it up. copy and paste it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEJfS1v-fU0
April 9th, 2009 at 11:16 pmwow, thanks to her, george bush and a butt load of other texans – i’m pretty ashamed to call myself one.
not all texans are like that. personally, i think chinese names are pretty awesome – at least they mean something.
I mean, yeah, it would be practical to adopt an “english” name – but where’s the fun in being another emily, elizabeth, sarah, or whatever?
the texan government is full of a bunch of backwards thinking conservative hillbillies.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:19 pm??Betty Brown,
????????????????????????????????????
????????????????????????????????????
????????????????????
????????????????
????
April 10th, 2009 at 12:01 am????????????
Proof once again of the quality of people Texans elect to office.
April 10th, 2009 at 12:20 amIts true, Europeans had their names changed by immigration officials either through error or by intention. I would like to think we progressed since then.
I think that ole gal Betty should change her name to Say Lan Chau Hai.
April 10th, 2009 at 12:44 amThat’s funny… my cousin FRANKIE was born in Hong Kong… with a Chinese name. But for the sake of people around him, he goes by Frankie so people don’t have to try to pronounce his Chinese name.
April 10th, 2009 at 1:26 amI do not condone her remarks in any way and I think that they are grossly racist and ignorant. That said, I find it interesting that people who had such an intense and visceral reaction to her comments are so quick to stereotype people from Texas as ignorant, dumb, less-than. What’s the difference and what makes you any better than she is?
April 10th, 2009 at 1:32 amMay I also add to the above and be devils advocate. I’m a baby boomer and my parents were from the school of assimilation, so my birth name is Kevin – ironically an Irish name which in Gaelic is pronounced quaveen’ Also as a baby boomer, a Chinese name at the time was subject of ridicule and other children can be cruel.
Then again, there are some Chinese who have made a compromise. If a parent waned to name their child “Wai Mun” they would give him a birth name of Raymond. Oi Ling becomes Elaine. Soo Wun becomes Susan, Mee Ngoot becomes Margaret, Kai Han becomes Calvin… ad infinitum. My Chinese name is Lau Kwok Wing. Take the last two words and you can have Kevin.
This is slightly off topic and has nothing to do with names,but baby boomer German Americans, to avoid being ostrasicised were forbidden by their parents to speak German. However, I can see Schmidt being changed to Smith. Can anyone think of any more examples?
I do agree Bat Yee (Betty) is an ignorant cun+ and has singled out the Chinese. On the other hand, maybe she thinks we’re all the same. Shame on her.
April 10th, 2009 at 1:40 amI’m from San Antonio and I think this is absurd. Just looking at her smug face makes me extremely angry. There are outliers in every state government, but unfortunately–they somehow manage to get into office and project their ignorant viewpoints onto the masses…
April 10th, 2009 at 3:14 amOK if it will help her,
I’ll change my name of Irechio to ishmaielabob.
So Newt Gingrich will change his name to what?
Mitt Romney will change his name to Muckus Gladious?
April 10th, 2009 at 3:36 amNub should be banned from law. She’s smart enough to have a degree in law, but too dumb to pronounce names.
April 10th, 2009 at 4:22 amthis is the best story i have seen in a long time. i completely agree. if you come to our country learn our language etc… i’m not going to move to Japan and expect every one to know my name or understand me. RIGHT ON!!!
April 10th, 2009 at 4:34 am1. This is the sort of thing that makes me embarassed to be caucasian.
2. This blew my mind and offended me so much it made me register for this site.
God, I thought silly people like this who grew up pre-1960’s had pretty much died off about 10 years ago! Guess there are still some around…
April 10th, 2009 at 5:46 amWhat a shame this women is from Texas, we already obviously have a bad name! I would just like to comment that those of you bashing my wonderful state, and grouping every single person that lives in it, are no better than Betty “Racist” Brown!
April 10th, 2009 at 7:03 amlaomeiguoren Says:
I don’t know if you all know this, but it’s common practice for people in China to give foreigners Chinese names. In fact, when a foreigner is introduced to a national, they routinely ask for their Chinese name. I wonder if that changes the paradigm a bit.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ah no, China also runs over students with tanks. WE are a multiracial society to an extent China isnt. So I would say it doesnt change the paradigm one little bit. There are MANY Asian people who ARE Americans and have been for MANY generations. The utterly ignorant statement by this woman was offensive and embarassing. Nothing could be simpler
April 10th, 2009 at 7:44 amcooperni9 Says:
Fine be an ignorant racist bigot. No one will care where you live except those forced to be in your presence and THEY will wish you DID move to Japan.
April 10th, 2009 at 7:48 amMy mother is an immigrant from the Philippines. Common names over there are ones such as Survilla, Borrez, Lucero, and Fuertes.
I am sure names such as that will be extremely difficult to pronounce in TEXAS of all states.
April 10th, 2009 at 9:06 amI think this is a very good idea. What is everyone whining about?
April 10th, 2009 at 9:09 amis she serious? cause my name’s danielle and i’m asian american and i didn’t think it’d be too hard to pronounce..
April 10th, 2009 at 9:55 amThis just goes to show us how narrow minded and isolated politicians are from the real world. It also shows us that it is time to get people like this out of office. She better hope that she never has to deal with other people on a global wide basis, because they may want he to change her name, “moron” seems fitting.
April 10th, 2009 at 10:00 amUnfortunately her maiden name is Pratt, so we can’t get her there. I live in Virginia and thought we had some ignorant folks representing us at times. Nothing compares to this woman, though. Next thing we know she’ll be calling for a boycott of the children’s channel Noggin and their show Ni-Hao, Kai-lan. My 5 year old son can pronounce that, so what’s this lady’s problem?
April 10th, 2009 at 10:00 amTexan girl here, my best friend immigrated from Korea and I have no problem saying Yoon Kyoung Choi. I’m sorry if your lack of intelligence and proper education has left you unable to pronounce a foreign name.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but Betty Brown has lost my vote. I don’t want an ignorant representative for my state. Do you?
April 10th, 2009 at 10:04 amHey guys!
How did this chick get voted in? Im Black so I feel the Asian pain right now. This woman is yet another example of ignorance personified. How about you just learn how to pronounce it? Its not that hard! If I ever met her, i’d take every opportunity to remind her how stupid she is!
April 10th, 2009 at 10:07 amBe sure to tell Ms. Brown how you feel:
108 S. Pinkerton, Suite 105
April 10th, 2009 at 10:30 amAthens, TX 75751
(903) 675-9500
(903) 677-6773 Fax
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist4/brown.php
“I can’t pronounce yer ching chong language. Speak american dammit…” – Betty Brown
April 10th, 2009 at 10:32 amEugene atrax robustus Debs Says:
laomeiguoren Says:
I don’t know if you all know this, but it’s common practice for people in China to give foreigners Chinese names. In fact, when a foreigner is introduced to a national, they routinely ask for their Chinese name. I wonder if that changes the paradigm a bit.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ah no, China also runs over students with tanks. WE are a multiracial society to an extent China isnt. So I would say it doesnt change the paradigm one little bit. There are MANY Asian people who ARE Americans and have been for MANY generations. The utterly ignorant statement by this woman was offensive and embarassing. Nothing could be simpler
This is not a practice imposed by the government, this is something that is done culturally even in Taiwan, where the Chinese gov. has no say. Also, I did not say I agreed with it. I have refused to change my name in Asia, as it is my identity, and I would expect Asians in the states to feel the same way. However, it was seen as offensive and arrogant because I did not.
April 10th, 2009 at 10:33 amAre there really THAT many more Chinese (or Asians, for that matter) than any other minority group in Texas that it has to be addressed through legislation? Yikes!
April 10th, 2009 at 10:43 amInteresting that the Brown surname is likely of British origin.
April 10th, 2009 at 10:45 amPerhaps she should change HER name to use a native American theme.
Something like Walking Eagle, Dumb Wolf, Squatting Bear, etc. might fit nicely.
I love how this has been politicized as “democrats just want this to be about race.” I understand that most people are not going to understand the deeper implications of what Brown said.
It is easy to say that a culture should try to fit into the United States, that they should adapt to and adopt “US culture.” However, the statement that Brown made is coming from the perspective of a white woman who is in a position of societal power.
I wonder if she has ever been put in a position where her cultural values and racial background has made her the minority? If not, then there is no way that she can understand what it is for an ethnic group to be in the minority and forced to acclimate to a culture not its own.
In any case, this just goes to show that implicit racism is still alive and well in America…a supposedly progressive and forward-thinking country.
April 10th, 2009 at 11:20 amLook at her constituents though:
DID NOT GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL (Age 25+) TOTAL 24,681 PERCENT 26.0% STATE 24.3%
And that was better than 1990… I can only imagine about the boomers in that area.
She is probably uttering general sentiment from that area. Lack of education breeds ignorance.
April 10th, 2009 at 11:59 amI really thought that our country has progressed further than this sort of discrimination. This sounds like something that would have been said 50 years ago and would have still offended most people with half a brain. Our country prides itself on diversity, individualism, freedom of speech, freedom of calling yourself whatever you want, and oh yeah, equal rights for everyone, and she (I can’t believe she’s a lawyer, how??) obviously has no concept of that.
Furthermore, what gets me is that she is so ignorant on Asian culture in general. She criticizes Chinese names, which happen to be some of the easiest names to pronounce out of all surnames in ALL languages: Wong, Liu, Chin, Lee, Wu…they all consist of single syllables that a 6 year old can pronounce! My boyfriend is Thai and his last name is 11 characters long, but apparently, Thai is better than Chinese according to Ms. Brown, our language expert. Oh wait, let me guess: she’s never MET a Thai person, so how would she know?
Racism at its finest, there’s no other way to spell it, Ms. Brown.
April 10th, 2009 at 12:00 pmso like my friend sent me this. and i don’t mind if she wants to do this as long as she has no problem with me calling all white people bakgwais because that makes it all the easier for us azn people because when you see one bakgwai you see them all but that’d be horriblyy messed up because i’d be playin her game. Instead she should get fired/her card burned down/get urinary problems and if she has a daughter that her daughter ends up marrying an azn guy and have azn kids with the most “COMPLICATED” AZN NAMES EVER :DDDDD
April 10th, 2009 at 12:40 pmTexasTina Says:
——————————————————————————–
What a shame this women is from Texas, we already obviously have a bad name! I would just like to comment that those of you bashing my wonderful state, and grouping every single person that lives in it, are no better than Betty “Racist” Brown!
I agree, not everyone here is like this woman. Any one who can judge ALL of Texas for her statements is just as bad. Nobody’s state is perfect.
April 10th, 2009 at 12:47 pmbkleinmann Says:
I think this is a very good idea. What is everyone whining about?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
It is clear you are a bigot and a moron what are you babbling about? Oh yeah, the STUPID has eaten away your brain
April 10th, 2009 at 12:51 pmZimzone: It is a misconception that Texas is Mexican/American in origin. It is actually from the Native American Tejas meaning Friendship. Sounds real friendly right about now thanks to BB. Tho I can’t speak for all Texans, it’s hard enough to gain credibility with the accent, we don’t need others making us sound dumber. My name is quite difficult, almost never pronounced correctly, and is American. She gives women in office a bad name.
April 10th, 2009 at 12:51 pmwho the hell is Belly Blown?
April 10th, 2009 at 12:56 pmlaomeiguoren Says:
This is not a practice imposed by the government, this is something that is done culturally even in Taiwan, where the Chinese gov. has no say. Also, I did not say I agreed with it. I have refused to change my name in Asia, as it is my identity, and I would expect Asians in the states to feel the same way. However, it was seen as offensive and arrogant because I did not.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
O…K… Apparantly you didnt get my point which wasnt about the government. China is China and America is America so what they do there for whatever reason, cultural, governmental, or because of the weather isnt really relevant to what is acceptable for America. Since you apparantly agree it was arrogant and the main point that it is an insult to those Asians who have been Americans some of them for generations we dont seem to have any huge disagreement. What I was saying was NO the fact that in China they might see this differently really DOESNT change the paradigm for US.
April 10th, 2009 at 12:58 pmIf you visit her webpage and click the audio link you will see that Bettie Brown has pronunciation issues that go beyond her difficulty with names like Ko.
April 10th, 2009 at 1:11 pmI’m a blond haired blue eyed native Texan with a last name that is a corruption of an old Welsh name, that nobody has ever been able to pronounce without asking me. So, ms. Brown, do I have to change mine, too? Because if not, then this IS about race, and you deserve to be banned from ever holding public office. Because you SERVE a public that is made up of many Asians and, indeed, other ethnic groups, many with difficult names.
April 10th, 2009 at 1:16 pmGive us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free…as long as they have English names and can be understood by the ignorant.
April 10th, 2009 at 1:39 pm“…easier for Americans to deal with?”
April 10th, 2009 at 2:00 pmHey, Betty… just what Americans are you referring to? My name is Tom Woo (mother born in Denver, CO – father born outside Guangzhou, China) and I was born in Portland, OR..
.
I’m American.
.
I’m not going to suggest you’re a racist. I really don’t think you are one. But I do think you’re clueless in a way you wouldn’t understand if I tried to explain myself.
More than anything it’s sad that you’re so extremely disconnected from reality in that you would even say such a thing. The fact that you didn’t stop to think of the impact of your comments, while you were dribbling this self-blinded nonsense is troubling.
It’s time to retire, Betty… you’re getting old and too far out of touch. Perhaps you’ve done some good in years past, but when you don’t know why an apology would mean something, even if you didn’t mean to offend, it’s time to move on as the years have caught up to ya.
.
Just as American as you are,
Tom Woo
While I certainly do not think anyone should change their name to accommodate the generally uncultured public, Brown’s comment was in response to this:
“Ko told the committee that people of Chinese, Japanese and Korean descent often have problems voting and other forms of identification because they may have a legal transliterated name and then a common English name that is used on their driver’s license on school registrations.”
It seems she didn’t understand what the actual problem was.
Also, is it just me, or is that an extremely poorly written sentence?
As a citizen of Texas, I’d like to point out that we do not all fall from the same tree Bush and Brown did. Some of us are educated and as appalled as the rest of the world at how Texas has been represented lately.
April 10th, 2009 at 3:07 pmI suggest she adopt the name “Lo Fan ‘Ho” just so the billion or so Chinese in the world won’t be confused about what she is.
April 10th, 2009 at 3:11 pmMy father immigrated from Hungary – their last name was changed because in America we don’t do the umlaut (Betty that is those two little dots above the vowel). The revised “American” version is still unpronouncable but at least typeable on an American keyboard.
Now I work with tons of Asians and Indians with names like Bharathi, Gaurav, Raghu and Suvarna. It’s pretty simple – ask them once how it is pronounced, say it over to yourself a few times and then you are able to call them by name with common human respect. I moved to San Francisco specifically because I love the diversity of the community. We have a huge Chinese population, and instead of hiding that fact we celebrate our heritage with an annual Chinese New Year Parade with our very white Mayor waving proudly from his car.
This Betty person is an ignorant racist f@$# and I agree with posters above that I am ashamed to be from the same species and country as her. I emailed her and told her as much. We can’t really blame Texas although it is a disturbing coincidence that W also hails from that great state. Sadly ignorance is not unlawful otherwise we could ship her off to Gitmo and hold her without trial until she smartens up.
For her birthday I am going to buy Betty a deluxe box of 96 Crayola crayons – all of them in “Boring Beige”. Let’s see what sort of pretty picture she can draw using all the same color. I am hoping too that she can use the built-in sharpener on her brain because I think it’s getting a little dull. While we are at it maybe we could outlaw all color in general – annoying how the sky is blue and the ground is brown, those stupid flowers keep popping up in all sorts of different colors and shapes.
Lastly I would just love to know what her Native American name is as clearly she and ALL of her ancestors were born on this continent. I think I will name her Dumber Than Rocks. Or maybe Proud Ignorant Racist.
April 10th, 2009 at 4:01 pmAlso living near Chinatown our voter booklets and ballot cards are written in 3 languages. Yes a whopping 3. In order: 1) English 2) Chinese and 3) Spanish. I think it’s cool.
April 10th, 2009 at 4:04 pmTo our good neighbors in Texas, we stand with you and share your distress.
Check out some of the shocking ideas elected (and re-elected) in Minnesota:
April 10th, 2009 at 4:05 pmhttp://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/24/bachmann-cultures-not-equal/
Brown: “Ch … Sh … how do you say that?”
April 10th, 2009 at 4:32 pmAsian: “Cho … BAM!”
Do you think it would BEHOOVE you to take your head out of your ASS, Ms. Brown?
April 10th, 2009 at 5:15 pmShould people who can not figure out names such as Lee and Ma really be running this country?
April 10th, 2009 at 5:39 pmI’m sure I’m not the only Asian who wants to kick this lady’s fat ass!
April 10th, 2009 at 8:17 pmWell judgy judy, the fact that most american’s are uneducated, unsophisticated, truculent, mental defectives, you’re like to get a lot of good feed back from you clear stupidity. Listening to people like makes me sick. Let’s encourge stupidty! Wer taxins!! dummer’n dog shit, but Amercuns!!
April 10th, 2009 at 8:30 pmI am very protective of cultural identity. However, if I lived in Asia and was asked by the government to adopt an asian equivalent of my name I would not be offended. It might make my assimilation into the culture easier for me. My name change would not take away my cultural identity or ethnic pride. The idea that American names will somehow culturally disable the Asian identity is a gross underestimation of thousands of years of great tradition. I am the first to overreact and feel under racial attack but I don’t think Betty Brown’s recommendation merits such behavior.
April 10th, 2009 at 9:39 pmIt might be a good idea for all the offended and dismayed to work the polls during the next election and then see what they would recommend.
I like the solution noted above where every name is listed in three languages that dominate in that particular region.
April 10th, 2009 at 9:44 pmI don’t know what Ms. Brown is referring to because I am an AMERICAN and I can pronounce asian names just fine… Since her brain is the size of a pea maybe she should not be a lawmaker. Especially when she is a senile old hag… She should be forced into retirement and put in a nursing home.
April 10th, 2009 at 11:54 pmI’m going to remember this article and Betty Brown – so when her re-election comes up I will make sure she is NOT re-elected. This is an absurd idea, and what a waste of taxpayers money. She is just wasting money and time on her worthless close-minded value system. She will eventually lose her job for this – what a WASTE!
April 11th, 2009 at 12:29 amnikker1969 Says:
I am very protective of cultural identity. However,
if I lived in Asia and was asked by the government to adopt an asian equivalent of my name I would not be offended. It might make my assimilation into the culture easier for me. My name change would not take away my cultural identity or ethnic pride.
——————————————————-
I am very proud of my last name. It was my father’s name and I am proud to be the daughter of that wonderful man. It is an honorable name that I strove to never besmirch. I would never eliminate it. My legal name and signature consists of my first name, my maiden name and my husband’s last name.
Changing my maiden name or eliminating it would not take away my cultural identity or ethnic pride… but it would erase my personal history and deny my ancestry. Something I will not do. I will keep my father’s name alive as long as I can.
Betty Brown is an idiot who cannot string together letters of our alphabet and read them. She is obviously not a “representative” of a culturally diverse state. When I lived south of Galveston, many shrimpers and businessmen were Vietnamese. Many neighbors were of Mexican, Central or South American origins. Other parts of the state are heavily Germanic or Cajuns. The only people she represents are the ignorant.
April 11th, 2009 at 4:03 amMaybe She Figures since they worship ” BUDDHA ”
April 11th, 2009 at 5:15 amThey should All Change their Name To ” BUBBHA ”
Then she would think they were Texans ?!
Get A Life Rep. Brown.
I’m Asian and I think that’s a wonderful idea!
April 11th, 2009 at 7:55 amI’m officially changing my name to F. Yu Betty Brown
man, she gives texans a really bad name.
i just looked up her congressional district, and where she’s from… she’s probably had very little interaction with asian people. her congressional district is mainly caucasian, many of whom are eastern european descent. she is just ignorant. she’s too far into the rural areas of texas, where practically no asian people live. it’s not whom she represents… but yea, time to retire. she is an idiot.
April 11th, 2009 at 11:37 amI wonder why this doesn’t get national news. How come racism towards asians never get national attention? All asian americans in her district should make note of this and vote the other way when she’s up for re election. This tolerated ignorance needs to stop now.
April 11th, 2009 at 1:39 pmObviously her family tree doesn’t fork.
April 11th, 2009 at 3:43 pmI wonder what Betty Brown thinks Jesus should change his name to—- Jim Bob?
April 11th, 2009 at 3:54 pmWow dude. Instead of telling us to change our names,learn how to say them. Hella stupid.
April 11th, 2009 at 5:09 pmNew rule idea:
When transliterating a word or a name to a language that is not your native language, you must have a NATIVE speaker of the target language spell it so that readers of that language pronounce it correctly (as close as possible). The originator (you in this case) must then approve the pronunciation by a 3rd party speaker/reader of the target language reading reading the transliteration for the first time.
This way we might possibly have something like ‘yomicka’ instead of ‘yarmulke’ etc.
April 11th, 2009 at 6:56 pmi agree with most people here, if you don’t know how to say it, just ASK. dang it… ASK. is that so hard? i’m asian. and i understand to some, the Chinese language is very difficult. but don’t you think the people who learn their country’s language first then learn English will have a hard time saying YOUR own last name? if you were in their country, why don’t you just change YOUR name? my name sound different, and i like it that way, it was our oringal name… which must have some if not more meaning to it!
April 11th, 2009 at 6:56 pmyou bet. and if I wanted a Chines person to be able to pronounce an English word, I would have a CHINESE person write it in THEIR language and then have another Chinese person read it.. and repeat until they got it right.
I would NOT try to use an alphabet I don’t even know for a language I can’t speak and write the word or name myself. If I did that, then I could not possibly expect them to pronounce it the way I intended.
April 11th, 2009 at 7:08 pmWOOOOW. The people in the world are SO hilarious!
I don’t know whether to call her an ignorant racist or just plain STUPID.
Actually.. she’s both.
Just because we’re Asian does not mean that you have the right to even REQUEST that we submit to your literacy challenge.
Just because you think you’re a high-class white lady does not mean that your ‘minor’ suggestions will be taken into consideration.
Get your head out of La-di-da land, dumb broad. You are not the center of the universe. You are not the only conscious living being in this universe. Remind yourself that there are other well-rounded people in this world that have MORE than half a brain (you have less) to come to your house and give you a long-awaited … hmm … kick in the shins. I don’t know how this lady even lived half her life with people enduring this kind of idiocy.
Go pick up a dictionary. I’m sure you’ll have more suggestions after.
And how about once, JUST ONCE, can you AT LEAST TRY to live with other people’s cultures? Just because you think you are the superior race, other people should submit to you and change their background JUST FOR YOU? JUST BECAUSE IT’S EASIER FOR YOU?! I don’t think so! This is America, and Native Americans were kind to the white people and even learned about their culture. What did the white man do? Kill all the natives. Just ’cause its EASIER to deal with! HOW TYPICAL.
The point ISN’T that other names are just as hard to pronounce. The point is is that this lady is a selfish, outrageously self-centered TEXAN who can’t get her mind outta her ignorant box!
Wake up lady! I think it’d be easier to deal with YOU when someone finally has your lips sewn together!
April 11th, 2009 at 9:46 pmAs an Indian I totally understand the racism here.
http://victimofprejudice.blogspot.com/
http://victimofprejudice.blogspot.com/
April 11th, 2009 at 10:39 pmROFL!!
It’s totally about race, and it is also totally about arrogance and laziness. I totally LOVE meeting people with names that are different, and even hard to pronounce because that means I get to learn something new.
Asian names are great because many of the names are hard to pronounce AND they mean something really cool. I don’t think they need to change their names to suit us at all, and also BTW aren’t they AMERICANS also?
This is ALL about racism, and it should not be tolerated. I say kick that lady out of her job and replace her position with someone who is more in tuned with reality.
April 12th, 2009 at 2:05 amI love the irony of the title at the top of the page: “Think Progress”. The double irony is that it is American. A great combination when you think “Texan”
April 12th, 2009 at 8:13 amI would like to just say, as a Texan, that most Texans aren’t this dumb and close minded. There actually are quite a few liberals in Texas. I would also like to say, maybe if she learned the definition of the word: acceptance, and went to the first grade, where we learned that America is a “melting pot”, where we accept people from other countries into our country. No where on the Statue of Liberty does it say, “Hey, welcome to the US. Ellis Island is on your left, the Empire State Building is on your right, and BTW: you have to change your name so the ignorant, uneducated, close-minded idiots in our country can pronounce your name because they refuse to open their minds to other cultures. It’s ok. When they come to visit your country, you can make them change their names to names in your language.”
PS: I would LOVE to see her try to pronounce my Swedish roomates last name properly. Or my German first name and French middle name.
Those are foreign languages too, even though they’re from Europe. Maybe we should just change all the Geoffreys to Jeffrey because “Geoffrey” is not American and she probably can’t pronounce it.
This is a completely racist statement, and there is absolutely no way around that.
April 13th, 2009 at 1:45 amSerious?
And lets make your life easier by getting them slaves back and killing them gays. Yee Haw!!!
April 13th, 2009 at 12:15 pmSo pathetically ignorant. Hey Betty? Was it a relative of yours I went to elementary school with – “Buddy Brown” – who had to sit down during a spelling quiz because HE COULDN’T SPELL B-R-O-W-N?? (TRUE STORY)
April 13th, 2009 at 2:06 pmMs. Betty Boop sadly shows Americans AND the rest of the world what insensitive idiots we have as representatives (see GWB). IF she can read and took American history she’d be aware that our country is a “melting pot” comprised of people from around the world, and not just named people named Brown, Green or Black. She is a poor excuse for a human being!
April 13th, 2009 at 7:03 pmUgh. To think that people I may know voted for this idiot. I’m from Texas, and it’s the people like this who drove me out. And you know where I went when I left? Asia! I live in Korea; it’s not that hard! English is a million times harder for a person to learn. I had the hangul alphabet, the written language, down in a couple of hours. People like her are why I think that anyone who wants a high powered job, or even to procreate for that matter, should be required to prove both their academic and social intelligence. I’m so embarrassed right now…
April 14th, 2009 at 7:38 amDear Rep. Betty Brown:
I agree with your idea that Asians should change their names for the sake of ease and to allow better identification of people via their name. Forget that some names are hundreds or even thousands of years old, likely older than your family of origin. Everyone should simply have a conventional one-name first, middle and last name. Let us extend your idea to your Latino, Pilipino and other constituents to drop their multiple middle names. Why bother with inconvenient multiple formal names which reflect their family and marriage histories. In fact other ethnic minorities should also consider changing their names. (You should start preparing your own name change, since Caucasians will likely be a minority in the coming decades.)
My job would be easier that when I see patients I could simply identify in the waiting room the next person without announcing their surname publicly. Imagine the seconds I could save!
I am dismayed to find that your last name “Brown” does not easily identify you or your skin color. I should look up a number of “Whites” of African-American descent who went to my elementary and middle schools and ask them to reevaluate their name when they complete state and federal forms. Similarly, you might consider changing your name to Bette WASP Smith. (Dear Smith family, forgive me for suggesting such a change.) This would make it much easier for me to identify you. Now I will have to ask my non-Asian wife to change her name after she voluntarily took my last name to honor my family and heritage…
Asian-American Physician
April 14th, 2009 at 9:56 amThey seem to be able to pronounce Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Daewoo, Kia, Samsung, Yamaha and Moo Shoo Pork with ease. and please that apology was week. This shit is all gonna just wash over like 3 weeks after Tsunami. It’s only our money that’s good hear(USA) huh.
April 14th, 2009 at 3:24 pmHey Betty:
I am a staunch Republican, but must say I am totally embarrassed that you are one of the group. How ignorant are you to make a statement that Asians should change their names to make it easier for Americans to understand? Asian surnames, especially Chinese surnames contain one syllable. Maybe one syllable is one too many for you to understand. I think you have BROWN for a BRAIN. Your remarks haven’t exactly made you one of the more popular people in the party.
April 14th, 2009 at 5:03 pmWe are all guilty of sometimes putting our foot in our mouths. I am Chinese-American (though I’ve never been to China) and what Betty said doesn’t aggravate me as much as her resistance to apologize. Even if she doesn’t feel she said anything wrong, she obviously offended people…she should at least apologize for that. For those of you who propose that foreigners who move here, learn English…they are trying. I volunteered teaching English to Asian and Spanish adults after college. It’s a hard language for them to learn, especially when they work most of their waking hours just to put food on the table. I lived in Mexico for a bit and enrolled in an intensive language program there. When I was there, I was embarrassed to be an American because the locals were offended that the Americans, who paid hundreds of dollars a week, insisted on speaking English to each other…let alone continuously complained about the food, the culture, the toilets, and wanting to go home. I loved it there and found myself dating a local, hanging out with Swiss, Germans, Japanese and Canadians who were picking up the language at an incredible pace, and was sad to leave as I had to return to California for medical school. Where is the effort we request as Americans? Is there a double standard here? Anyways, for those of us who live on the receptive and open side of America, isn’t it great?!
April 15th, 2009 at 11:47 amI believe all American Chinese already have their name in English with one or two syllable so American can pronounce it.
April 15th, 2009 at 12:23 pmSo a state rep having trouble pronouncing a name with one syllable? I thought elementary school English is part of the job requirement. Brown, If you can’t do simple English pronunciation, I suggest you to step aside.
The only reason idiots like this think Asian names are too hard to pronounce is because they forget the basic things taught in elementary school. They look at it as one big word instead of syllables to sound it out in. It isn’t that hard to learn how things sound in the different Asian languages. Any one with half a brain can get it in a day if they try. You don’t have to learn the whole Chinese/Japanese/Korean language to be able to pronounce words from it. Even preschoolers are able to do it just from watching one episode of ‘Ni Hao, Kai-lan’ or ‘Sagwa’ I’m sure the show could work for anyone else. It WOULD do you some good to learn you know, there are more Asians in this world than anything else.
My personal belief is that if you wouldn’t do it, you shouldn’t ask others to do it. I’m sure if someone asked you to change your name so it was easier for them, you’d be outraged. Surnames and the like have meaning, family history, people are filled with pride from their name. The world is not the same as it was over 100 years ago, people aren’t coming over through Ellis Island and lining up to get a new last name. Is that what your family did out of cowardice of discrimination? Is that why you have such a lackluster name such as ‘Brown’? Well my family didn’t do that, and my family is Irish, they came over when the Irish were despised here. But they chose to keep their name because they were proud of it.
America is a melting pot of other races and cultures. Do you not understand that? Republicans like you often scream “love it or leave it”, but why don’t you try loving America for what it is in reality, not what your senile delusions make it out to be. America is more than Browns or Smiths. They’re Takahashi, Gonzalez, Tarantino, Baumhauer, Monaghan, Konstantinov, Beaumont, and Sung. Really, out of all those the Asian ones are he simplest. But for some reason when you see those names attached to an Asian person, the little bit of a brain you have shuts down. Why is that? It’s not that hard.
And you’re saying that Democrats are making this out to be a race issue? No sweet heart, you did. You only asked this of Asian-Americans. Even though there are plenty of European, Hispanic, and African names that are hard to pronounce, you only asked Asians. It namely seems like you’re targeting the Chinese, which makes me baffle at your stupidity, as it’s been said, many Chinese (hell many Asian surnames aside from Japanese) are one simple word.
If you can’t comprehend one simple word like ‘Sung’ ‘Bai’ ‘Chan’ or ‘Li’, then I don’t know how you think they’re going to be able to make things simpler for you. Maybe you should let your children to the voter registrations instead since they’ll probably be able to comprehend those last names easier than you.
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One of the best things about our nation is that at one point we were all from different cultures and parts of the world. It is extremely important that everyone who lives in the US remember that every one of us immigrants. It is robbing us of our culture to even suggest that someone change their name so that we could “deal with” pronouncing it better. Additionally, the fact that this politician singled out Asians is appalling because as a nation of immigrants many if not most of our citizens have last names that did not come from the English language.
April 21st, 2009 at 1:59 amShould Chinese need to change the last name, too? For the same principle still apply.
April 25th, 2009 at 5:11 pm