Texas State Rep. Betty Brown (R) finally hit on the problem that she has with Asian people: they are just a bit too . . . well . . . Asian — at least in terms of their names. Brown has caused a firestorm in suggesting that Asian-Americans change their names so that “Americans” can pronounce them.
Brown’s made her suggestion at a house hearing on voter identification legislation: “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?” She reportedly later told an official at the Organization of Chinese Americans: “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?”
This may explain President Bush’s insistence on calling everyone by a nickname like “Congressman Kickass.” Much easier to pronounce them those Anglo names like Sweeney.
Ironically, when confronted over the obvious slight, Brown accused others of introducing race in her suggestion that a particular race needs to drop their ethnic names. She accused the Democrats of wanting “this to just be about race.”
It is clear that you cannot get much easier that Betty Brown. However, an examination of the good Americans in the Texas legislators seems to show the problem is far greater than the Asian descendants. People like Deshotel, Gonzalez Toureilles, Kleinschmidt, Kolkhorst, Laubenberg, Naishtat, Quintanilla, and others may need Brown’s intervention. Perhaps we could go with just colors (though I expect Manderin Orange is out). Yet, now that I think of it, there is Fred Brown and Betty Brown in the Texas House -creating endless confusion. Why not just go with numbers? That would certainly simplify the problems with the name proliferation with people like Billy Bob or Betty Lou who string cite three or even four names.
Rep. Brown may be interested in an ancient Chinese proverb: “The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.”
For the story, click here.
continued: Pappas the famous greek last name is short for many longer greek names, but they shortened it up and now you would think everyone named Pappas is related.
Lets see, On the ancient Chinese proverb, call things by their right names. Would this be Barry Soerto, Barry Obama, Barack? Names don’t matter anymore just like the constitution doesn’t, right Professor Turley? Thats what I took with me after watching you on Olberman the other night in regards to Ol Barry Boy just ah rippin it apart. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED Barry. What foxy Brown is suggesting has been done before when immigrants arrived at Staton Island. When they asked you your name if they didn’t like it, they changed it. Pappas
It just gets more and more embarassing to live in Texas. First the textbook flap over the teaching of evolution, and now this. If ignorance is bliss, we’re one of the most gleeful states in the union.
Brown told them to “adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with.” She asked them “to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here.”
She told them to “adopt a name.” That is how you tell someone to hange their name. She said it.
She did not limit it to persons who had different names for licenses and schools. You are putting those words in her mouth to rescue her from her own tangle with the language.
Turley got it right.
I respectfully request that you “Libs” on this blawg quit getting involved in “cause celebre:
If you click on Pat Curley’s “blue” name
__________________
Quote:
Thursday, April 09, 2009
The Latest “Racism” On the Right
Libs are trying to push this story: as some sort of cause celebre: End Quote.
__________________
Thanks for another laugh, ‘fessor….
what bothers me is that she saw no problem or offense in what she said
that attitude is so wrong and so offensive to me.
and, what about people that have first names that just happen to be hard to pronounce? should we only give our children names like sally or joe? my son-in-laws middle name is hakken. it’s his grandfather’s name. it’s swedish. guess he’ll have to change it to bob!
The article says that they already have adopted a name more easy for identification purposes. And they use that name for their driver’s license and school registration. The article does not say that they should change their names to make them easier to pronounce, nor did Brown say that. That is to say, Professor Turley is the one putting words in her mouth.
Betty Brown–What’s that “y” sounding like “e” nonsense. And “ow” sounding like “au” is positively anti-American. Looks like Bet-why Brone to me. I say Betty Brown should change the spelling of her name to “Eva Braun” — more in keeping with her pronunciation and her attitude toward inconvenient furriners.
Bron98
1, April 9, 2009 at 1:58 pm
why the f… is it always republicans?
…from Texas?
It is claimed that Brown’s remarks were taken out of context, but Turley reported this item correctly, and the remarks were not out of context. Here is the full report:
“The exchange occurred late Tuesday as the House Elections Committee heard testimony from Ramey Ko, a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans.
“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.
“Brown suggested that Asian-Americans should find a way to make their names more accessible.
“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 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?”
Brown did not say that that “they should change their legal name to what appears on their driver’s licenses and school registrations.” That is putting words in her mouth.
In her own words, Brown told them to “adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with.” She asked them “to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here.”
Those were the suggestion that she made, and Turley reported them accurately.
In any event, her proposal was incoherent, because it is unclear how one could “adopt a name just for identification purposes.”
It should be clear by now that the name one chooses to be known by is a personal choice that is none of the business of a state legislator.
Why does this not surprise me.
Can we say “How Now Brown Cow”. Oh that might be construed as offensive To Betty Brown.
I can just see other minorities that have street names. Its a criminal Offense to not use ones legal name. lets see, W, is that his legal name. Drip, I know lots of people from West Texas that do not use their real names, some maybe 80 and no one knows there real names, not even until they die do a lot of people not know them.
But then again If these folks were intelligent you think they would be in public office.
Bonehead legislation of the year goes out to the less than intelligent Rep from Texas Barbara Brown. Duh.
. .
.
Pat,
If that were the case, why not suggest that they change the name on their driver’s licenses to match the legal name? Because the Literal transliterated name is harder for Americans to read and deal with…
From Brown, “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?”
I bet pronouncing the name is included in the list of things Americans have to do to “deal with” it.
“What appears on their driver’s licenses and school registrations”?
Wouldn’t that be the names she can’t pronounce?
Read the article more completely and you’ll see that this is simply a case of the reporter misconstruing Brown’s words out of context. She was not suggesting that Asians change their legal name to something easier to pronounce, she was saying that they should change their legal name to what appears on their driver’s licenses and school registrations. There may be a good argument against that but it’s not some racist or insensitive thing to suggest.
http://jonathanturley.org/2009/02/10/ken-lawson-to-be-sentenced-for-drugs-while-former-clients-sue-over-malpractice/#comment-38663
—
Professor Turley, I have been thinking about my post above, and I just want to say that I meant no disrespect in addressing you by your first name, nor did I mean to imply that you were not published by asking if you had authored any books. I am genuinely interested in reading your in-depth analysis of matters of Constitutional Law. Thanks. P.S. I apologize for the off-topic comments… I am not a fan of them in general, but there doesn’t see to be a good way to contact you other than through comments.
Prof. Turley, the same type of high-handed treatment that Betty Brown proposes was probably accorded to both of our family names hundreds of years ago.
The Irish name Turley according to the dictionary is a “reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Toirdealbhaigh, a patronymic from the personal name Toirdhealbhach, a personal name meaning ‘like Thor’ or ‘like thunder’, composed of the Old Norse name þórr (see Thor) + Gaelic dealbhach ‘like’, ‘in the shape of’.”
So the original name would have meant Thunderer. Very appropriate for some for those appearances on Olbermann and Maddow.
My family was in the same boat. The Irish name Treacy is the English form of Ó Treasaigh.
The English rulers in Ireland obviously preferred names that were more comfortable to them, so people were encouraged (or forced) to translate their last names into English.
Our friend Betty Brown is simply repeating history. As Marx said, history repeats, the first time as tragedy, second time as farce.
I believe that we could all deal more readily with Rep. Brown if she simply didn’t speak at all.
This woman’s ignorance knows no bounds. An essential quality for a politician these days, it seems.
One of your more humorous posts. Very well done! Nothing like sarcasm and pointing out the implications of a proposal to expose its idiocy.
why the f… is it always republicans?