Texas GOP State Rep. Asks Asians To Adopt Names "Easier For Americans To Deal With"
Here's a really interesting moment in state-level politics: A GOP state Representative in Texas, Betty Brown, asked a representative from a Chinese-American group if they could just adopt new names that would be "easier for Americans to deal with."
The Houston Chronicle reports that during a committee hearing on a voter-identification bill, a representative from the Organization of Chinese Americans complained that there can be confusion because many Asian-Americans will have their legal, transliterated names as well as common English names that can appear on driver's licenses and school registrations.
"Can't you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers," said Brown, "if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that's easier for Americans to deal with?"
Um, the difficulty as it was explained here is that many Asian-Americans do just exactly that -- and that's the problem when it comes to Voter ID.
The state Dems pounced on Brown's comments, calling them "disrespectful." Brown's spokesman, meanwhile, accused the Dems of whipping up partisan feelings with racial rhetoric: "They want this to just be about race."
Josh
Matt
Eric
Damn the Chinese! Oh yeah, and that wasn't about race!
April 9, 2009 12:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Some suggestions helpfully given by Ms. Brown:
Big "Large Sized" & With Frice McLee, their son Diet Coke McLee Jr.
(Asians only have male children.)
Joebob & Bobbiejo Lee, their son Bobbyjoe Lee.
Bruce & Sheila Lee, their son Other Bruce Lee.
Toyota & Honda Lee, their son Nissan Lee.
Math & Physics Ninja, their son Chemistry Ninja.
Any orphans may be called Karate Kid.
There is little risk of confusion with the names since it is really unlikely that you will have two waiters at the same time and you usually take the buffet anyway.
April 9, 2009 12:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Notwithstanding that most of your examples used Japanese names.
Given China's population is significantly larger than Americas and it is likely they'll become a more dominant superpower in the years to come, perhaps Rep Brown should just adope a Chinese name?
Sum Fat Ho springs instantly to mind.
April 11, 2009 8:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Alien Nation had the right idea to help out the GOP (i.e. Sam Fransisco).
April 9, 2009 12:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Unbelievable insensitivity...I've come to believe that whenever the phrase "you people" is used, nothing good is going to come of it!!
April 9, 2009 12:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Indeed. The use of the phrase "you people" is pretty much like holding up a sign that says "I am a bigot."
April 9, 2009 12:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think it's time for teh Republicans to 'adopt a name just for identification purposes that's easier for Americans to deal with'
Asshats.
April 9, 2009 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
But the Asshat Party sounds like too much fun for urban/suburban hip hop voters!
April 9, 2009 1:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
If they're dealing with poll workers, they are already Americans, Ms. Brown.
Americans come in all colors.
April 9, 2009 12:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly. This part of the story bothers me more than the typical 'get um an 'merican name'.
As a Houstonian I do not want legislators crafting voting rights bills who do not realize that the fact the Asians can vote already makes them Americans. If she would have clarified and said 'dumb, racist, ignorant hicks' in lieu of Americans I would not be so bothered.
April 9, 2009 12:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, you Asian-Americans need to change your names so that REAL Americans can understand.
April 9, 2009 2:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Does this remind anybody else of the opening scene in Chasing Amy?
Hooper X-"They're trying to tell us, that deep inside, we all want to be white!"
Banky-"Well isn't that true?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv7beQ9wHiM
April 9, 2009 12:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, Betty Brown is pretty easy, isn't it? Simple. How do you say Betty Brown in Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Tibetan, Japanese....?
April 9, 2009 12:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Could Brown have been joking? I mean, yeah it looks terrible in print, but could it have been an ill-conceived wry statement?
April 9, 2009 1:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh never mind. Who would use the word "behoove" in a joke? Unless it was the most dry pretentious joke imaginable. And then we are right back where we started.....
April 9, 2009 1:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
A GOP State Rep said something stupid, and possibly racist?
I am shocked. Just shocked, I tell you.
April 9, 2009 1:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
I know, words fail me.
April 9, 2009 1:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Idiotic people like this don't even really merit discussion, folks. Obviously, she's racist and stupid (yes, I know that's redundant).
She'll be one of Olbermann's Worst Persons in the World, and then we'll all forget about her. As we should.
April 9, 2009 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't these people have advisors? At least someone to tell them how to fake it, regardless of what they truly believe? The level of tone-deafness among these cretins is an ever escalating source of amazement.
April 9, 2009 1:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, something American like Trig, or Tripp, or Bristol, or Piper, Or Tagg, or Mitt. You know, good old normal American names that we all understand.
April 9, 2009 2:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
I know right? Reminds me of listening to Cokie Roberts on NPR one marning talking about Obama's "exotic" vacation to Hawaii. A woman named COKIE calling Obama's trip (to a US State) exotic, was just too rich for my morning commute that day.
April 9, 2009 4:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe they should ALL change their name to John Smith. That would make things a lot easier.
April 9, 2009 8:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sadder than Ms. Brown's recommendation to Asians or Asian- Americans is that many Asian students internalize her message (and others like it) and immediately ask to be called by an Americanized name.
In my classes, 65-75% of the students are Korean or Chinese; and, though I made a point at the beginning of the year to learn the proper pronunciation of their names, many, many of them told me right away, and anxiously, that they would not "belong" if I insisted on using their real names. Thus, against my better judgment, I call on them as "Sam" and "Jessica" and "Jason," etc.. Should I refuse their request?
April 9, 2009 3:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
I noticed that growing up. The schools in my district were majority Asian American, and I always thought it was strange that so many of my friends had "official" Asian names but when they were with their friends went by names like Johnny, Anthony, Kelly, or Jennifer. I always was envious of what I thought were cool, unique names, but my friends always told me it had to do with not wanting to sound like they were "fresh off the boat" (a source of ridicule for many Asian American teenagers).
April 9, 2009 3:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
I can't really blame them. I was very much in the minority as an immigrant in my 1960s classrooms, and I was always grateful that my parents had given me a name that had an English equivalent, unlike a few other kids I knew whose "foreign" names were in fact difficult for most non-immigrants to pronounce.
I think people should be called what they want to be called. Leave your "better judgment" out of it.
April 9, 2009 6:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps they should all change their names to Crazy Redneck.
April 9, 2009 3:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
I read the Terrell ACLU had filed suit to keep Hispanics from using the name of Jesus to confuse Polish workers.
April 9, 2009 4:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm moving to TX soon, looks like I'll have my work cut out, at least if I'm around Athens.
April 9, 2009 5:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Be sure and vist the Black Eyed Pea Jamboree.
April 9, 2009 5:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Feel free to give her office a call: I told the staffer that answered the phone my name my voting district (which is not hers) and told her that although bigoted comments from Texans is not all that uncommon, having grown up and lived here most of my life, that I would imagine that the people we elect in our state as well as those for federal office would see themselves as leaders of their community. I have a very hard time understanding where her comments were coming from and how as a state which has enjoyed a mixed cultural heritage since before its statehood could somehow suggest that those in the minority should have to change their names to suit those that have a hard time pronouncing or speaking someone's name.
Her number is here if anyone should find themselves in need of a civic conversation:
(512) 463-0458
(512) 463-2040 Fax
April 9, 2009 5:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's a link to her "Email Betty Brown" page:
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/email.php?dist=4&rep=betty.brown
April 10, 2009 6:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
"...easier for Americans to deal with?”
Hey, 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 even 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
April 10, 2009 3:51 AM | Reply | Permalink