TX Rep: Asian Americans should adopt "names that are easier for Americans to deal with."

[The Straight Story]

Asian American Organizations Outraged by Texas Representatives Remarks
OCA, Asian American Justice Center (AAJC) and the Asian American Legal Defense Fund (AALDEF) express disappointment over Texas Representative Betty Brown's suggestion at a hearing on April 7 that Asian Americans adopt "names that are easier for Americans to deal with."

The hearing was to discuss Senate Bill 362 on restrictive voter ID requirements. An OCA member commented that that people of Chinese, Japanese and Korean descent often have problems voting and identifying themselves because they may have a legal transliterated name and then a common English name that is used on identification cards. Brown suggested that Asian Americans should change their names for manageability.

"Representative Brown's comments made clear that she lacks an understanding of Asian American cultures and that she in fact undervalues other cultures," said OCA Executive Director George Wu.

"It is unacceptable that Representative Brown believes that the burden should be placed upon individual voters to make it easier on poll workers to ensure that the voters get to exercise their right to vote, rather than expecting that the burden lay with the government to do its job correctly," said Terry Ao, director of Census & Voting Programs at the Asian American Justice Center. "Participation in the democratic process should unite all Americans; we should be seeking ways to encourage more voters, not inventing excuses to deny citizens their constitutional right to vote."

http://www.scanews.com/2009/04/s973/97316/

[dkf]

1. HA!

Ask this group if calling Piyush "Bobby" Jindal by his first name is an insult please. I would love to hear their response.

[KamaAina]

2. She said this to someone named Ko.

That's right, Ko. K-O. Apparently that's too complicated for the repuke simpleton. :dunce:

[HereSince1628]

3. Yes something like Powzukiewicz-Abplanalp would work much better

The dumbass knows nothing about American surnames.

[opihimoimoi]

4. GOP ...the Party of EMPTY LANGUAGE....moot crap...always trivial shit

She a twin of Michele Bachmann??

Never w answers...always with talking Points of the bland divisive type

[PfcHammer]

5. Translation

"Ch*nk go home"

[Jackpine Radical]

6. I think Texans ought to simplify their names so Asians can pronounce them more easily.

"Brown" is a particularly difficult example of a Bignose name. It keeps coming out "Blown."

[Riceburningluva]

7. I love my asian name, why should I have to change it?

anyone with half a brain can pronounce my name.

[Turbineguy]

8. Texans are sorely tried

by these idiots.

[SheilaT]

9. Maybe we should go to the system

suggested by Ira Levin in his novel "This Perfect Day" in which everyone would have one name if male, another name if female. I forget what the names were, but they were followed by a number to keep track of the citizens.

I love American names. All of them. No matter where they come from. There are times when I have trouble pronouncing or spelling a name, but I figure it's up to me to learn.

[Kansas Wyatt]

10. China Too!!! 'Peoples Republic of Wal Mart'

No?

How about? 'Peoples Republic of VISA'
:sarcasm:

[Yavapai]

11. Some names just don't translate well into english...

He never understood the laughter

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