I'm sorry you have trouble pronouncing my name.

[SpencerH]

What's funniest about the piece, though, is she's picking on Chinese names. You know, names like Ang, Ho, Zhang (and Ko, the guy she's talking to). Real stumpers, not like venerable American names like Taliaferro (pronounced "Toliver," dontcha know)

Yeah thats what made me think of the possible vietnamese angle. The Texas coast has a large vietnamese population (IIRC) and the first time and english speaker sees the name Ng it can be a liittle daunting. Some Slovak names can be wild too - where are the vowels?

[SlowwHand]

What a what, Rufus? Moran? What are those?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

What a what, Rufus? Moran? What are those?

http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/n/U/moran.jpg

[The Mad Monk]

Tsk. Moran is so gauche. Use the classic. Maroon.

[Patroklos]

First off, the insult here is subtle. I understand you were talking to a Chinaman here--I'm sorry, a Chinese-American--but surely you must realize that even though they may be the plurality of the Asian-American minority, there are plenty of other groups out there; to suggest that we are all somehow Chinese is a slight that is akin to suggesting that Swedes and Norwegians are the same, that we (I speak as an American) are no different from the French, that Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs are identical, or that the Hutus and Tutsis are one and the same.

As you pointed out, the person she was talking to was Chinese, and it that light your objections in this particular paragraph are you being overly sensative.

It's really the last paragraph that sums it up: the offhanded, glib "you and your citizens" that feels as if she's casting us out as the Other, as un-American, utterly unintentionally that stings.

She was talking ot the chairmen of a citizens action group, the characterization "your citizens" simply means the ones that particular group leader was representing.

What's funniest about the piece, though, is she's picking on Chinese names. You know, names like Ang, Ho, Zhang (and Ko, the guy she's talking to). Real stumpers, not like venerable American names like Taliaferro (pronounced "Toliver," dontcha know).

Thats funny, because the gist of her argement isn't so much for them to pick an "American" name, but rather they are doing that themselves and then using their Chinese name and "American" name interchangable on various government forms. I don't think there is anything wrong with asking citizens to pick one and stick with it for official purposes. Unless you want Asians to have trouble voting? Oerdin?

I am almost never called by my actual name, but rather a nickname. I never use that name on forms.

[SlowwHand]

Perfect picture.

[DanS]

.

[Grandpa Troll]

Only in Texas...

Man you dumb hicks are so casually racist you don't even realise you're doing it. Oh and Republicans as well - there's a surprise!

Ironic your being a racist calling Texans Racist

[SlowwHand]

Gramps, MOBIUS is kind of like walking through a cow pasture. Just remember to scrape your boots.

[chequita guevara]

Tsk. Moran is so gauche. Use the classic. Maroon.

A maroon is an escaped African slave. You can see what that might be offensive to use as an insult.

[DinoDoc]

Given that most people are more familiar with the Looney Tunes usage, no.

[Grandpa Troll]

Gramps, MOBIUS is kind of like walking through a cow pasture. Just remember to scrape your boots.

Copy

[Zopperoni]

Heh, I could translate my surname to English and it would actually end up being longer. In Dutch, it'd stay three letters

Q, I can see your point. My first thought was why don't they change the way voters are registered?

[Zopperoni]

[dp]

[Elok]

A maroon is an escaped African slave. You can see what that might be offensive to use as an insult.

It's also a deliberately abandoned pirate...oh, and come to think of it, maroon is a shade of red. And red is the worst thing you can be, so I guess "maroon" is out.