Asian American Names are "too hard to deal with" Says Rep. Brown

This idiocy exists on both sides of the isle.  I have a nine letter last name (German) which I would be damned to change cause it would be easier for Canadians or Americans to understand.  Give me a break.  Who elected this lamebrain anyways. 

Every culture in the world engages in the selection of a name for reasons of uniqueness, to bestow attributes or honor ancestors and those no longer walking this plane of existence.

It is a haughty, arrogant act of insensitivity that anyone should be called upon to relinquish their individuality for the sake of ease for those who claim to find it difficult to attempt to pronounce someone's given name. 

I couldn't even get beyond the first minute of the back-and-forth, as I felt deeply for the lawyer going through his measured responses, which were obviously something he had examined over and over again in his mind. Poor guy trying to bridge not only the cultural gap but also the political and ethical ones. It was as if he was on trial and was trying to apologize for his error.

Betty Brown....well, she seems to be out of touch, keeps rambling on in the manner of someone whose folksy touch works well for her in her hometown district of Athens, Texas. Time for this Granny to go back to the ranch she and her husband own and operate, land that has been in her family for four generations.I wonder if she would have the nerve to ask a Muslim named, say, Mushtaq to simplify his name, which the truest sign of his devotion to his faith. Cassius Clay renounced his Christian name for just such a reason.

It is appalling after seeing the footage covered by local television news, that Texas Rep. Brown uses the phrase, "Your citizens" as in "You people" to address a Chinese American lawyer whose nationality is exactly the same as Rep. Brown!  

I am curious whether or not her Texas constituents would be offended or outraged, but if they are not, then they are complicit with their legislator's bigotry toward Americans of Asian descent, which is even more disturbing. 

I'm glad everyone here is on the same page in their angry reaction over this feeble-minded ignoramus. It's particularly offensive and condescending when she called Mr. Ko's constituents "your citizens". Shame on her for creating this divisive environment and implying us white people as "real Americans" and "you" other people as citizens of something else. Mr. Ko's "citizens" are your citizens, e.g. Texans, and by extension, citizens of the United States of America. They worked hard to pass their citizenship test and are now trying to do a very American act as a citizen, which is to vote, something a lot of "real Americans" don't bother to do. We should be proud of them.

Mr Ko's explanation of transliteration (... or "however you refer to it") is quite good, but it quite clearly flies over her head. If she's unfamiliar with the word "transliteration", aka Romanization, she's not going to know what Wade-Giles and Pinyin are. As an elected official with a heterogenous constituency, it behooves her to learn about issues affecting her community. But instead of trying to bridge gaps like Mr. Ko is doing, she creates new ones and uses very standoffish and alienating language. No one has to "learn Chinese". They merely have to double-check the names using the English alphabet. Surely, they can manage that. Yes, it may be a pain in the ass, but it's their job.

But ah, yes, let's dumb down everything so it's "easier for Americans to deal with". The American Way, no? Let's make everything so dumb and stupid that even an idiot can grasp it. Forget "E pluribus unum". The American motto is "Don't Make Me Think", right? Because Latin, or however you refer to it, is too hard. E pluribus unum ("Out of Many, One") does not just mean "out of many states, one nation". It now also means out of many ethnicities, ancestries, religions, and backgrounds coming together as one nation.

No one should be forced to change their name for the shake of someone else's convenience, and fortunately, we don't live in a time and place (mostly) where people have to change their name to avoid persecution or discrimination anymore (like Jews, Germans, and Eastern Europeans of past generations, for example). Had Betty Brown  been born "Katarzyna CTVRTNIK" (a Czech name), she'd probably have a little more sensitivity to those who don't have neat little Anglo-Saxon names.

Karren Hatter, Pythian1 and everyone else, thank you for your thoughtful responses. I don't think she'd be treating people with unusual eastern European names this way (because they can be much worse and unpronouncible than Chinese names, like Finnish or Icelandic names), so I do think it's a matter of cultural bias, or at the very least, massive stupidity and willful ignorance.

Gee how did I know Betty Brown was going to be a Republican?  She should resign.

Some people should have learned when to speak and when not to speak I think; clearly Betty Brown has no idea what that distinction is.

You have land, cattle and family and friends in Texas you have roots....and clout. Betty Brown's area of expertise and passion is Agriculture and Livestock but somehow they corralled her into the capital city of Austin, a very hip, lively college town. Austin was recently listed on Forbes 'Most Desirable Places to Retire in the USA'. So she gets to spend the week in Austin and then go back to the ranch and livestock on the weekends.

Sometimes, she gets mixed up between the two.......

Sorry I missed this!