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City Councilman John Liu wants an apology from Texas State Rep. Betty Brown for her comments earlier this week. Austinist, with video, explains that an advocate was explaining different Asian Americans might have problem voting under a proposed policy partly due to "confusion over differences between their transliterated names... and their 'common' English name," Brown cut in, "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?" Liu posted his letter to Brown on his campaign (for City Comptroller) website: "It's outrageous and insulting for you to suggest it would 'behoove' us to adopt another name, to give up our birthright and a part of our own identity, in order to exercise our right to vote" and suggest she resign if she doesn't apologize. Brown said she doesn't think Chinese Americans should Americanize her names—she "didn't choose my words very well"— and that she apologized to the advocate.
Councilman Liu: Texas Lawmaker Must Apologize
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Um, the lady is all the way in Texas. Who cares?
I was gonna say, a little out of your jurisdiction, ain't it Johnny?
A friend suggested all Asian Texans change their name to Betty Brown to annoy the F outta her.
"Go back to China, Bitch!"
"Go Back to China, Bitch!"
I wonder if he was born "John' Liu... or did he change his name to be more 'american'.
just askin
It's not too late to get a chinese name if you weren't born with one:
http://www.mandarintools.com/chinesename.html
asian man: hey honky.
white man: hey wonton.
asian man: whats up cracker.
end of story.
Few things say "I'm ignorant, and I can't even try to ask you how to pronounce your name" than suggesting whole groups of people change their names like this.
If it's a common Asian name, like Nguyen or Yamamoto or Li or Kim, just learn it. If it's a rare name, ask the person how to say, or just try it. So you might butcher it. So what - live and learn. That's part of living in a multicultural country. That's a good thing.
For ignorant white folk white folk I present the Betty Brown Name Generator.
Who knows how to say "Elvis Presley" in Chinese?
Liu is a lil cunt.
Liu is making a mountain out of a molehill, but that's par for him. Immigrants have been simplifying or altering family names in this country for centuries. He'd be surprised if he checked on how many obviously "American" surnames were adapted from "old country" European names.
BTW
At the age of five Liu's family moved to United States from Taiwan. Chang F. Liu, his father, changed Liu's first name from Chun to John in honour of John F. Kennedy. His brothers became Robert and Edward, while his father became Joseph
its just a case of Chun calling the kettle beige.
then again I do hate me some Texas ignorance, lets call this one a draw.
I think he changed his name after his father was convicted of bank fraud
Odd, isn't it, how some commenters can be so glib over anti-Asian remarks, and yet get their little panties in a knot when some dopey harmless baker makes a 'drunken Negro cookie'?
These are the type of folk who give Liberals a bad name.
tf, The baker thing was, at it's heart, a story about psychologically sickly individuals making sweets for you. (Reflect this season on how Jeffrey Dahmer worked making chocolate Easter bunnies!) It was an over-the-top story that sparked the kind of commentary you might expect.
This situation is more esoteric. While racism is involved, here we are dealing with language and how it relates to our increasingly shrinking country. Hopefully, it will open dialogue among people who love words; ideally many of them will be teachers of young people. If you know what someone's foreign name actually means, chances are you won't fear and resent it.
It was one of those events history was waiting to capture on video to facilitate change.
Some people remark that many immigrants have changed their names into a more americanized version, but remember that when immigrants first poured into the states through places such as Ellis Island, those changes weren't by choice. They were forced to change their names, and this was a very demeaning and scary procedure. I would hate to think that a person who is "educated" and representative of constituents in Texas could think that this is a practice we should enforce today.
Another point, why all of a sudden are Asian names the problem? Russian, African, and even European names can be difficult to pronounce or spell. By singling out a specifc race is what makes this racist and discriminatory.
According to sources, "Aier Weisi". He is much better known as Maowang ("Cat King").