Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
lol @ all the idiots who didn't read the article. She isn't telling them to change their name because she thinks we can't pronounce it. :roll:
As I understand it, there are really two separate issues that people are flitting between:
1. Foreigners (especially east Asians) who use a Western-style nickname to make it easier for friends and colleagues to remember their name but who then inadvertently use their nickname for some official documents and their original given name for others.
2. An old lady who said these things:
?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?? Brown said.
Brown later told Ko: ?Can?t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that?s easier for Americans to deal with??
Now maybe her intent was to simply require everyone to use the same name and spelling on all forms of identification. Many people of all backgrounds use nicknames or alternate names among friends, but have a different legal name. Know anyone who goes by their middle name? They have to be careful not to slip up and accidentally put their middle name down as their first name on identification forms. I'm sure most don't screw up in that manner but it probably happens sometimes. And I'm sure it's more difficult for people who move here and may not know English perfectly.
As for point #1, I think it's a good idea to make sure you consistently use a single legal name. Maybe they use their given name and only use a Westernized name as a nickname, not officially. Or maybe they pick a Westernized name as their legal name and stick to that. I don't really care but it seems like a reasonable point of view to insist that everyone consistently use a single legal name.
But for point #2, she could have done a hugely better job of wording her comments. I hope she's really just looking for consistency, but it sure is easy for her statements to be interpreted as being insensitive or ignorant. She's saying that Chinese people ought to adopt new names when they move here, but they have no obligation to do so. Many do choose to adopt new names but that's where point #1 comes in - don't force people to take new names, but do force them to choose a single official name. You can use any nicknames you want, just don't put them on official documents.