Should foreign students have to "anglicize" their names if we think it sounds offensive?

[Captante]

Yeah, well, telling parents that their kids are stupid, obnoxious, ugly and too damn fat and that unless said kids want to grow up being constantly mocked they need to hit the books, learn some manners, get plastic surgery and eat less might be "good advice", but it's not going to work and it would not be taken as someone honestly trying to help.

By your tone I can tell that you somehow have the mistaken impression that I approve of the situation? Personally I would have said the young ladies name whatever way that she wanted me too and been completely respectful about it.

Unfortunately however many people are less understanding then I am about those who are different then they are and they tend to be the most vocal. I'm sorry that pointing this out is somehow offensive to you.

But go ahead and give it a go, if you manage to not get shot the first time you try it we can learn from you.

Oh and lighten up Francis!

I better be careful ... I'll be next on "THE LIST" !!!



EDIT: Also this: WWYBYWB?

 

[Doom Monger]

By your tone I can tell that you somehow have the mistaken impression that I approve of the situation? Personally I would have said the young ladies name whatever way that she wanted me too and been completely respectful about it.

Unfortunately however many people are less understanding then I am about those who are different then they are and they tend to be the most vocal. I'm sorry that pointing this out is somehow offensive to you.





Oh and lighten up Francis!

I better be careful ... I'll be next on "THE LIST" !!!



EDIT: Also this: WWYBYWB?

Wow, did you not get enough attention as a child? What made you so insecure and easily triggered?

I simply pointed out that you can't offer "good advice" about anything having to do with ethnicity in this political climate of people who go through life hoping to be offended and who will appoint themselves to be offended on someone else's behalf. So easy to get snowflakes into a tizzy that you can't suggest that a name sounds bad to our ear, that you can't bind the feet of your women and that you can't engage in dog fights in kindergarten or you'll be accused of being racist and 100 people will be marching on your lawn with some idiotic hashtag signs. It doesn't matter what the name sounds like, you can't suggest changing it or you're the bad guy.

And I strongly suggest you follow your own advice

You're the one that lost his shit here.

 

[zinfamous]

Most do it anyway, but I think it should be up the individual. I mean...yes it's hilarious and advisable in certain situations, but was this a demand by the prof or more of a recommendation? I think it's well within their role to advise in such ways, but that's pretty much it.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

It's ultimately up to you personally....

All I say is don't get mad and pissy if people constantly butcher your name. The people butchering your name would also have theirs butchered in your home country.

So if you don't want to have to constantly tell people the correct pronunciation... Then it's probably a good idea. If you don't care, then don't?

 

[Captante]

stupid, obnoxious, ugly and too damn fat

Sorry that your parents called you that!

Wow, did you not get enough attention as a child? What made you so insecure and easily triggered?

I simply pointed out that you can't offer "good advice" about anything having to do with ethnicity in this political climate of people who go through life hoping to be offended and who will appoint themselves to be offended on someone else's behalf. So easy to get snowflakes into a tizzy that you can't suggest that a name sounds bad to our ear, that you can't bind the feet of your women and that you can't engage in dog fights in kindergarten or you'll be accused of being racist and 100 people will be marching on your lawn with some idiotic hashtag signs. It doesn't matter what the name sounds like, you can't suggest changing it or you're the bad guy.

And I strongly suggest you follow your own advice

You're the one that lost his shit here.

Found a button I see?


EDIT: Francis..?

 

[manly]

I believe they pronounce Phuc the same way we say Luke. Someone Vietnamese should probably validate this though

The vowel isn't quite as long as in Luke, but close enough.
Bui is even less close to the sound of boy; more like booy for example.

 

[Captante]

Short article about a radio station that got in some trouble over a prank involving this:

Your name is what?

 

[Zeze]

He's not wrong.

If someone's name is "Ho Lee Phuc Yu", then yeah, adopt an "Angelicized" name. Nobody in the USA wants to pronounce your name.

We don't consider it wrong, when someone adopts a religion, and takes a new name based on that religion. Why should it be any different than adopting America? (Becoming a citizen.)

If you don't want to do that, then feel free to always be referred to as "Hey Yu", or "Hey buddy", rather than your name.

And if you think otherwise, then what about the liability that you are placing on those that are around the person in question, such as instructors, and what is possible with "deepfakes", if you get them on recording with a phone, say, saying the last part of the person's name, "Phuc Yu". Can you imagine how people could be set up that way?

So yeah, I'm all for them adopting an "Americanized" name. Just like they should adopt the English Language when they come here, they should adopt an English-language name to fit in.

Edit: Think of it this way, it's really all about cultural expectations or cultural norms. If the student came from an African country, and was female, and was used to showing their upper half uncovered in the bush, would we as Americans have to "tolerate the foreigners style of dress"? Of course not. Learn to dress like an American if you are coming over here, we don't (normally, I'm in favor of allowing breast-feeding in public) allow women to bare their tops in public.

What if you're American with that proud family name?

Who' we? White people? Which qualify - italians/germans/english descent white?

I say it very kindly - you're little bit in your own world there. Hispanic outnumber white in US now. We have amazing cultures from India, East/SE Asia, so on.

And they're all Americans - 2nd, 3rd, 5th generations. Most of Chinese have been here longer than 'white' immigrants to US. The coast to coast railroad was built on Chinese's back.

 

[sandorski]

I dated a woman who kept her married name for a couple years after her divorce rather than return to her maiden name of Dickfist.

The Pornsibility is off the charts.

 

[sandorski]

John Parker
John Whorfin
John Bigbooté
John Emdall
John O'Conner
John Gomez

should work.

John Big Booties

 

[JulesMaximus]

What if you're American with that proud family name?

Who' we? White people? Which qualify - italians/germans/english descent white?

I say it very kindly - you're little bit in your own world there. Hispanic outnumber white in US now. We have amazing cultures from India, East/SE Asia, so on.

And they're all Americans - 2nd, 3rd, 5th generations. Most of Chinese have been here longer than 'white' immigrants to US. The coast to coast railroad was built on Chinese's back.

The fuck? No, they don’t. Hispanics only make up about 18% of the population of the US. Whites are still the majority.

My dad’s ancestors trace back to the revolutionary war in this country, my mom’s back to the late 1800s.

 

[Captante]

John Big Booties

Hu Flung Poo ?

And if my name sounded absurd/embarrassing in the native language of a country I was visiting, I would APPRECIATE being pulled aside and told about it if I were unaware.

I do have the feeling however that a heart-to-heart private chat might have been better received then a shoot-from the hip tweet.

 

[sdifox]

Instructor has since apologised.

Teacher issues apology after Oakland student told to 'anglicize' name

By Saturday afternoon Hubbard took down all of his tweets and Phuc's sister confirmed to ABC7 News that Hubbard sent Phuc an apology email as well.

news.yahoo.com

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Most people I know with a difficult to pronounce name usually come up with a nickname for those crackers to use. One good friend, from South Korea and now an American citizen, had managed to get away with another name he made up and this went on to my ignorance for years until one day his credit card was tossed across the table with a WTF name on it. But these folks I meet that come up with nick names are usually Asian or from the pacific rim so I cannot speak for other parts of the world. I always try to learn how to pronounce their names.

One time my group got a new employee. They were at another work location from me in another state. I had no idea if it was a man or woman. I couldn't garner enough from the name typed out in emails. I asked my boss, just to be politically correct, and even he hesitated. LOL, Turned out the confusion was that no one ever met the person. But in the end that person got fired for never coming into the office. Why? Because a woman got hired and a man did all of the work--her husband.

 

[sdifox]

Most people I know with a difficult to pronounce name usually come up with a nickname for those crackers to use. One good friend, from South Korea and now an American citizen, had managed to get away with another name he made up and this went on to my ignorance for years until one day his credit card was tossed across the table with a WTF name on it. But these folks I meet that come up with nick names are usually Asian or from the pacific rim so I cannot speak for other parts of the world. I always try to learn how to pronounce their names.

One time my group got a new employee. They were at another work location from me in another state. I had no idea if it was a man or woman. I couldn't garner enough from the name typed out in emails. I asked my boss, just to be politically correct, and even he hesitated. LOL, Turned out the confusion was that no one ever met the person. But in the end that person got fired for never coming into the office. Why? Because a woman got hired and a man did all of the work--her husband.

When I moved to Canada, I was told I should probably adopt a Western name since there is no way locals will be able to pronounce my name correctly. So I picked an Italian one that locals always mess up /asshat

 

[zinfamous]

Now if I immigrated from Poland to live or maybe study over here for several years, and my name was Przemysław Brzyzksczywszczy, I would probably change my name to Max Strongdick.

 

[DigDog]

i saw this on reddit and my thought was about how quickly the student went to "i'll sue you". The exchange was one text from the prof saying "maybe you should anglicize your name" and the reply was "i will file a complaint". It's not really because of the ethnicity of her name, but because of *that one specific* name.


reminds me of an old post-war joke we had in italy.

A guy walks into the council office and says he wants to change his name. The clerk asks him his name, and he replies "Benito Fuckface".
Ah, says the clerk, i see. So, what would you like to be called?
"Mario Fuckface".

 

[thedarkwolf]

I think this scene from Robin Hood Men in Tights is appropriate