Texan politician: Asians should change their names to something easier

[Caliga]

Flip names are easy. 

Aren't they just Spanish?

That State Rep. would be like "WHOT THE HELL YOUR NOT UH MEXIKUNN!?!?!?!"

[FunkMonk]

Flip names are easy. 

Aren't they just Spanish?

That State Rep. would be like "WHOT THE HELL YOUR NOT UH MEXIKUNN!?!?!?!"

Many are, yes. 

[Sheilbh]

The stupidest part about all of this is that Asian last names are not even hard to say.

'How do you pronounce this...Chung?  I think I will just call you Smith'.

Thai, Lao, and Cambodian names are impossible.

Most Thai, in my experience, shorten their name when they move to the UK.

[DisturbedPervert]

Thai, Lao, and Cambodian names are impossible.

Not sure about Cambodians, but Thai and Lao, which are basically the same, official names are long but not that hard to pronounce.  Irrelevant in daily life though, since they mostly go by one syllable nicknames (often in English) instead of their real names, which most people they know will not even know. 

[Admiral Yi]

Not sure about Cambodians, but Thai and Lao, which are basically the same, official names are long but not that hard to pronounce.  Irrelevant in daily life though, since they mostly go by one syllable nicknames (often in English) instead of their real names, which most people they know will not even know.

Yeah, realized Camboge was off.  Pol Pot.  Heng Sim.  Not hard.

Malaysian names are spastic, aren't they?  Not like we have a bunch in the US.

[Sheilbh]

Malaysian names are spastic, aren't they?  Not like we have a bunch in the US.

I thought they were standard Muslim-sounding names?

[DisturbedPervert]

Not sure about Malaysian names, I dated a Malaysian in college, but she was ethnic Chinese.  They sound Muslim from my limited experience in Malaysia.

[Admiral Yi]

I thought they were standard Muslim-sounding names?

We don't have a bunch in the US!

[Sheilbh]

We don't have a bunch in the US!

Ok.  I'll rephrase.  In my experience they're just standard Muslim-sounding names :p

[KRonn]

Now finally, someone comes up with a good idea for immigrants!  Lol.. Just keep quiet Congressman; what a dope.

But on a similar note, many of my Syrian relatives (from my step mother's side) had their names changed when they arrived, mainly because of the language difficulties and translations. A name like Awad became Howard, spelled phonetically I guess. Not any try to change the names, just the translation and/or how the new immigrant, or immigration authorities, spelled it or what ever.  I guess now a days that'd be a hate crime, law suits and such.

[CountDeMoney]

Oh sweet jesus 

Well, once upon a time, Asians WANTED to become more assimilated, dropping their traditional names for English.
But now, with all the PC-pride-in-your-tribe bullshit, it's not as common anymore.

[Valmy]

Well, once upon a time, Asians WANTED to become more assimilated, dropping their traditional names for English.
But now, with all the PC-pride-in-your-tribe bullshit, it's not as common anymore.

Do they seriously not do that anymore?  Pity I found it charming they would name themselves 'Sam' and 'Mary'.  But they would still keep their old last names.

[Valmy]

Thai, Lao, and Cambodian names are impossible.

Maybe but she specifically said Chinese.

[Sheilbh]

Well, once upon a time, Asians WANTED to become more assimilated, dropping their traditional names for English.
But now, with all the PC-pride-in-your-tribe bullshit, it's not as common anymore.

Do they seriously not do that anymore?  Pity I found it charming they would name themselves 'Sam' and 'Mary'.  But they would still keep their old last names.

I could be very wrong here but I think it's a mainland China thing.  In Bristol therre's loads of international students, predominately from the Far East.  In my experience the ones from the mainland while moving choose a new 'English' name for themselves, one that they like.  So I know a Dawn and a Patrick, for example, but that's not their real name.  Students from Hong Kong on the other hand almost always keep their Cantonese name.  But that's really anecdotal and could just be the people I know.

[Valmy]

I could be very wrong here but I think it's a mainland China thing.

In the case of the people I knew it was a Taiwanese thing.