[Opinion]: #MyNameIsNot that difficult

My parents specifically chose my name because it was short, easy to say, and couldn't be shortened to a nickname. The only thing I have hassles with is that it doesn't use the more common spelling so I find people misspell it unless I explicitly tell them how to spell it.

I don't however consider people not being able to spell or pronounce my name to be racism. That is just kookoo.

Also LOL at his English origin name being a cononial/slave name. Dude is nuts. One of this group of race obsessed Saffers that really get under my skin. Everything is viewed in relation to blackness or whiteness. Must be saddening and alienating to think like that all the time... we're never all one in the eyes of these folks.
 
porchrat said:
My parents specifically chose my name because it was short, easy to say, and couldn't be shortened to a nickname. The only thing I have hassles with is that it doesn't use the more common spelling so I find people misspell it unless I explicitly tell them how to spell it.
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Iain
 
I have white skin, an indian name, and a black soul(and schlong) :p

there is a difference tho between shortening a name affectionately as a pet name and shortening it to reduce embarrassment. People also constantly mistake my name for other names and it doesn't bother me in the slightest, some activists have too many hangups
 
STS said:
I have white skin, an indian name, and a black soul(and schlong) :p

there is a difference tho between shortening a name affectionately as a pet name and shortening it to reduce embarrassment. People also constantly mistake my name for other names and it doesn't bother me in the slightest, some activists have too many hangups
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unsubstantiated claim :)
 
I asked, from a politics student perspective, how to solve the problem. Jonathan Paoli said: “Force... We cannot rely on a hippie culture [to solve it], the bad thing is white people are allowed to get away with it. From a small age, [people] need to be forced to learn Zulu [or other African languages].”
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Someone should remind this fsckwit that back in the day folks were rioting because they were forced to learn Afrikaans. Now that the tables are turned it's suddenly okay to force this on people?
 
Once again.... this is not a racism thing, but a cultural phenomenon to be found all around the world.
People struggle with pronunciations whenever they are confronted with a foreign language.
yes, it can be condescending, but it is not necessarily always done with a superior attitude.

This writer shows a lack of understanding when it comes to this worldwide cultural phenomenon.
 
Yea get over yourself most Afrikaans and english people have nick names too.
 
I often have this routine when I battle to pronounce someone's name where I attempt it with them back and forth at least 3 or 4 times to try get it right (each time asking if I've got it right). It may not necessarily stop me from butchering the name but at least it demonstrates to that person that I'm not doing it on purpose, that I am trying. Hopefully they're not the author of the article in the OP and are hence reasonable enough to understand that many of us don't share linguistic backgrounds and so will battle to pronounce things in other languages.
 
I've been called many things including "stupid white bitch" but, you know, sticks 'n stones and all that :)
 
Messugga said:
99% of English speaking people mispronounce my name (black and white and everything in between) . It's 3 letters. It's not rocket science. Except apparently it is.
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I have the same problem, except with Afrikaans people. THREE LETTERS FFS!

As for the whole language thing, I personally feel it's more disrespectful to mispronounce someone's name when you speak to them, as opposed to abbreviating it to something that you can pronounce.
 
Well, people manage to screw up even a name like Chris - turning it into Christo or Christopher...

Simply put, ignoring race, people are lazy self-centered a-holes. The only name that matters to them is their own.

I make a point in calling people by the name they introduce themselves with, since that's what they want to be called right? A good friend of mine introduced himself as Collen the first time we met, his 'real' name is Msindisi (both appear on his ID mind you..), another friend called himself Toni even though his name is Lopez! :whistle:

Tell people your name, help them pronounce it, if they still insist to cock it up turn around and leave. It's not that they're being racist, they are being stupid, lazy and ignorant.

- As for learning an African language... Afrikaans is an African language people. It was "invented" by Malay and Coloured slaves in the Cape colony...
But I would still love to learn to speak Zulu though!
 
shinji said:
Simply put, ignoring race, people are lazy self-centered a-holes. The only name that matters to them is their own.

I make a point in calling people by the name they introduce themselves with, since that's what they want to be called right? A good friend of mine introduced himself as Collen the first time we met, his 'real' name is Msindisi (both appear on his ID mind you..), another friend called himself Toni even though his name is Lopez! :whistle:

Tell people your name, help them pronounce it, if they still insist to cock it up turn around and leave. It's not that they're being racist, they are being stupid, lazy and ignorant.

- As for learning an African language... Afrikaans is an African language people. It was "invented" by Malay and Coloured slaves in the Cape colony...
But I would still love to learn to speak Zulu though!
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^^ Good points, I do find it irritating (mildly) if people don't get my name correct, but only because i make an effort to get theirs correct. I don't think it's racist though but to each their own i suppose
 
Black people tend to pronounce my surname la-rocks

I just smile and let it go. I used to correct them but it just really is not such a big deal to me...specially if I will most likely never speak to that person again.
 
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