And no white people changed their surname while immigrating through Ellis Island to avoid discrimination? Or we just have a ton of Smiths, Johnsons, and Browns by coincidence?
People have to adapt in foreign environments. My buddy spend a year traveling through India and Asia and told everyone he is Canadian (even though he couldn't name Vancouver's hockey team when I questioned him ). He did it to avoid discrimination associated with the U.S. military presence in the middle east.
My ancestors (and yours more than likely) changed the spelling of their last name not only because it would have been mispronounced (MagUidhir or Mag-Uidhir was anglicized to MacUidhir and eventually to Maguire and MacGuire or in my mom's case McGuire). The Gaelic spelling would not have been pronounced anything like it should have been. And they thought they would have been more accepted into society., or so some have said. My great grandmother maintained though that it was the scribes at Ellis Island that spelled their names phonetically .... you'd arrive off the ship, line up and be examined for lice etc. Then your info would be asked of you and you'd be listed into the big book of immigrants. You've all seen them. It didn't help..the Irish were widely and greatly discriminated against back then..and for a long, long, long while (as were other nationalities). I understand the reasons behind it, but now....seeing as how it didn't help at all, and how proud of our lineage we all have become, (strong Celitic women and all that jazz) I kind of wish they hadn't. I prefer the original, and I'm proud of my roots..but all in all, I'm an American..as are we all (in the US).... eventually.
So I understand Mr. Leuth's desire to change his name and his hope that it will makes things easier for him. But as it was then I think it is now as well. His native accent , his customs and appearance are what people will discriminate against more than his name, IMO...and that is a very sad statement on our society. One would think (hope) that we ALL being immigrants to the US or Australia or elsewhere at one point or another (unless Native obviously) that WE MIGHT HAVE LEARNED. I suppose that's too much to ask. People are too high and mighty for their own good. (sorry I made that all about me but using my family as an example that's all)
peace,
jo
http://www.Etsy.com/Shop/SimpleEarthCreations
"How I choose to feel is how I am." ~ EV/MMc
"Some people hear their own inner voices with great clearness and they live by what they hear. Such people become crazy, or they become legends." ~ One Stab ~
Personally I would have changed my maiden name for a job but wouldn't change my married name. Why? Because I absolutely hated my maiden name - Hanberger, but I like my married name and feel comfortable with it.
I guess it's up to other people what they do. Ideally noone should have to change their name to 'fit in', but, I &uess we don't live in an ideal world.
all in a huff ? "Why can't they just be like us and do what we do" I see everybody like I see myself and I treat them as I would want to be treated and I think the race card is used like first act of fefence when ever a topic is mentioning people who are not white,I don't have anything to be ashamed of and if someone else does then they will have to live with that and they don't need me to tell them that they were or are wrong about color or sexual oriention comments,this guy in the OP's story should do what he needs to do and if that means changing his name then that is up to him,he threw himself into a situation that I'm sure he anticipated this sort of set back so he should do what he has to to survive and how he does that is not my business,if I were to move to Sudan I would expect nothing less that what this guy has to deal with so I would either prepare or do what I needed to do to survive and changing my name is no big deal to me.
Godfather.
Man....I try not to critique your writing, and I've never once done so...but I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine:
The point underlying my statement to Godfather is that it's often the white people who are quick to suggest that minorities just assimilate to the majority culture. "Why can't they just be like us and do what we do" is the message. Not saying that Godfather thinks that way, but now I won't know because he's all in a huff.
all in a huff ? "Why can't they just be like us and do what we do" I see everybody like I see myself and I treat them as I would want to be treated and I think the race card is used like first act of fefence when ever a topic is mentioning people who are not white,I don't have anything to be ashamed of and if someone else does then they will have to live with that and they don't need me to tell them that they were or are wrong about color or sexual oriention comments,this guy in the OP's story should do what he needs to do and if that means changing his name then that is up to him,he threw himself into a situation that I'm sure he anticipated this sort of set back so he should do what he has to to survive and how he does that is not my business,if I were to move to Sudan I would expect nothing less that what this guy has to deal with so I would either prepare or do what I needed to do to survive and changing my name is no big deal to me.
Godfather.
I'm referencing more about ethnicity, than race, but your response suggests at what I'm talking about. Most regular white people in the U.S. from Northern European decent (Irish excluded) feel little to no connectedness with their ethnicity/culture of origin, although there are some pockets here and there. Your quote: "I see everybody like I see myself and I treat them as I would want to be treated" reflects an attitude than can lead to this pressure of assimilation and denial of ones culture (again, not saying you do that). Most white people don't have a sense of connectedness to an ethnicity, and therefore when they treat others how they want to be treated, then end up not seeing this culture in others or treat it with value. I'm not pushing you to change your attitude, I'm just saying to go forward with awareness of how this attitude affects your thoughts and decisions.
The point underlying my statement to Godfather is that it's often the white people who are quick to suggest that minorities just assimilate to the majority culture. "Why can't they just be like us and do what we do" is the message. Not saying that Godfather thinks that way, but now I won't know because he's all in a huff.
all in a huff ? "Why can't they just be like us and do what we do" I see everybody like I see myself and I treat them as I would want to be treated and I think the race card is used like first act of fefence when ever a topic is mentioning people who are not white,I don't have anything to be ashamed of and if someone else does then they will have to live with that and they don't need me to tell them that they were or are wrong about color or sexual oriention comments,this guy in the OP's story should do what he needs to do and if that means changing his name then that is up to him,he threw himself into a situation that I'm sure he anticipated this sort of set back so he should do what he has to to survive and how he does that is not my business,if I were to move to Sudan I would expect nothing less that what this guy has to deal with so I would either prepare or do what I needed to do to survive and changing my name is no big deal to me.
Godfather.
I'm referencing more about ethnicity, than race, but your response suggests at what I'm talking about. Most regular white people in the U.S. from Northern European decent (Irish excluded) feel little to no connectedness with their ethnicity/culture of origin, although there are some pockets here and there. Your quote: "I see everybody like I see myself and I treat them as I would want to be treated" reflects an attitude than can lead to this pressure of assimilation and denial of ones culture (again, not saying you do that). Most white people don't have a sense of connectedness to an ethnicity, and therefore when they treat others how they want to be treated, then end up not seeing this culture in others or treat it with value. I'm not pushing you to change your attitude, I'm just saying to go forward with awareness of how this attitude affects your thoughts and decisions.
dang it I hate when I go on a rant and one of you guy's use logic that makes sense, thank you for your response it was really a great one to think about.
I'm referencing more about ethnicity, than race, but your response suggests at what I'm talking about. Most regular white people in the U.S. from Northern European decent (Irish excluded) feel little to no connectedness with their ethnicity/culture of origin, although there are some pockets here and there. Your quote: "I see everybody like I see myself and I treat them as I would want to be treated" reflects an attitude than can lead to this pressure of assimilation and denial of ones culture (again, not saying you do that). Most white people don't have a sense of connectedness to an ethnicity, and therefore when they treat others how they want to be treated, then end up not seeing this culture in others or treat it with value. I'm not pushing you to change your attitude, I'm just saying to go forward with awareness of how this attitude affects your thoughts and decisions.
Interesting post and I agree with most of it. Most of my ancestors were trying to escape war-torn Europe and most of the boundaries and countries they came from have changed several times. A lot of them came from Bohemia and Poland where the culture embraced the accordion, beer, and lots of sausages and cheese .... a tradition that lives on with me (thanks to an assist from Weird Al ). But I don't go around waving the Polish flag or celebrate my heritage.
I wonder what the big change was? Race aside, it's similar circumstance from 1910 to 2010. People are leaving a country with hardships to live in a better place.
Comments
My ancestors (and yours more than likely) changed the spelling of their last name not only because it would have been mispronounced (MagUidhir or Mag-Uidhir was anglicized to MacUidhir and eventually to Maguire and MacGuire or in my mom's case McGuire). The Gaelic spelling would not have been pronounced anything like it should have been. And they thought they would have been more accepted into society., or so some have said. My great grandmother maintained though that it was the scribes at Ellis Island that spelled their names phonetically .... you'd arrive off the ship, line up and be examined for lice etc. Then your info would be asked of you and you'd be listed into the big book of immigrants. You've all seen them. It didn't help..the Irish were widely and greatly discriminated against back then..and for a long, long, long while (as were other nationalities). I understand the reasons behind it, but now....seeing as how it didn't help at all, and how proud of our lineage we all have become, (strong Celitic women and all that jazz) I kind of wish they hadn't. I prefer the original, and I'm proud of my roots..but all in all, I'm an American..as are we all (in the US).... eventually.
So I understand Mr. Leuth's desire to change his name and his hope that it will makes things easier for him. But as it was then I think it is now as well. His native accent , his customs and appearance are what people will discriminate against more than his name, IMO...and that is a very sad statement on our society. One would think (hope) that we ALL being immigrants to the US or Australia or elsewhere at one point or another (unless Native obviously) that WE MIGHT HAVE LEARNED. I suppose that's too much to ask. People are too high and mighty for their own good. (sorry I made that all about me but using my family as an example that's all)
jo
http://www.Etsy.com/Shop/SimpleEarthCreations
"How I choose to feel is how I am." ~ EV/MMc
"Some people hear their own inner voices with great clearness and they live by what they hear. Such people become crazy, or they become legends." ~ One Stab ~
Godfather.
I guess it's up to other people what they do. Ideally noone should have to change their name to 'fit in', but, I &uess we don't live in an ideal world.
.
I'm referencing more about ethnicity, than race, but your response suggests at what I'm talking about. Most regular white people in the U.S. from Northern European decent (Irish excluded) feel little to no connectedness with their ethnicity/culture of origin, although there are some pockets here and there. Your quote: "I see everybody like I see myself and I treat them as I would want to be treated" reflects an attitude than can lead to this pressure of assimilation and denial of ones culture (again, not saying you do that). Most white people don't have a sense of connectedness to an ethnicity, and therefore when they treat others how they want to be treated, then end up not seeing this culture in others or treat it with value. I'm not pushing you to change your attitude, I'm just saying to go forward with awareness of how this attitude affects your thoughts and decisions.
dang it I hate when I go on a rant and one of you guy's use logic that makes sense, thank you for your response it was really a great one to think about.
Drowned Out is your friend a school teacher
Godfather.
I wonder what the big change was? Race aside, it's similar circumstance from 1910 to 2010. People are leaving a country with hardships to live in a better place.