There’s Nothing Wrong With Mispronouncing A Name

Summary

The article discusses the disrespect and potential racism inherent in intentionally mispronouncing someone's name, using the example of U.S. Senator David Perdue mocking Kamala Harris's name.

Abstract

The article "There’s Nothing Wrong With Mispronouncing A Name" addresses the issue of name mispronunciation and the difference between innocent mistakes and deliberate mockery. It highlights that while people generally do not take offense to accidental mispronunciations, intentional mocking is disrespectful and can be indicative of racism. The piece uses the example of Senator David Perdue, who intentionally mispronounced Kamala Harris's name during a rally, despite knowing her for years and serving on a committee with her. The author argues that such behavior is not merely a joke but a sign of disrespect and possibly racist tendencies. The article also references reactions from various individuals on social media, expressing disappointment over such conduct being tolerated and even encouraged. It concludes by emphasizing that respect for others is crucial, and that voting for good people is essential in the fight against racism and intolerance.

Opinions

Mispronouncing a name due to difficulty is generally acceptable, but intentional mockery is disrespectful and potentially racist.
Senator David Perdue's deliberate mispronunciation of Kamala Harris's name is seen as a display of disrespect and possibly racism, given his familiarity with her and the ease of pronouncing her name.
The defense of such behavior as merely adding to the "fun" of a rally is unacceptable and reflects a broader issue of tolerating disrespect and racism.
Social media reactions to Perdue's actions include disappointment from a high school teacher, a college professor, and a senior citizen, all of whom view the behavior as a step backward in societal conduct and leadership expectations.
The article suggests that the true character of

Mocking a name is a different matter

Many names are mispronounced regularly

People are generally not offended when their names are mispronounced. They accept it because all names are not easy to pronounce. Some people are used to having their names pronounced incorrectly. It may happen often, and few people would take offense. However, deliberately mocking someone else’s name to get a laugh is uncalled for and entirely disrespectful. It may even be racist.

Kamala Harris has an easy to pronounce last name. Kamala is not a common name, but it is not a name which is difficult to pronounce. Simply like the punctuation mark, it is pronounced to sound like “comma-la.” That is easy. Anyone who knows that should have no trouble pronouncing the name. Kamala means “lotus flower” which is significant in the Indian culture.

When a United States Senator from Georgia, David Perdue, deliberately mispronounced Kamala’s name, he was showing total disrespect and possibly racism. He has known her for three years in the Senate and has served on a Senate committee with her. To say or imply that he did not know how her name is correctly pronounced is ridiculous.

Lara Trump did an interview on CNN with Jake Tapper in which she defended Donald Trump for remarks he made at a rally in Michigan. She said that the rallies are fun, and Trump was merely adding to the jovial nature of the rally. Indeed, his supporters who are in attendance generally laugh at his bullying when he degrades others while speaking. The Trump people may claim that Perdue simply was adding to the fun of the rally. They laughed when Perdue made fun of Kamala’s name.

It was interesting to see some of the reactions of people on Facebook about Perdue after he butchered Kamala’a name on purpose.

From a high school teacher: “So sad that something like this is tolerated and worse encouraged by a large portion of the country.”

From a college professor: “It is so interesting to see grown men, who are technically leaders (by title, not necessarily behavior) in their own right, fall back to the High School mindset of mimicking the bully to stay in his good graces.”

From a senior citizen: “He’s been one of her colleagues for 3 years. If he can’t learn to pronounce her name by now, maybe he’s just plain stupid.”

Perdue should not be called “stupid” (although he did a stupid thing). He surely must know how to actually pronounce Kamala’s name. He might be racist, however, as he follows Trump and mocks someone else’s name just to get a laugh. He is definitely old enough to know better.

Other people are showing their true colors just as Trump does at his rallies when he is speaking to people who are obviously his friends and followers. They think nothing of belittling and mocking others. Showing respect for other people is something that Trump does not worry about doing. Politics brings out the worst in people.

Racism should not be tolerated.

Voting for good people is important to fight against racism and intolerance.

[Source: CNN, Facebook]