by Terry O'Neal-Cox MD

Created on: April 12, 2009   Last Updated: April 14, 2009

Texas Congresswoman Betty Brown, a Republican Representative, is being prepared for the guillotine following a suggestion she made to a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans. She suggested: "Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese, I understand it's a rather difficult language, do you think that it would behove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?" Apparently, when the Chinese citizens fill out documents Americans, rather than copying what they see, choose to write what they think it should be. That is not an uncommon phenomenon. Think of how often, with an "American/English" name you have had credit cards, checks, drivers' licenses, passports, and call for jury duty with the name spelled incorrectly. This happens, mostly, as a result of our own carelessness. It also happens due to innocent mistakes.

So what is the big deal about changing a name? It happens all the time in America. Think of P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, Puff, Pee, whatever! We even had "Prince" changing his name to a symbol with no pronunciation. Well, the big deal is that Betty Brown is a typical example of what has become wrong in our American society. We have become a society of blaming others. This has become the foundation for our inadequacies. Everything that is wrong is someone else's fault or responsibility. We have nothing to correct or change, because we are always "correct". We have lost the capacity to accommodate or assimilate, except when it benefits us. We have grown inflated egos with the manifestation of a belief that being American grants us global entitlements that are above all others.

Betty Brown's comment/suggestion is causing uproar because it is being viewed from the "politically incorrect" point of view, to be settled by an apology followed by forgiveness. As a Republican, she will be viewed as what is wrong with that party. Some splinter groups may even see the remarks as racial discrimination. Ultimately SHE as a person, and not WE as Americans, will carry the blame. But we as Americans are becoming, if not have become, inpatient, careless, and arrogant. We have gone from solving our problems to finding someone to blame for them. In this case, the Chinese/Asians are at fault, then they should correct the problem; let them make the adjustments by changing their name, even if it means losing their identity. When Americans go to Asia the expectation is that Asians speak English and be able to write and pronounce our American names. Our arrogance makes us believe that we are entitled to that. Can you imagine being in Asia and having a Betty Brown's equivalent suggest you change your name?

The Betty Brown mentality has cost us, as Americans, dearly. We have lost respect globally. Our President had a shoe thrown at him. We are fighting wars that "we did not cause"; we are suffering in a failing economy that was caused by everyone except ourselves. I believe that if we do not get rid of the Betty Brown mentality that has taken over how we view ourselves, the worst is yet to come. How, and why, did we allow our approach to life, as a nation, change so drastically? We need to get back to the America that was mighty, but lead by example; the America that was loved by most and respected by all; the America where egos were checked at the door, arrogance was frowned upon, and inclusion and respect were the order of the day.

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