Thanks for posting that Wikipedia entry; it was interesting.

Jon Stewart is not above unfair shots at Bush. I think calling the place Burma is less ridiculous than calling Zimbabwe "Rhodesia," but maybe slightly more silly than using old-style names for Indian cities.

I thought it was a pretty calculated move (subtle jab) on the white house's part to show that they disapproved of the military regime changing the name of the country to Myanmar and that they refused to call it anything other than Burma. Sort of like how George H.W. Bush always called Saddam SAD-uhm (which apparently sounds like "shoe-shine boy" in Arabic) instead of Suh-DAHM (which means Exalted Ruler or something).

Very much so, matt. That's why I was annoyed with the Daily Show's shallow joke -- because there's a subtext there that could've been mined.

Even in Montreal this stuff is so contentious. Since the late 60s/early 70s they changed over a lot of street names from names like "Queen Elizabeth" to "Réné Levesque." You can tell people's leanings and generation by their references. But in the meantime, it can cause geographical confusion.

I have a Burmese friend. She calls it Myanmar, but doesn't seem to mind Burma. She's definitely told me some interesting stories about life there. She's a tour guide there, so someday I'd like to go.

I must say that I actually shiver when people refer to the US as "America" even though I know that it's popular here. I find it kind of offensive.

Is America used derisively? I'm not sure I have a usage preference on this point? Should I prefer United States?

By the way, Burmese is way easier to say than Myanmarese (also Burmese is accepted by my spell checker while Myanmarese is not).

Nobody in the states uses "America" derisively, but the rest of the "Americas" perceives it that way in my experience. And it definitely bothers me, not that I'd ever say anything, because I know that no one says it with an imperialistic intention; it's just that I think the "of" in US "of" A should not be forgotten (and obviously there's a lot that's implicit in that). Even in Mexico, my teacher said to say I'm "estadounisienne" (I forget the spelling and I think I made that into a French word) instead of americana, but I'm not sure if that's just him, just that area of Mexico, a new movement, or a preference they don't express. No one has taught me that word before and I never tried it outside of class to see a reaction.

Gotcha, I misread your initial comment and didn't catch on who you thought was using it inappropriately.

I don't think I've ever actually heard this complaint voiced before. The objection is that the rest of North and South America are also "America" and hence by claiming the use of the word as our national title it is sort of like claiming ownership over the remainder of the two continents?

Is there a clearer way to voice that objection? Or a way that more accurately reflects reality?

Actually, even if you call the country Myanmar, Burmese is the proper way to refer to the people.

I feel somewhat fortunate that I read a few Vollmann essays about Burma just a month or two before this whole thing re-ignited. He was investigating the heavy opium trade there, but that involved diving into the various complexities of the country, including the people of the Shan state, who are ethnically separate and somewhat oppressed.

And the Karen people situation is even worse.

canadians, costa ricans, peruvians, etc. have all voiced annie's objection to me. But in europe when I've said I'm from the united states, invariable people say "oh, america."

er, invariably

Interesting.

I have a hard time really seeing/understanding the objection. Do they consider themselves "American" too?

It would make sense that Europeans would be more troubled by "United States" since they face a prospect (admittedly unlikely) of being called the United States of Europe at some point in the future.

Throughout many years of Spanish classes, I was taught that calling ourselves America kinda pisses off Latin Americans. So yeah, what Annie said. They ARE Americans, just as Italians and Norwegians are both Europeans.

How does everybody else know this but me?

yes the Europeans definitely call it America, but also I think they are more likely to call the whole hemisphere the Americas in referring to across the pond issues. I usually correct my friends if we're speaking in English.

What really annoys me (just personally and I express it, but mostly I find it funny) is when the French refer to (US) Americans as Anglo-Saxons. It just only makes sense in a very limited way. As in, Anglo-Saxons bake cookies for Christmas (Germans and British and Ams.) Or A-S prefer more personal space than "Latin" peoples. It's just as objectionable as Latin, but anyway, anything I do, they like to say it's because I'm A-S (because yes, I don't like it when the waiter leans on me!). I just feel like it's a term that should be reserved for Beowolf or something!

Using Anglo-Saxon is pretty funny. Do they use that phrase when they're speaking English, or only in French?

I'm sure they would say it in English, but definitely in French. It always rattles me; I guess it's about putting a label on someone when you don't identify yourself that way.

Free Burma!
International Bloggers' Day for Burma on the 4th of October

International bloggers are preparing an action to support the peaceful revolution in Burma. We want to set a sign for freedom and show our sympathy for these people who are fighting their cruel regime without weapons. These Bloggers are planning to refrain from posting to their blogs on October 4 and just put up one Banner then, underlined with the words „Free Burma!“.

www.free-burma.org

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