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Whereas today it happens all the time. My colleage Hsung Wei Lee was told upon arrival by the Chinese-speaking American at the immigration desk, "Your name is

Whereas today it happens all the time. My colleage Hsung Wei Lee was told upon arrival by the Chinese-speaking American at the immigration desk, "Your name is now Willie Hsung". Which he has used ever since.

eesmith 3y ago
"Now" in the sense that he should expect Americans to call him that, so he decided to use it as a nickname? Or "now" in the sense that US government documents record him under that name? What is "the immigration desk"? When he first arrived to the US? When he got his visa? When he got his citizenship? When he enters the US (pre-citizenship, on his Chinese passport), how do they reconcile the name on his passport with the name on his US-issued documentation? The Chinese nationals I know in the US did not have their name changed. Some do have English names, which they chose voluntarily as nicknames, but that does not affect their legal name.
- JoeAltmaier 3y ago
  Yeah this was thirty years ago. Still, closer to today than that time was to Ellis Island. Not chosen voluntarily. A young man, a kid really, arriving in a foreign country does what he's told. So that was his name. You'll have to look up the documents yourself.
  - eesmith 3y ago
    The Chinese nationals I know 30 years ago, both emigrants who were in my high school and the young adults who came to the US for college or grad school, did not have that happen to them. What does "do as you're told" mean? Use that suggestion as a nickname instead of one chosen voluntarily? Or go to the courthouse and get your name legally changed? Since I don't know who the person is, your suggestion is rather hard to follow up on. It could also be your friend was very gullible. Since you say it happens all the time, surely there should be more examples, yes?
    - westhanover 3y ago
      He is making up a story or repeating one that fits his world view. It is a way to soothe himself after having previous notion upset (the racists at Ellis island changed people’s names).
      - JoeAltmaier 3y ago
        Ooooor, repeating what he experienced, leaving it to you to fit that into your worldview. Which apparently involves building elaborate persecution fantasies. I get it, there's a whole political party that has turned to that strategy.
gottorf 3y ago
This depends on what he means by "used". It could be that it's an English name he goes by, which is perfectly laudable, albeit from an unusual source. I doubt the USCIS officer wrote that down as his legal name on official documents.

eesmith 3y ago

"Now" in the sense that he should expect Americans to call him that, so he decided to use it as a nickname? Or "now" in the sense that US government documents record him under that name? What is "the immigration desk"? When he first arrived to the US? When he got his visa? When he got his citizenship? When he enters the US (pre-citizenship, on his Chinese passport), how do they reconcile the name on his passport with the name on his US-issued documentation? The Chinese nationals I know in the US did not have their name changed. Some do have English names, which they chose voluntarily as nicknames, but that does not affect their legal name.

JoeAltmaier 3y ago
Yeah this was thirty years ago. Still, closer to today than that time was to Ellis Island. Not chosen voluntarily. A young man, a kid really, arriving in a foreign country does what he's told. So that was his name. You'll have to look up the documents yourself.
- eesmith 3y ago
  The Chinese nationals I know 30 years ago, both emigrants who were in my high school and the young adults who came to the US for college or grad school, did not have that happen to them. What does "do as you're told" mean? Use that suggestion as a nickname instead of one chosen voluntarily? Or go to the courthouse and get your name legally changed? Since I don't know who the person is, your suggestion is rather hard to follow up on. It could also be your friend was very gullible. Since you say it happens all the time, surely there should be more examples, yes?
  - westhanover 3y ago
    He is making up a story or repeating one that fits his world view. It is a way to soothe himself after having previous notion upset (the racists at Ellis island changed people’s names).
    - JoeAltmaier 3y ago
      Ooooor, repeating what he experienced, leaving it to you to fit that into your worldview. Which apparently involves building elaborate persecution fantasies. I get it, there's a whole political party that has turned to that strategy.

gottorf 3y ago

This depends on what he means by "used". It could be that it's an English name he goes by, which is perfectly laudable, albeit from an unusual source. I doubt the USCIS officer wrote that down as his legal name on official documents.