NAME CHANGES:BURMA/MYANMAR

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Color Corrections
                 Misplaced Sensitivity Prompts Some Bizzare Changes 

                           By Judy Muller
                           ABCNEWS.com
                           L O S  A N G E L E S,  March 15 ? Last
                           week, Crayola decided to eliminate
                           the color ?Indian Red? from its
                           crayon palette. Why? Because some
                 people were offended by the name of this hue,
                 assuming it referred to the skin color of Native
                 Americans. 
                      It did not, in fact. The crayon?s name ? which debuted
                 in 1958 ? was actually based on the reddish-brown
                 pigment commonly found in India. 
                      But in these politically-correct times, correct
derivations
                 are meaningless. It?s not denotation that counts, it?s
                 connotation. 

                 You Can?t Say That! 
                 Consider the recent flap over the word ?niggardly? ? a
                 perfectly legitimate word meaning ?stingy,? with absolutely
                 no connection to any racial slur.
                      And yet, when a Washington, D.C., official used the
                 word ? in the correct context, no less ? he was forced to
                 resign, such was the firestorm of protest. He was
                 eventually rehired, after he promised to be more sensitive
                 about his choice of word. 
                      Puh-leeeze! Where will this end?
                      It seems as though every day we learn of yet another
                 word or phrase that has been banned by the P.C. police. 
                      About a year ago, I was chastised by some friends for
                 using the word ?oriental.? (I swear they practically gasped
                 in horror.)
                      ?What?s wrong?? I asked, in my politically-incorrect
                 innocence. 
                      ?You?re not supposed to say ?oriental? any more,? said
                 one friend. ?You have to be specific ? as in Chinese,
                 Japanese, Burmese.? 

                 What?s in a Name? 
                 Now that I think about it, Burmese may be out as well, ever
                 since Burma became Myanmar. On the other hand, that?s
                 the name given the country by it?s military dictators, so
                 perhaps Burma is the P.C. choice after all. 
                      You see how confusing this all is? And who makes
                 these decisions anyway?
                      Over at Crayola, the decision was made after
                 elementary-school teachers alerted the company of the
                 problem: They said a lot of children were under the
                 impression that ?Indian Red? was a pejorative term. (Of
                 course, the kids would never use the word pejorative, nor
                 ? in an educational system that no longer teaches words
                 like ?niggardly? ? are they ever likely to.) 
                      And so the change. 
                      Crayola is now accepting suggestions for a new name. I
                 can already imagine a list of unacceptable substitutions:
                 bullfight red, commie red, Foxxy red (just to name a few). 

                 Distinctions Not Occuring in Nature 
                 The last time there was such a flap over a crayon was
                 back in 1962, when the color ?Flesh? was changed to
                 ?Peach.? 
                      I would have agreed with that one, since the name was
                 based on the assumption that the normal color of human
                 flesh was this strange orange-pink shade. Most people in
                 the world are not caucasian, it was a silly assumption in the
                 first place (and yes, probably unconsciously racist).
                      What?s more, not even many of the caucasians I know
                 have flesh that color, unless they are suffering from a mild
                 case of jaundice. 
                      Which is to say, sometimes changes are necessary.
                 Now you can color me correct. 

                            Judy Muller has been an ABCNEWS
                            correspondent since 1990. She reports
                            from Los Angeles for World News
                            Tonight, Nightline and 20/20, and is also a
                            regular commentator for National Public
                            Radio?s Morning Edition.



                  Reactions to Last Week?s Column 

                  Your article was right on. We live in a tabloid society.
                  Things that used to turn people into recluses now turn
                  them into celebs. But as you said, in the end, there?s no
                  sincerely there. There?s also no substance. 
                                                ? Deanna Loden

                  I could not agree with you more. I do not understand why it
                  is that the ?masses? seem to fling themselves at the
                  celebs. Most of these celebs are, shall we say, not too
                  regular. Read, normal. What is even more disturbing is
                  when these celebs pick up some sort of cause/political
                  issue and many people flock to the cause without even
                  investigating what the cause/issue is, or how it will
                  ultimately affect them. 
                                             ? Dale ?E? Covington

                  Indeed what many people forget or don?t want to face that
                  is that Ms. Lewinsky?s behavior was just as reprehensible
                  as Mr. Clinton?s? I still don?t feel that it was worthy of a
                  Barbara Walters interview. 
                                                ? Jackie Carter

                  It?s a sad commentary on people?s value systems that we
                  see, hear and, celebrate precious little about people of
real
                  substance and accomplishment. This is not to say that
                  there is no place for a bit of fluff now and again. But
just as
                  one can?t survive long on an exclusive diet of cotton candy,
                  nor can a society or culture thrive on this kind of
                  nourishment. 
                                               ? Stephan Masica

                  If it weren?t for the networks pushing for the ratings
                  (translation: money) would we have all of the glorious
                  excesses [Muller] seems to decry? No one criticizes ABC
                  or Barbra Walters for having that 2-hour SuperBowl with
                  Monica. And they charged plenty for the ads too. So
                  Monica is now a celebrity, famous for being famous. Who
                  put her on TV every chance they had? 
                                                ? Brian Gardner

                  Phony celebrity? Look to your own house, Ms. Miller. The
                  House of Weightlessness built by Roone Arledge that is
                  ABC News epitomizes all that celebrates that which you
                  condemn. 
                                                     ? Elliot T.