The Haleys looking up at the comets
"How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!"
John Proctor, the hero of "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller utters this line in Act IV of the play. He has been brought to the same court in the village of Salem where several women and girls have been successfully tried for witchcraft.
It is as if this seventeenth century kangaroo court wants to push the accused man as far as it can go in order to strengthen its legitimacy. Though John Proctor has already falsely admitted to witchcraft, Judge Danforth wants him to sign a confession that will be nailed to the church door for all to see.
I was thinking about that line when I read about would-be Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley and her husband Michael.
Nikki Haley's birth name was Nimarata Nikki Randhawa. She was born into an immigrant Sikh family. However, in 1997 she converted to Christianity and now only dresses in western garb. It's as if she has sought to suppress her original Sikh identity and that even extends to her name.
Her military husband is known as Michael Haley though he was born William Michael Haley and up until marrying Nimarata he was always known as Bill after his adoptive father. Apparently, she started calling him Michael and before long Bill was history. Perhaps she had already spotted the potential embarrassment of having a husband who bore the same name as a famous bandleader.
When it comes to music and film, I can understand why some people change their names. Marilyn Monroe sounds a lot more enticing than Norma Jeane Mortenson. And would Elton John have attracted so many fans if he had remained Reginald Kenneth Dwight?
But in the world of politics, most of us hope for steadfast, trustworthy leaders and representatives - not slippery people whose values and ideas are as fluid as their names.
Nikki Haley isn't worth a damn. And I should know, she's from SC.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that a couple of weeks ago it was news to her that slavery had been a key issue in The American Civil War.
DeleteShe has to cater to her racist base.
DeleteWell, I guess people can change their name if they want to. What irks me is that females change their name to their husbands when they get married. My surname is slightly altered in spelling. Many central Europeans changed their name when they came here. Governments made huge errors when registering immigants.
ReplyDeleteGood points Red. I guess that names are not as enduring as I implied.
DeleteThe early days of western Canada development each little town had a cafe operated by a Chinese immigrant. One Chinese guy's name was Oly Olson. When asked how that happened, he explained that in the imigration line up, the guy in front of him was Oly Olson. When immigration asked him his name, he said Sam Tink. The officer wrote down Oly Olson.
DeleteI get your point about integrity but it is proven fact that, in Australia at least, people experience less discrimination when their non Anglo- Saxon name is suppressed. There's no reason it would be different in the US
ReplyDeleteInteresting point. Thanks Kylie.
DeleteI don't imagine a Sikh woman could elected in the US. The federal leader of our NDP party is a Sikh man, Jagmeet Singh but changes are he will never be elected Prime Minister.
ReplyDeleteAs for politics and politicians in the US, they all seem to be batshit crazy.
I guess that Nikki Haley would be infinitely more preferable as president than Loathsome Trump.
DeleteI'm rather doubtful that she didn't already wear Western garb as a child growing up in small town South Carolina.
ReplyDeleteI would not expect her to wear Sikh fabrics or jewellery all the time but at weddings, state occasions etc.? And just hints of her heritage? It is as if she is ashamed.
DeleteI don't know anything about the Haleys, but I don't think her "only dressing in western garb" has anything to do with what opinion we should have of her. If she has lived all her life in the US, why should she dress in traditional Sikh clothes once she was old enough to decide for herself what to wear?
ReplyDeleteHere in Germany, Muslim girls (or, rather, their parents) are often subject to criticism from non-Muslims when the girls only leave the house with a headscarf on, some as young as 8 or 9 years old, when it will clearly not be up to their own decision what to wear for school, and they are not allowed to participate in swimming lessons or other sports activities at school on the grounds of religious beliefs. In those cases, most people would wish for their families to adapt more to the country where they live now, and where the children are born and grow up, often never having been to the country where their families have come from.
You make some good points regarding integration but I think that Nikki Haley should occasionally give a nod to her Sikh heritage. It is as if she is ashamed of it.
DeleteShe does talk about her Sikh heritage, my friend. Not overly, but in how being of that faith and being Indian in rural, (dare I say bigoted) South Carolina was a great motivator and helped shape her into who she is today.
DeleteYou are more fair-minded than I am sister.
DeleteThis makes me wonder how many other politicians have buried histories that wouldn't sit well with their current party values.
ReplyDeleteProbably lots of them.
DeleteI don't begrudge anyone changing their name. I think we should all be who we want to be, right down to our nominal identities. Some people are very insistent that immigrants should integrate into their adopted countries; I'm not sure it's fair to then criticize them for integrating too much. But I see what you mean -- it is unfortunate that Haley felt a need to turn away from her heritage.
ReplyDeleteIn my personal life, I do not know anybody who has changed their name - apart from married women. If I had a Sikh heritage I would be proud of it - not washing it out.
DeleteRobert Zimmerman and Harry Webb are the real names of two famous singers.
ReplyDeleteThey should form a duo - Bob and Cliff. Bob would be thrilled about that.
DeleteA member of our political clown car.
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it, Trump's golden hair does look like a clown's wig.
DeleteI guess I have a different perspective living in Iowa where Nikki Haley has spent much of the last year. Her parents are almost always at her events, dressed up as Sikhs, and introduced to the crowds. Her small forum speeches given to the two dozen people who are in the coffee shop or small café, frequently refer to her growing up as the only Sikh girls in a town of black and white people. I have not seen her running away from her heritage.
ReplyDeleteI watch the nightly news full of 10 second clips on various candidates and I am always amazed at how much different they appear there than in the small town forums Iowans are exposed to thanks to our first in the nation status. Every single candidate, including Trump, has blown through town a dozen times over the last year and with the exception of Trump, mostly held in small venues where you are free to shake hands, look the candidate in the eye from a couple feet away and ask your question. Their responses aren't quite so scripted like what you see from the televised venues. So I understand how someone unfamiliar with this, could get a totally different impression.
I appreciate your reflections Ed. No doubt she would make a far better president than Trump could ever be.
DeleteMorally and respectfully perhaps. I'm not very optimistic that her policies would be any better though.
DeleteI won't be counting on your vote then. But I think the post is unfair and a bit lazy.
ReplyDeleteAs my mother used to say, "Everyone's entitled to their opinion".
DeleteI changed my first name more than thirty-five years ago, but there were very sound emotional and legal reasons for it. It was a huge decision, but necessary because of a very frightening and complicated set of circumstances. I've now used my changed name for longer than my birth name, and have never once regretted it. Far from compromising my integrity, the process allowed me to embrace life, freedom, and authenticity. Like many of the decisions we make, such things can appear strange to those looking in from the outside, but we can never make a judgement when we don't know the full circumstances. So, now you DO know someone who has changed their first name!
ReplyDeleteMost interesting. I just cannot imagine what would have driven you to change your first name.
DeleteWell here in blighted Arizona, we have a fellow named Vincent Damon Furnier, the son of a minister. He is more well known by the name Alice Cooper. But in spite of that he is not transgender.
ReplyDeleteMy son met Alice Cooper when he stayed in the Sheffield hotel where my son worked at weekends. Alice Cooper was in concert at Sheffield City Hall that Saturday night. That was about twenty years ago.
DeleteAlice is actually a pretty normal guy who, when I interviewed him many years ago, liked to play golf and listen to Burt Bacharach. 'Course that was when he wasn't in character.
DeleteIf you were going to adopt a woman's name which one would you pick Bruce? I am thinking Brenda or maybe Chantelle.
DeletePerhaps, Veronica.
Delete