Comedian Hasan Minhaj Explains The Powerful Reason He Decided To Correct Ellen's Pronunciation Of His Name
Do you remember when Hasan Minhaj corrected Ellen DeGeneres on the pronunciation of his name?
It was around April, and it was one of my favorite moments from this year.
Ellen says Hasan's name wrong. Hasan says "No."
Ellen says "Yes." And then he teaches her how to say his name right.
It was a great moment and sparked a great conversation.
Hasan Minhaj Uses Timothée Chalamet's Name at Starbuckswww.youtube.com
Recently, this moment was brought up again and contextualized on the Netflix show Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj.
Hasan received a question about using the correct pronunciation of his name, and how difficult it is to switch back after years of an Americanized pronunciation.
And the response is as touching as it is funny.
Hasan is out here trying to live. https://t.co/6xe96a9QY7 https://t.co/K3nSLzc5nV— Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (@Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj) 1576871542.0
“our parents were always trying to survive but i’m just trying to live” All of this: https://t.co/fmwcYejR43— Aman Chaudhary - Art (@Aman Chaudhary - Art) 1577179368.0
That difference in 'survival' and 'living' as key generational difference is on point. Our generation has the privi… https://t.co/cLA1KUcKNR— Uz (@Uz) 1577139384.0
YES! If People will go out of their way to pronounce high end brands to sound fancy they can pronounce my foriegn a… https://t.co/sVJtQJbflH— illie (@illie) 1577109551.0
From there, he explains his history with his name in the entertainment industry. At one point he used the name Sean because a host for an open mic show told him no one would be able to pronounce it.
He's slowly reclaimed his name, moving from 'Sean' to an Americanized version of 'Hasan' to finally holding people to pronouncing it correctly.
Minhaj is now standing strong on having his name pronounced right.
YES! If People will go out of their way to pronounce high end brands to sound fancy they can pronounce my foriegn a… https://t.co/sVJtQJbflH— illie (@illie) 1577109551.0
@hasanminhaj This is awesome. Thank you for not changing your name.— Adi Shankar (@Adi Shankar) 1554431068.0
When I was younger, I used to think my name was too difficult to pronounce and it would just be easier to Americani… https://t.co/8m1x9KUCHN— mamta (@mamta) 1577050454.0
@KamalKa13475386 @hasanminhaj I keep a running list of all the ways Starbucks and other places misspell my name. I… https://t.co/OybAYc4hi1— Teresa Huang (@Teresa Huang) 1554651580.0
It's funny because his father chastised him for spending so much time on his name. Which is understandable, but it's also understandable why Hasan would push to have people say his name right.
As he explains it:
"I think that's the big difference between our generation and our parents' generation. They're always trying to survive... But I'm trying to live."
"So I'm gonna go on Ellen, the most American show ever, and make you hit all the syllables."
This move encouraged others to share their own stories about their names.
@VV4Change @patriotact I had a sub in high school who was doing attendance, completely butchered my name, looked ar… https://t.co/epm7Zx03ig— Mari Kina (@Mari Kina) 1577005973.0
@sureshtrumpet @patriotact @AimaNiqabae I appreciate this, too. Impersonating immigrant parents' accents has become… https://t.co/ca3a0DNhLn— Nick (@Nick) 1577059333.0
@patriotact so long saying it a different way. i even wrote an essay on my name last year just like prav did lol. i… https://t.co/rei3J1Vwty— رنا 🌹 (@رنا 🌹) 1577110383.0
@Adam_g1590 @patriotact Thanks for sharing! He sums it up perfectly - including the difference between generations.— Dr Amira Aftab (@Dr Amira Aftab) 1577099602.0
It's understandable in our society to not have an immediate grasp on a name you aren't familiar with. Despite the mixture of cultures in the U.S. there is still an insulating effect we have on foreign cultures influencing us.
However, if you refuse to make an effort to learn someone's name, you're doing more damage than you might think. It ranges from microaggression to an active erasure of someone's history.
Take the time to learn the right pronunciation. It's the simplest act of respect you can do.
Hasan Minhaj's album Homecoming King is available here.
Hasan Minhaj Makes Powerful Point About How People Mispronouncing His Name Is Actually Kind Of Bull
This past Thursday, comedian Hasan Minhaj stopped by Ellen to speak with the titular host, Ellen DeGeneres.
Seconds into the interview, DeGeneres mispronounces his name.
In all likelihood, most of us have been mispronouncing his name for quite some time. She says HaSAN MinHAJ, stressing the second syllable in his first and last name.
Minhaj decided to clear things up once and for all, and explain that his name is in fact HAsan MINhaj, stressing the first syllable of his first and last name.
A video of the interchange can be seen below.
Hasan Minhaj Uses Timothée Chalamet's Name at Starbuckswww.youtube.com
Minhaj made the good point that if people learned how to say actor Ansel Elgort's name correctly, they could learn how to say his correctly. He also joked that he sometimes gives Timothée Chalamet's name at Starbucks, figuring it'll be easier for the baristas.
Minhaj's parents were in the audience to cheer him on, which made the discussion of Minhaj's name all the more special and important.
Some related.
@TheEllenShow @hasanminhaj Same same Hasan— Fahma🦋Muse🇸🇴🌍🇪🇬🇮🇹🇨🇦 (@Fahma🦋Muse🇸🇴🌍🇪🇬🇮🇹🇨🇦) 1554400914.0
Having been called "Taja" more times than I care to remember, I can relate to the point @hasanminhaj makes about th… https://t.co/2OeWE0dyvF— Mohammad A. Taha (@Mohammad A. Taha) 1554666083.0
Many were impressed by his choice to take the moment to explain it.
@pronounced_ing @hasanminhaj Hasan's insistence on correct pronunciation was astounding to see - especially on such… https://t.co/w5QFeH5MK6— Selina (@Selina) 1554535639.0
@hasanminhaj Yes! Correct pronunciation is everything! I’m so glad you made this distinction in the proper way to say your name. 👏🏼👏🏼— ساره ياسمين (@ساره ياسمين) 1554479262.0
@pronounced_ing @hasanminhaj that’s great @pronounced_ing @hasanminhaj. i always ask people how to properly pronou… https://t.co/p3ePKhnWn8— Shaunt Yemenjian (@Shaunt Yemenjian) 1554575652.0
People's names are important.
Thank you Hasan Minhaj for the correction!