About us Login Get email updates
County Fair
Print

Mark Krikorian digs deeper

May 28, 2009 12:03 pm ET by Jamison Foser

The really striking thing about Mark Krikorian's bizarre screeds about Sonia Sotomayor's name isn't that Krikorian can't be bothered to learn how Sotomayor pronounces her name.  Krikorian knows how she pronounces it.  And it isn't that he refuses to make a little effort to pronounce her name the way she does.  It's that he doesn't want anyone else to do so, either.

That's really a huge difference.  Most people mispronounce names from time to time.  But most people don't petulantly insist that everyone mispronounce names that sound "unnatural" to us.  That's what Krikorian is doing.

And he comes right out and admits that annoyance at having to hear correctly-pronounced names is at the basis of his opposition to immigration and bilingual education:

here's what I was trying to get across: While in the past there may well have been too much social pressure for what sociologists call Anglo-conformity, now there isn't enough. I think that's a concern that most Americans share at some level, which is the root of the angst over excessive immigration, bilingual education, official English, etc.

Wow.

Expand All Expand 1st Level Collapse All Add Comment
    • Author by phredicles (May 28, 2009 12:14 pm ET)
         
      I think in the spirit of his remarks I'll start pronouncing his name Krikori-ANN, and encourage everyone else to do likewise.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Daniel Barber (May 28, 2009 2:23 pm ET)
         
      He actually has a slight point when it comes to the fact that citizens of other nations, such as Mexico, aren't as accomodating as America is in assimilating people of other nations and how they pronounce their names, but while that can be used as a criticism of those other nations, his use of it to bolster and defend his own bigoted views are as ridiculous as it gets.

      The simple fact he even spends so much time on the matter, which is about as trivial and petty as anything I've ever heard, shows what a completely juvenile person he is. How he got a job writing for someone is beyond me.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by nerzog (May 28, 2009 2:40 pm ET)
      1  
      Yeah... what kind of name is "Krikorian" anyway? Yugoslavian? Russian? Tralfamadorian? I say we make him change it to "Smith."
      Report Abuse
      • Author by tangaroa (May 28, 2009 5:12 pm ET)
           
        Armenian
        Report Abuse
        • Author by RABBITLUVR (May 28, 2009 6:08 pm ET)
             
          Krikorian is wrong about how his name should be pronounced. All Armenian words have final-syllable stress so his name actually would be pronounced kree-kor-YAHN, not kree-KOR-yahn as he thinks but facts are not a strong point of the Right.
          Report Abuse
    • Author by JoeJoe (May 28, 2009 3:52 pm ET)
         
      Actually I believe it's pronounced "crackwhoreian".
      Report Abuse
    • Author by allanbrauer (May 28, 2009 3:52 pm ET)
         
      I had an interesting email exchange with Mr. Krikorian, whom I have renamed Kirk to satisfy my American need for simple Anglo names. I posted a diary including our email conversation at Daily Kos.

      http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/5/28/736272/-Assimilate-this!-My-exchange-with-Mark-Krikorian
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Fugitive Pope (May 28, 2009 4:18 pm ET)
         
      I've always pronounced it "Cry Koran" which is, as everyone knows, the absolute correct American way to pronounce his name. I know HE gets it wrong all the time, but whatcha gonna do?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Falafel Prince (May 28, 2009 5:06 pm ET)
         
      His name is Armenian, but an Americanized version. If he were to be consistent, I think that his next screed should be about all those Americans of Armenian descent, with the surname Gregorian, who refuse to Americanize it as he has done to his own.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by tangaroa (May 28, 2009 5:12 pm ET)
         
      Two words for Mr. Krikorian:

      Stephen Colbert
      Report Abuse
    • Author by NG_Officer (May 28, 2009 5:46 pm ET)
         
      He would have an aneurism down here in Louisiana pronouncing all of the Cajun names.
      Report Abuse

my.MediaMatters.org

Login  Sign Up

About the Blog

Feed Icon
  • County Fair is a media blog featuring links to progressive media criticism from around the Web as well as original commentary, breaking news and rapid response updates to major media events from Media Matters senior fellows and other staff.