Okay folks, I realize that the last eight years have left some of us in America with the impression that "anti-intellectualism equals patriotism," but it stretches credibility to claim that after three plus years, you still can't pronounce Ahmadinejad.
I get it. You think that if you say Ahma-blah-blah-blah, or some other cute willful mispronunciation of it, it will show your disrespect for Iran and, therefore, your patriotism.
It doesn't. It just makes you look willfully ignorant.
I inherited this pet peeve from a friend of mine who just goes crazy when people intentionally mispronounce someone's name as a sign of disrespect.
Like when someone says, "J. Michael Fox... or whatever his name is," as if we'll think you have a crush on him if you say it correctly.
See willful ignorance like "democrat party" and "Sodom Hussein" and whatever this week's popular mispronunciation is for Sotomayor.
This stuff is different from idiocy like "nukular" because it's intentional, and it drives me absolutely NUTS.
If you don't respect someone, that's fine. But pronouncing someone's name the way they pronounce it isn't about respecting them, it's about respecting yourself.
I have no love at all for Ahmadinejad, but I pronounce his name correctly, because I have just a shred of self-respect.
DF