BAH BAH RAH?

Barbara. It has three syllables. Pronounced BAR-ba-ruh, with the emphasis on the first syllable. I will accept the two syllable pronunciation BAR-bruh, (a la Streisand) emphasis on the first syllable. But there is absolutely nothing worse than being called BAH-BAH-RAH (with equal emphasis on each syllable). It's like some kind of sheep cheer. Bah Bah Black Sheep gone awry. But wait, there is something worse - it's being called "Miss" BAH-BAH-RAH. Or worse still, they add my surname and make it BAH-BAH-RAH EEL EE OTT.

It is irritating that American companies (like Hotels.com) want to ship their call center jobs offshore. Far too often I'm trying to resolve an issue with someone I can't understand. Years ago I was very tolerant of people who couldn't speak English. I thought they were immigrants who were struggling with the language and I gave them a lot of credit for making a big move and learning a new language. Then I found out that they weren't immigrants at all. They hadn't moved. They were living in Bangalore or Mumbai and taking jobs away from Americans so the corporate fat cats could make an extra buck. So these days I have very little tolerance. I'm not rude. (There really is no reason to be rude to anyone.) It is not rude to say (calmly, of course) "I'm sorry. I can't understand you." And repeat it as often as necessary.

But the next time someone asks, "May I call you BAH-BAH-RAH?" The answer will be "No, you may not. You may call me Barbara."