Romesh Ranganathan's Reveals his Real Name | Irrational | Universal Comedy

[@LunchThyme]

I had a friend who found out they're dyslexic like that. His parents never told him, but did tell his teacher, yet didn't think to ask the teacher to keep it secret, so one day she says to the class "Now we all know Kyle is dyslexic." and Kyle's like "Wait, what!? I didn't!"

[@Magere-Kwark]

I feel sorry for Kyle. All these years having trouble reading just thinking he's crazy, comparing himself to others just not knowing he has dyslexia

[@robertdalley7450]

@@Magere-Kwark you still do that when you're dyslexic tho Nothing changes

[@daeganish7304]

It gives you an actual reason, and dyslexia is something that can be managed If you don't know you're dyslexic then you don't know why you can't read like everyone else, so you're 'stupid' Can really help to know why one is the way they are^^

[@brook32123]

@@robertdalley7450 I can't speak for dyslexia, specifically, but I went through school with an undiagnosed disability, and honestly I think knowing really does help. It's still a struggle and there's still a lot of "why is this so hard, I wish I was like everyone else" but the difference between knowing that you struggle because you have a condition vs. just thinking you're stupid and lazy can be huge for some people.

[@robertdalley7450]

@@brook32123 that is true but when i was at school i just felt like i was flawed and stupid like some kind of because i had it and i just couldnt get the words out but i get what you mean. Plus everyone made me feel like i was the problem cuz i have adhd and dyspraxia too

[@jasonanno3881]

Half Japanese so I have an English name but my mom taught English at an Ivy for years and a lot of Chinese exchange students just make up their "American" names and a lot of times they just pick cool sounding words. I'll never forget watching her grade a paper by Volcano Xu

[@musicmakesone4846]

Oh my gosh, I can't stop laughing

[@doraymikan]

president of my college’s Chinese Student Union went by Legend. served him at my work once and had to go “what was that?” because i didn’t think i heard him right

[@evantansimore7634]

@@doraymikan "that's me, I am Legend"

[@evantansimore7634]

met someone named Joestar and they were walking around with a Jojo's shirt xD

[@christinafox9196]

I'm half Japanese too. I have a cousin named Snow.....

[@billcarroll986]

Romesh is one of those comedians I never purposely search for, but every time I stumble on, get a good laugh from. This routine is a gem, and now I'm going look for his stuff when I go a British stand up clip binge.

[@jumpieva]

exactly same

[@crankykiwi2407]

Lol this is a half insult

[@kipchickensout]

@@crankykiwi2407 which part of it

[@willspencer8694]

He hates white men whilst having a white wife

[@DevenRasberry]

Facts

[@andybeans5790]

I worked in a shop for a Sikh family and they all had English nicknames like Mandy, Sandy and Harry (so "Andy" fit right it lol). Mandy's grandfather came over from India for a few weeks, he spoke no English but he insisted on sitting in the store-room to make sure the white bloke (me) wasn't stealing stuff 😂

[@phystem1]

Did you ever get caught though? 🤣🤣

[@thajudheen1]

😂

[@kiranp5611]

😂😂😂

[@edinburghaccies2]

Sikh nicknames tends to b english sounding like Mandy for Mandeep, Sandy for Sandeep, Jassi or Jazz for Jaspreet/Jasdeep , Harry for Hardeep/Harpreet etc.

[@andybeans5790]

@@edinburghaccies2 yup, the kids were Sandeep, Mandeep and Hardeep, the mum was "Mandy" but a different "Mand____" real name 😁

[@malibuhiegts]

His Dad Ranga was a legend! He had a great pub down in east grinstead, it was my first pub as I came of age (used to sneak a pint when I was 17 but shh) he was such a warm and friendly guy and we always felt welcomed when we walked in despite the large age difference between us and the regulars, it wasn't long until me and my friends were invited to a few lock-ins and by the age of 19 we were local regulars and had many great night's there, We were so sad when we found out he had passed, RIP Ranga, thank you for welcoming us into your pub and making some of the best memories, you've raised a absolute legend as well

[@KamikazeCommie501]

So how did he turn Romesh into such a horrible racist?

[@vitalijingaunis5308]

what a story

[@Echs_D33]

Hm? What’re you on about?

[@frazzyblue1384]

5:03 “anyway I’ve digressed massively, I’m at Starbucks” is literally my mum telling me how her day was

[@May-gr8bp]

Very accurate.. these tangents are wonderful though

[@bobfromberlin]

I know this is a strange comment. But I stumbled over this when I was in severe emotional pain. For a few minutes I was able to forget about it and genuinely laugh. Thank you for that!

[@DahakaMatthew]

Hope you're feeling better now.

[@BeneBakedPotato]

Stay strong, there's light at the end of the darkness!!

[@MelanieHooks]

The gift of laughter 😊

[@misssummersalt]

I've got no idea who you are mate, but I'm sending you some love from Sydney. Chin up, the world's a better place with you in it.

[@bobfromberlin]

Guys, this has to be the most wholesome reactions I ever had to a comment. Thanks to all of you! I know the pain will go away and you helped as well, I want you to know that!

[@lucinaaugusta7279]

the "it's between him and Christopher Patel" joke got me because my family name (we are white-English, and have been for centuries as far as anyone can tell) is Pattle.

[@MusMasi]

anyone ever think you might be indian?

[@lucinaaugusta7279]

@@MusMasi sometimes via text or phone call people assume we have some indian heritage, but it's pretty hard to think that when you see how pasty-white we are in person lol. We also have a lot of people spell it the Indian way (Patel), and have to correct them and say it's spelled Pattle.

[@lucinaaugusta7279]

@@MusMasi Having thought about it, we probably *do* have some distant relatives in India, Pakistan, Burma etc. because of the British Empire. We know for sure that some branches of the Pattle family emigrated to various parts of the empire, specifically Australia and South Africa. In fact, we are very distantly related to Marmaduke Thomas St John Pattle (usually known as Pat Pattle), a South African-born RAF pilot, and one of the best allied fighter aces of the Second World War.

[@j.b__1]

@@lucinaaugusta7279 mad, heritage is interesting

[@kiwimid]

I've had people ask if I'm Chinese. I don't look Chinese at all 😂 my last name is Young

[@Backs4more]

I used to work with someone who was born in Azerbaijan. His parents had given him a western first name. They had decided to to give him a name from history……unfortunately it was Adolf!! 100% true story, and he is a lovely guy!

[@Vibe_Nomad]

Azerbaijani people are white enough, they would have less problems unlike browns

[@Vihara2]

so was the real adolf ;)

[@aaaaaaaaa8886]

were they fans of his work?? lol

[@pratibhajagsi7816]

@@Vihara2 h hi huh uh uh uh vhh uh

[@omenmarin7903]

Hahaha goddamm it XD

[@selenagamya1612]

My dad was Arab Egyptian with a name to match, one that I have never seen spelled out in English, and that I have never been able to actually pronounce. When he came to the US, he filled out all his forms with the name Hector, and nobody has ever so much as batted an eye over it.

[@jamesleon4883]

That’s a cool name

[@woodygamer360]

Should’ve given himself the name “Vector” smh

[@KamikazeCommie501]

Interesting story about undocumented (aka ILLEGAL) immigration. Your dad was a criminal.

[@KristianRobertsen]

Hector doesn't break expectations because it's a Spanish name also. Your dad passed as a Spaniard.

[@ataraxia7439]

What’s your icon pic?

[@geraldescalante2577]

Loud laughter and applause from Canadian "Gerald" with an incredible Filipino disguise. Years ago, I had a big interview that went almost beat for beat with this joke. Thanks "Jonathan" for helping me laugh about it.

[@MusMasi]

Just look at the last name Filipino is one of the options I would of come up with looking at your name, plenty of filipinos with Spanish sounding last names, well actual spanish last names as they took spanish surnames during colonization, it was a spanish colony for 400 years?

[@摂理の空白]

Escalante isn't so bad

[@rumblefish9]

But Filipinos don't have native names though. We have Christian names and then Spanish surnames because colonization (Spanish and American and Catholicism). Unless you are the rare ones to have Filipino surnames like "Makabaligutin". And if you're Visayan, you'll know thats a very real surname that is also very hilarious.

[@bored4428]

Escalante is a cool last name.

[@摂理の空白]

@@rumblefish9 lmao 'native names' We do though? Betting you're a city boy

[@adrianke77]

This is actually something that works. Having an English name and a foreign surname still makes a job applicant sound more 'appealing'. A lady on reddit had 300 failed job applications and then immediately had 2 or 3 replies in a day once she put in her English-sounding nickname as her first name on the application. Is the whole thing discriminatory however? Definitely.

[@sizzxrk]

The sad thing is that every application was to work in indian restaurants.

[@largeladsteve25]

@@sizzxrk working in an Indian restaurant sounds so fun and also a good opportunity to have quality food

[@sizzxrk]

@@largeladsteve25 It does mate

[@Lardum]

@@Boris82 go to China as a white person the business world will look down at you.

[@johntonssen7231]

The reason is people like those similar to them. If you’re English living in Thailand, and you get 15 interviews, 5 Indian, 5 Chinese, 4 Pakistani and then 1 guy from the same town as you back in England, you’re gonna have a preference for the English guy. The reason being, grades etc don’t mean all that much. Interpersonal skills are highly valuable. Here’s a good example, if I hired you to work for me, and you only speak English and I only speak my country’s language, how tf are we gonna get any work done?? Whereas if you’re culturally the same/similar, makes working easier. If a British, Irish, ozzy and Canadian all applied for jobs with a British company in Dubai, they would be preferred simply because the brits working there want people who will have a pint with them watching the rugby after work etc, that doesn’t mean they have to be white, but culturally yknow

[@amyckan]

all jokes aside, this is exactly how i feel going back to my extended family. most people i know can speak their mother tongues, so it's so refreshing for me personally to see someone else who has the same/similar experiences

[@dezzyoc9096]

Same by parents purposefully didn’t teach me Haitian Creole because they wanted to be able to talk in a language I didn’t understand so they could have secret conversations in front of me. Now they are surprised I don’t feel connected Haiti or my relatives that speak only creole for the most part.

[@dyent]

Very few (like, a few thousand) people can't speak their mother tongue. The term refers to the first language you spoke, not the language your ancestors spoke.

[@amyckan]

@@dyent makes sense - i confused it lol oops

[@FalconWindblader]

@@amyckan What jyt said. Or at least in a broader sense, the language you're most comfortable using even if it technically ain't your first. The term you're looking for here, i believe, is ancestral tongue.

[@Phoebe5448]

Me too. I'm half Polish and don't speak a single word of it and I have extended family in Poland. I'm also Irish British as all get out.

[@Gormathius]

7:18 I love the mad cackle of a laugh someone in the audience responded with to "She's a very funny woman - not intentionally."

[@GhostOfLorelei]

He frames it as a joke, and it has it’s humor, but I can’t help but think of how hard that must have been on his parents. You’re basically so worried about racism (and justified in that fear) that you’re messing about with your children’s names to give them just to remove *some* (but not all) of a disadvantage that shouldn’t even exist. I’m glad he goes by Romesh, I hope his parents are proud to see him simply using this name instead of the other one.

[@varoonnone7159]

He himself whitewashed his children by naming them Alex, Charlie and Theo

[@AutumnPearly01]

@@varoonnone7159cause they don’t think like that in the UK bud. It’s not “white washing”. It’s fckn naming your kids what you want.

[@varoonnone7159]

@@AutumnPearly01 It's called internalised racism Leo Varadkar said that his parents took a sensible decision to raise him Christian Why don't Christian indians give Hindu names to their children then?

[@meredithcarroll6209]

​​@@varoonnone7159 because they're Christian, not Hindu. Do you complain about Muslims not giving their children Hindu names? Or Hindus not giving their children Jewish names? Also, whitewashing is a very American thing, as is the idea of internalized racism.

[@varoonnone7159]

@@meredithcarroll6209 You have reading problems. Leo Varadkar's father is Hindu and he preferred to have his children raised Christian in Ireland So why aren't the children of Christians raised Hindu in India ? Can't you see your hypocrisy ?

[@AdamAlkishawi]

Any child of immigrant parents can relate to this %100, my first name is Ahmed but was given a middle name as Adam for the exact purpose, Adam is American enough and also it's a middle eastern name so it's like win win for my family.

[@lunarcorpse]

I really wish racism would die out. However, with racist raising racists unfortunately that doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon. It's so ridiculous to be offended by someone's color or ethnicity. I love learning about new cultures. I wish they could love it too. May you stay safe and happy.

[@arcadealchemist]

in order for racism to die out the idea racism exists has to die out. race is a social construct more so than gender is.

[@RamblingZhen]

Both good names! Interesting compromise in both Romesh and your case. Unfortunate these kinds of things matter to some people, but totally understandable from your parent's perspective. Well Ahmed Adam Alkishawi, you're an American, people got a problem with your name they can F-off... especially if it is other Americans.

[@isntitrich000]

Brilliant

[@marialiyubman]

That’s what Jeff Dunham said.

[@OhHeyItsShan]

The name thing is totally on point. Both my older brother and younger brother use their English names when they got their corporate jobs because they felt their Sri lankan names might not give them a chance compared to other applicants.

[@emmettdonkeydoodle6230]

That makes me so sad.. it’s so disgusting that this type of discrimination even exists. People should be able to be proud of who they are without worrying about how it may affect their future

[@CactusBrannigan]

@@emmettdonkeydoodle6230 just a shame it’s still the older generation running big businesses

[@tsb3208]

You'd seem less ethnic with a name like Jonathan and thusly be less likely to get a job in the modern market.

[@aviralgupta393]

@@tsb3208 ha ha very funny (sarcasm)

[@tsb3208]

@@aviralgupta393 It's not a joke, it's a fact that you can actually quantify. There are diversity quotas for everything today and you cannot avoid them, a business owner knows fully well that they're in a better position with more ethnic minority employees and they will choose them over non-minority people if they are capable of doing the job. Minority candidates have the measurable advantage in the job market.

[@that_child2292]

As a person who goes by my second name, I can confirm that sending your child anywhere with a “secret first name” is the most difficult thing on the planet to do.

[@gadget850]

Ditto. Many in my family goes by their middle name. I also got confused when I started school.

[@alexdoorn234]

I go by a name that's completely different from my official names. So I have 3 names in total, 2 official ones and 1 sort of official nickname. You see in my country that's completely normal not everyone does it. But I can apply for jobs with this official nickname. It really is trans heaven because while i'm still walking around with very feminine official names I just changed this official nickname to a gender neutral name. And i'm registered at school as Alex Doorn without having to pay to officially change my name :D.

[@zanews23]

@@alexdoorn234 Very curious, what country has this “official nickname” sort of thing? I want an official nickname!

[@jmurray1110]

I had something similar except my nickname is a weird shortening of my first name and it’s spelt in a way everyone who doesn’t know me pronounced it completely wrong

[@tommy.eklund]

@@zanews23 Can’t speak on Alex’s behalf, but in Finland I’ve seen many registration forms with a separate line for ”nickname”, though I’ve always assumed that it’s only for pointing out which one of your official names to address you by

[@M.O.T.E.]

Jonathan Ranganathan? That's double Nathan!

[@aussiebird14]

I can relate to the first half of this so much. But also, I learned my name way later than him. My parents had informed my school of my preferred nickname at enrollment, so I didn’t know i had been called by my nickname my whole life until the 2nd grade when I was looking for my name on a souvenir magnet and my parents suggested my real name when I couldn’t find my nickname. Then it took me at least a year to finally learn how to spell my real name. I would stand in front of the refrigerator every few days and try to memorize my name from the magnet.

[@endxofxeternity]

what's your name hon?

[@PriusRaj]

I'm suddenly grateful that I can understand Tamil and my grandmother can understand English. Made communication real convenient despite neither of us being able to speak the other language. Also that's hella clever, using a white name as your first name and your real name as your middle. Get the job and then demand everyone calls you by your middle name. His parents were geniuses.

[@suqmaddiqq]

But did they think it through? It just seems like they thought people would just ignore his surname lol

[@platinum_penguin]

Yo! Same! I can understand Tamil perfectly but can’t speak a lick of it.

[@markshaw270]

White name lol you sure that it's 'white ? I guess Israelies are kinda white, it originates from there .

[@NoahOMorainRush]

There's no such thing as a "white" name. They gave him an English name. They didn't name him François or Olaf or Hänsel for exactly the same reason.

[@caomh6168]

@@NoahOMorainRush exactly

[@aw2584]

His delivery and timing is absolutely amazing

[@nicopillay4059]

In South Africa, it's the same with the Indians here. My dads family all have very long traditional Tamil names but go by English "calling names". Dharmaseelan (but call me Danny). We once had a landlord named Muthukrishnan but we called him Chris. My mum's side have Tamil first names and English middle names.

[@dannyarcher6370]

Indian South Africans are the bomb. Indian Indians....not so much.

[@ShannonSouthAfrica]

What a lag boet

[@SILENCEINTHESOULS]

He is not of black race. Your comeback of black skin make him of black race Fine Brown skin of black race makes them of brown race.

[@SILENCEINTHESOULS]

@@dannyarcher6370 He is not of black race. Your comeback of black skin make him of black race Fine Brown skin of black race makes them of brown race.

[@SILENCEINTHESOULS]

@@dannyarcher6370 fo

[@Ben_9476]

Seen this set so many times and also seen Romesh live, never stopped laughing. One of my favourite comedians and currently one of the UK’s best! 👏🏼

[@FurikoMaru]

My husband is Filipino-Ashkenazi and has the most whitebread name you have ever heard, because his dad's family already Anglicized their last name. He loves meeting people over the phone and then seeing them in person.

[@karennelson4108]

Trust me, its the best. I'm a Creole Mauritian..... When I respond to me name, even now in 2022, there will be at least one person who will look at the paper with my name on it and then at me and then at the paper and then at me all the while I'm standing like an idiot waiting for someone to say something.... 😂 😂 😂

[@M_SC]

I’m white (Anglo Saxon descended from Protestants) and sometimes people are very disappointed im not one of two ethnicities I am not when I show up.

[@larrynguyen85]

As someone whose abilities in his mother language is pretty limited, I really felt this

[@seanpenn659]

Sad world..racism when applying for work

[@lamps453]

Thought mother language = the one you natively grew up speaking?

[@williamedge5130]

@@lamps453 it’s an imprecise term, and can have different meaning to people who are 2nd or 3rd immigrants to their particular areas. Often a ‘mother language’ is the one that your community or family speaks natively, and that can be different from the language you were actually raised to speak natively. There’s also a matter of cultural assimilation or colonialism - a good example of that would be Welsh speaking. The people who speak Welsh as a first language are vanishingly rare, but a lot of Welsh people consider it a mother language because the reason for its rarity is due to active political suppression from England

[@suqmaddiqq]

@@lamps453 William puts it perfectly. I can illustrate with my own experience: I grew up in a family that spoke Malayalam to me so it was the first language I was exposed to. But outside of my family, I only spoke English. Everything around me was in English and naturally, I acquired it with greater depth than I ever did in Malayalam. The more time I spent away from home going off to college and stuff, the less Malayalam I spoke or heard and you can really lose your grasp in a language very easily if you don't have it occupied in your head.

[@wohlhabendermanager]

@@suqmaddiqq I've heard this from a guy I went to Uni with. He was from Poland and spoke German with a heavy accent (still very good German, just with a noticeable accent. Funnily enough, his accent made him sound like an American, lol). He once told me that the more time he spends in Germany, the worse his native language gets, because he just doesn't use it as much. It always took him a few days of being exposed to only Polish to be able to speak his native language properly again.

[@lukebarry5019]

This was one of the funniest things KZbin recommended to me. He is hilarious and I feel like not enough people know.

[@FISHGOMOO4321]

Everyone in the UK knows him

[@somendrasharma4907]

And some in India know him.

[@ahmedashour8177]

Everyone in Britain knows who Ramesh is and well loved. Funny thing is he was high school maths teacher before becoming comedian

[@dougclark9921]

I work in IT and I love it when I join calls with loads of Indians and Chinese people. They pick English names that make it sound like I am at a train spotting convention. Loads of Brians, Malcolms, Cedrics. And then they cant understand each others English accents which almost killed me off on one call.

[@johannesvonsaaz3987]

🤣🤣🤣😂

[@saurabhponkshe]

“Jhon”

[@Matty.Hill_87]

I need to get on one of these calls 😭🤣

[@merrillgeorge1838]

But Anglo Indians and Indian Christian’s exist. 40 million of us walking around with the whitest names on the planet

[@WastedBananas]

interesting, usually Indians stick with their own names. but i guess in professional environments they might use another one

[@lilacfunk]

This set was a masterclass. I knew the Jonathan Ranganathan joke was coming and it got me bent over and laughing.

[@poptartstheyalludeme3419]

I had a friend who didn't know he was autistic (even I did, I was told by his mum) until our school finally started getting TAs and he had one assigned to him and was like "umm, what?" It was a shock to me too because I thought he knew the entire time. Think it was some time in primary school, like year 4/5.

[@ZiggyonMars]

When I was in primary school a similar thing happened with a brother of one of my classmates. We weren’t allowed to tell him he was autistic. Always thought it was weird. Thought it was weirder when I was diagnosed myself lol.

[@crewcutter2030]

Atleast he didnt find out that his name is baby boy, which happens sometimes when the parents forgot to register the name at the hospital during birth.

[@Kaospyri]

I knew a guy called Baby Boy Roberts and I guess now I know why.

[@messagegoeshere741]

I've heard of the same story but with the word Infant. Baby boy sounds so much nicer.

[@JonathonPrasad]

As one Jonathon to another... I feel you bro!

[@emilchandran546]

My names are German and Indian. People are always confused. I live in Australia btw. They usually ask me what sort of name I have and when I usually just say Indian unless they specifically ask “Emil, where is that name from”. Some are more familiar with the French spelling ‘Emile’ and assume I have French heritage. When I say it’s actually the German spelling, they’re like oh so you have a German grand parent? I don’t have any German heritage. My mum just liked the name. She happens to be white. Irish heritage. I have an Irish middle name. If she were Indian, nobody would assume I had German ancestry. If I was white, I kinda doubt as many people would bother asking. If it was an Irish name, I could say, “oh yeah, Irish roots.” I like my name too. And explaining it really is not that hard. But it seems sometimes like I’m the first person to have a name they didn’t inherit from a relative.

[@lib3rat3]

🤣

[@kanyewestpeneesgrande521]

As a Chinese with Jonathan as his middle name and has had to use this name for my school life, then revealing my Chinese name to everyone ive grown up with, with them suddenly trying to call me with my new name, it felt different, I greet you fellow Jonathan.

[@angi1479]

So my son's name is Jonathan and when we went back to India I was surprised at how many different ways people found to pronounce it. From Jonaaathin to Janardhan even .... left me feeling a bit perplexed...😅

[@angi1479]

So my son's name is Jonathan and when we went back to India I was surprised at how many different ways people found to pronounce it. From Jonaaathin to Janardhan even .... left me feeling a bit perplexed...😅

[@Rulon-bo1ig]

I like this guy, had never heard of him!! It’s hard to find good comedy these days, really need this in 2022!!

[@ed_vilon668]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGW8maalpKporrs Well if you like this guy, here's him on the first Series of Task Master. Whole 1st Series is there plus up until like 9 or so.

[@Rulon-bo1ig]

@@ed_vilon668 thanks bud!

[@brebrobro]

He is also a contestant in an UK show called Taskmaster, go check it out it's cool

[@Rulon-bo1ig]

@@brebrobro peace!! It’s time for me to get into British tv, it’s been a while, since Nathan barley!

[@BeardslapRadio]

@@brebrobro Tree Wizard is an absolute banger.

[@KeanuReevolution]

God, Romesh is perfect for stand up. He's just so natural and performs everything with no mistake and nothing awkward. I wish I had that confidence lol. I'm always coming back to his stuff, so good :D

[@pspicer777]

Same here. Sitting on a train .. kid comes up to me .. lots of very enthusiastic greeting in Arabic .. I smile politely, nodding my head ... kid keeps going ... 30 secs later his mom comes over, thanks me in English. Wonderful experience.

[@LaterTater8]

Reminds me of the story of an old friend Jack who found out the first day of school, at 4 years old, his parents actually named him John 😂

[@unreasonable-man.bsky.social]

Same thing.

[@linear841]

Happened to my little brother...just as funny up close (tho not for him LOL)

[@rosiefay7283]

Reminds me of an old friend Katie who found out at school her parents actually named her Catherine.

[@medinajarrett5105]

Strangely enough, it didn't occur to me till an interviewer pointed it out to me in my 50's, that they thought I was Indian before I arrived for my interview because my name is Medina. So I totally understand yre parents 😂😂😂

[@Irfanhill]

It's weirder to see him smile than to call him Jonathan

[@seenitalready]

0:15 He’s already got me

[@wohlhabendermanager]

One of my teachers in middle school went a name that wasn't on any certificate. She only found out about it once she reached adulthood and tried getting her passport. Her name wasn't to be found in any register, so it was only then her parents told her that they gave her a really common name, but then worried she would only be called by a nickname, and then decided to give her a second name, but somehow "forgot" (?) to tell any officials about that. I don't know how she got into school with a "fake" name, but I heard the story so long ago, some details I might have simply forgotten.

[@cheevocabra]

I had the exact same experience on my first day of school. I'm half Mexican and half Scandinavian, and my whole life my parents called me Steven, but little did I know that my Mexican grandmother insisted that I have a Mexican name, so they named me Esteban and gave me the name Steven as a nickname.

[@sanath9641]

esteban sounds pretty sick as a name woah.

[@ichigoparfaitgatomaranai]

"Don't worry it's not something I'm now going to detonate" had me fucking choking

[@TaldrenMGMoonGuard]

Omg this is such a real thing. I've heard this same story so many times from my friends who have had this unfortunate job interview situation happen to them. Most notably my Jamaican friend in EVERY job interview because his name is Mario. So they expect some white Italian guy but no. He's 6'4" and dark with hair twists but then they have to interview him for the job because it's America and then they have to hire him bc he is a computer whisperer he's that good at what he does as a CIS. Had his parents given him a "traditional" name he never would have gotten his foot in the door and that's so sad that this is the state of things today.

[@0Leonx0]

You don't know that, this is ghost hunting racism, when you have no proof it's happening, but you "know'" it's there.

[@dontdex8221]

Cis as in Cis gender studies?

[@puppykitten1557]

@@dontdex8221 computer information systems

[@ryanparker4996]

@@dontdex8221 thats not a real word

[@Ni.61]

@@ryanparker4996 cisgender is the scientific name for being the same gender as assigned at birth? Very much a real word?

[@mwilkins1644]

If Romesh was an Aussie, his last name would be Ranga Nathan 😂 This guy is legit hilarious

[@carolusrex3973]

It’s the same with me actually! I’m swedish and have been called ”Emil” my entire life, but only recently I found out that ”Emil” is my middle name, my first name is ”Erik”. I’m 20 now and found out about this when I was 18…

[@loladas9]

You've never read your ID or your passport?

[@carolusrex3973]

@@loladas9 Not really, I’ve never had a reason to do so. I didn’t think to verify that my name was actually my real name haha

[@trajectoryunown]

@@loladas9 Not an immigrant, but my mom always kept my social security card and birth certificate under lock and key until I requested them after moving out. Think I got the chance to actually examine it it a single time in like kindergarten. I can totally see this.

[@adamas_dragon]

Seriously at 18? How in the hell is that possible?

[@kodain]

That is an old naming convention to use the middle name and then inherit the first name from the father or a common first name among the children. Don't ask me where it's from, jag har alltid tyckt att den är dum.

[@johnromero6315]

I've got a similar thing with my name, but switched around. I'm named after my Mexican father, so I got stuck with Nolberto for my first name. None of the white folks in Georgia could pronounce that, so I've just gone by my middle name, John, my whole life.

[@uncletiggermclaren7592]

. . . they "couldn't" pronounce it, mate? That is kinda sad, gives me the mental image of an entire State of people with a speech impediment. At least down here in NZ and Aussie, it wouldn't be a problem. People don't call their acquaintances by their given name, calling some bloke on your sports team, or at school, by his "proper" name more than three or four times, means nobody likes him enough to give him a nick-name. I imagine you would have got called "Not Ernie" or something else inventive :P

[@XYGamingRemedyG]

[null•bear•toe] if that's incorrect idk how else you could pronounce it.

[@divegabe]

If you grew up in England, you would have been called Nobby.

[@DS-vx3wf]

funny part is that CEO of Google, Microsoft, Adobe, IBM, Deloitte, Chanel, Barclays, GAP, Wayfair, Diageo, Vimeo, and now OnlyFans WERE ALL BORN AND RAISED In INDIA. having a foreign/ "non-white" name might get you hired. 😂

[@nullnull7495]

They can pronounce it. They just Don't want to. Wankers

[@flibbertygibbet]

I feel this. I am half Mexican and I can't speak Spanish to my cousins.

[@flibbertygibbet]

To make things worse my parents gave me a name that is totally not pronounceable if you are a Spanish speaker.

[@jakejones5895]

Same, my mum's Belgian but I cant speak a word of dutch fortunately my cousins ,aunt and uncle speak fluent english but conversation with Oma and Opa is very much the same as Romesh with his relatives.

[@HellaGust]

@@flibbertygibbet To be fair I think *most* languages would have problems pronouncing "Flibbertygibbet".

[@kermitthefrog2578]

@@HellaGust 😂

[@seantunn]

Makes a change to find a comedian that genuinely makes you laugh out loud 😆

[@pt20829]

In Asia no one gets offended if you say she’s fat. 😁 Absolute truth. 👍

[@t123a698]

Ah! So technically, he could right his name as J R R Nathan 🧙‍♂️ in applications?!

[@easytoassemble54321]

I have this same experience visiting distant relatives in Italy. I'm often worried about Italians I may meet learning my heritage, because they immediately expect that I'll be able to speak the language. As much as I'd like to learn, I'm pretty sure Spanish or Mandarin Chinese would be more useful.

[@xisamji872]

I have a Sri Lankan first and last name while living in a (predominately) white country and i can speak sinhala so im very proud of that!

[@Banzybanz]

Good on you mate. Language is the thread that binds you to your culture.

[@ravirana2001]

please don't ask him zafana stories .

[@DutchObserver]

Great show! Comedy is probably one of the best ways to make people aware that discrimination is still going on (more than we think), without giving anybody the feeling of getting actually attacked. This way it makes people think, which is something that people who feel attacked are, in general, not very good at.

[@LuxLoser]

4:29 So relatable. My father’s surname is English, but I’m Latino, and I was given a very White name (first and middle). I show up for interviews and people will legitimately be confused when they call my name and I’m the one who stands up from amongst the applicants.

[@DS-vx3wf]

funny part is that CEO of Google, Microsoft, Adobe, IBM, Deloitte, Chanel, Barclays, GAP, Wayfair, Diageo, Vimeo, and now OnlyFans WERE ALL BORN AND RAISED In INDIA. having a foreign/ "non-white" name might get you hired. 😂

[@neozeed8139]

My name is easily confused with being Spanish so in Miami it's always a surprise that it's me.. Name collisions happen both ways..

[@AR-scorp]

His episode in Judge Romesh with his wife and mom was hilarious.

[@_chinmoku]

"My mum and dad gave me a secret weapon - Don't worry it won't detonate" 😂🤣

[@Known97]

He should’ve said “Everything’s coming up Jonathan” at the end

[@diyapatel-264]

As a Patel the moment he said Christopher Patel I died laughing XD

[@saurabhponkshe]

“Khrishtofer patel ji”

[@InDisskyS131]

We’re you a fortune teller that could see the future? Or have you come back from the dead to post this comment?

[@liamnevilleviolist1809]

0:33 " bump into someone, *BADTIKLADAH!* " ahah

[@Wonmanbanned]

He’s right about lankans being friendly. Insanely friendly people.

[@sherry356]

Just wanted to say that this really does work, I use my childhood nickname instead of my real one (it happens to be a short English name) - and it really helped during my early career in getting interviews. Nowadays it doesn't matter so much as I've got almost a decade of experience now, but to any other asians having employment issues - shorten your name to a more simple sounding name (simple for the white folks to understand I mean).

[@elvissimpson9060]

"Well the important thing is, are you okay?" 😂 Nobody can say this guy isn't British after that reply!

[@monmothma3358]

Could have been Norwegian as well. We avoid conflicts like the plague

[@elvissimpson9060]

@@monmothma3358 You trying to start a fight or what? 🤣

[@monmothma3358]

@@elvissimpson9060 ROFL

[@freneticness6927]

Except him when he said hes sri lanken and not british.

[@digiscream]

"No, he is that dark, Jesus...". That was probably the most uncomfortable laugh I've ever heard.

[@The1337Duke]

Having an ethno-typical name on paper is no joke. A friend of my family, (in NORWAY, mind you) legally changed hisLatin American name to something typically norwegian to apply for jobs, and suddently he was getting double the call-ins for interviews. Oh and did I mention he worked in top branches of the goverment?

[@usamagajia4813]

Hey mate, stay strong, don’t let it bring you down, whatever it may be, wish you all the best. Take care of yourself mate. I just saw how many people replied and thought to myself I can’t miss out, need to take part in a good act. Stay safe mate

[@mr.cookie7308]

Awesome comic, intelligent, great timing, great storyteller, totally unexpected storytelling. The funniest thing about British minorities is that when they talk they forget that they are minorities in Britain bc they have that aloof British accent.

[@rosiefay7283]

Aloof?? There's loads of people of ethnic minorities in the big cities, particularly London and Birmingham, and no way are the local accents aloof.

[@CrippleX89]

My name’s even stranger. I’ve always been Mark; my parents always called me Mark, my friends and family always call me Mark and until I was around 10 years old I didn’t know any better or my name is Mark. The funny thing is that I’m named after both my grandfathers so on paper I have 2 names, neither of which is Mark 🤦‍♂️

[@anagitatedfrog271]

So mark , what is your real name ? :O

[@syasyaishavingfun]

@@anagitatedfrog271 cripple

[@CrippleX89]

@@anagitatedfrog271August Pierre

[@lrmcatspaw1]

"if anything it's running faster" Dude killed me with that one.

[@mahisathsarani5678]

Lmao. Loved it. Gotta watch more for sure. Meanwhile, I was never given an English name, much less a shortened version for the public so they can ACTUALLY PRONOUNCE IT. I mean, imagine every application just having a sentence of 6 words for a name. It's ridiculous. Like, did EVERYONE really need a turn in naming me? Where did they even go? I don't even KNOW these people.

[@justlooking1087]

Idk if it’s true but recently someone told me that Chinese parents are really blunt with their kids about their looks. Like they’ll just call you ugly or fat with no regard for your self image lol. If that’s true then that’s hilarious 😂

[@seanpenn659]

I heard that on a talk show called yang kind of shows how mature people are nowdays

[@Memequeen89]

Not just kids. Seen my mom tell that to non family members too

[@bigmattwheel]

am Chinese and can confirm. an uncle-in-law once asked me, are you pregnant or are you just fat? true story. it hurts but it's the culture here. im not planning to perpetuate it myself.

[@seanpenn659]

@@bigmattwheel why are they so rude

[@justlooking1087]

@@bigmattwheel Lol that’s wild, it’s actually funny because my mothers neighbour is Philippine and I got fat last year (sadly). Every time she sees me she says “oh my you’ve gotten so fat” and then shakes her head with the disappointed look on her face. At first I thought it was a little rude but now I find it funny because I’m realising it’s just her culture. I really cool with another Philippine girl that’s my age and when I was getting bigger she would always say “my god, you’re getting fat” so it must be a thing. I know she’s not Chinese but it’s just as funny 😂

[@stevemills1481]

what a breath of fresh air! Well done young man.

[@amysanchez3699]

I never bother to give a breakdown on anyone's race because I never have and it seems racist to do so, but it has surprised many people that Vinnie is a black football player, Eunice is not an 80 year old white lady but a Korean, strangely that Jamal is white😅, and that Tayvonya is a scientist.... and no, Daemion did not kidnap that little white girl. she's his daughter.

[@TheTallRaver]

What a guy! Best stand-up I’ve seen in a loong while!🤣🤣🤣

[@mpcinlv]

Sitting on my couch typing away. It is a quiet, warm desert (Las Vegas) night. To the side is my phone steaming KZbin. Just stumble upon this Brilliant performance!

[@fidgetwidget9116]

The name changing is Definitely true. My Chinese friend’s parents give him “Richard” instead of Xi Chen.

[@Evilrose0611]

Texas with a Hispanic family. I still don't know much Spanish but the only reason I learned was because it felt shameful to need a translator to talk with my own grandma.

[@Dolencd]

A proper funny bit! Well done Jonathan.

[@d.r.7396]

That story reminds me of Southern people. My aunt found our her real name on the first day of kindergarten. I found out her first name when I was 32! I was livid! I actually found out many of my aunts’ real names at different times in my life. Apparently, no one from Louisiana goes by the name in their birth certificate.

[@zulkiflijamil4033]

" Your first day at school is difficult. Not knowing you have a secret identity" 🤣🤣🤣

[@Aledharris]

I have a Welsh first name and an English middle name. Same idea, but in reverse - if I didn’t like having a “different” Welsh name, I could switch and use my middle name.

[@stormfaring]

It's also the same problem with the language. I cannot communicate with my family and it ends up being hilarious. I'm very good at charades now.

[@Matty.Hill_87]

"everything is coming up romesh" 😭😭😂

[@MrBassbump]

This guy is hilarious. I love his attitude .

[@TeamVanityVideos]

I haven't watched a different comedian for a while, I like his pacing/flow as it feels different from other comedians I've seen.

[@TheZINGularity]

It is strangely unique for sure

[@TheNeilsolo]

As an white English born white man 46 years old, i feel ashamed that your joke about about first name is a thing, and i nope that the world i'm teaching my children about isn't so narrow minded, i'll do what i can, but i know my children will make it a thousand times better. Love your comedy mate.

[@glenaitken9403]

Got the show on DVD. Rom is a funny dude. 😁

[@AimForMyHead81]

Yeah, he's hilarious 😂

[@Shaijn815]

This is why as a sri lankan who only lived there for 7 years as a child and primarily even then spoke english at home and school i taught myself conversational sinhalese cause it is so freaking awkward having to explain to every single random person you meet there why you can only speak english and dutch. it makes the regular vacations there alot less awkward now i just have to explain in fluent sinahalese why my accent is so "suddha".

[@Gali80f]

Brilliant english humour! The sarcasm reminded me of Ricky Gervais

[@malachisguides]

I remember thinking it was weird, seeing the other kids crying on their first day of kindergarten as their parents were dropping them off. I thought, what a bunch of babies I cried my second day... Cuz now I knew how LONG I HAD TO BE THERE

[@ethan-not-a-pastafarian]

1:15 Dang, imagine if people like this existed in more places

[@nathaliekohlman3252]

Great timing. Material original and so funny.

[@jerrycoleman4174]

Yes so funny.. I enjoyed watching this 😊

[@msul78]

As a Sinhalese Sri Lankan living in Sri Lanka, these anecdotes are completely foreign even to me 😁

[@bingus1829]

As a Sinhalese Sri Lankan living outside of Sri Lanka, that has similar issues speaking Sinhalese I relate heavily.

[@annushankar3032]

🙄 wonder why

[@---------------24569]

lol ok

[@calhounjrjohn]

freaking hilarious the interview conversation!!!! lmao!!!!!

[@matthewduka7710]

"this is how Starbucks showed me how British i am" should be a punchline

[@168tsai8]

I am Taiwanese and years ago I went to India for 2 weeks for work, and the locals still spoke to me in the local dialect as if I am a local. Even at restaurants where the waitstaff can speak English, I had a difficult time trying to order something to go/take out (they refer to that as “parcel”).

[@kingplatform2255]

Parcel = take out. it's a good tip for foreigners

[@amanrautx]

people must have assumed you are north east indian.😅 North east indians have bit of south east-east asia features you can google it to see what they look like.

[@25tubsy25]

I can relate to the name reveal thing! I've been called by my middle name my whole life and my parents never told me that the name I thought was my middle name was actually my first name. Nothing to do with my heritage, they were just really indecisive about what to call me 🙃

[@cherylb5871]

Me too! Roll call: My name was repeated & I didn't respond, so went through the whole roll call, & figured out who I was through process of elimination... I eventually caught on!

[@simonwinter8839]

I new a chap called Patel who changed his name to Parker for the same reason. He told me he was having trouble doing business as Mr. Patel but very little as Mr. Parker.

[@kse8348]

As an employer, people shouldn't have to do this, but as it turns out it makes me trust them less as I feel they have lied at fist contact... Swings and round abouts 90% people get employed for the skills they have not their name.

[@kse8348]

10% get employed souly on physical appearance hahaha

[@simonwinter8839]

@@kse8348 Since he is a business man it's unlikely you will be employing him and if you did have any dealings with him how would you know he had changed his name ? Apart from that I have no opinion one way or the other. I'm just stating what he did.

[@simonwinter8839]

@@kse8348 Souly only if they are black.For everybody else it's solely!!

[@aviralgupta393]

@@kse8348 but if they explain to you why they did that and you can't understand the reasoning, there is a problem edit: also when corporations sort through resumes, which names do they prefer, do you think

[@tesscrelli783]

My parents did the same thing- gave me and my siblings American sounding first names, but that usually gets canceled out by our surname, which is very Chinese. I've started going by my middle name instead of my surname, which is an extremely inaccurate romanization of my real Chinese name that looks way more American on paper. Putting myself as Tess Chang for stuff comes across worse than putting myself down as Tess Rosi. Then when people meet me for real they do the double take and the "are you actually sure you're Tess?" thing.

[@giantfisher]

My dad grew up as Dennis Robert. It wasn't until he was in the Navy, he found out he was born Robert Dennis.

[@Arrusoh]

this is the third video with him that I have watched in a row. I think I have a new favourite Comedian

[@JoyfulOrb]

This is Brilliant!