Yesterday, we discussed the epic disaster that is Raven Symone. On Friday’s episode of The View, the ladies were chatting about a recent study that showed that people with certain kinds of names are hired with less frequency (or not at all) because of implicit bias or outright racism. The ladies also shared a viral video about “ghetto names.” After which, Raven Symone piped up and said that discriminating against someone because of their name isn’t racist and that yes, she too would discriminate against someone named “Watermelondrea.” Raven said, “I’m not about to hire you if your name is Watermelondrea. It’s just not going to happen. I’m not going to hire you.”
Raven got a ton of well-deserved crap for that all weekend, so late yesterday, she issued a clarification on her Facebook:
My comments about discrimination have spun out of control. I’d like to begin by saying that I was not attacking a specific race, but repeating a name that was said in a viral video which has received over 2 million likes.
I have been denied many jobs because of my skin color, body size, and age. Each time I was rejected, my self esteem was negatively effected, so i empathize with those who feel victimized by what I said. We would hope that when it comes to hiring, our names, physical appearance, sexual orientation, and age would never outweigh our qualifications, but often times, they do, thats the truth and it sucks. But I should not be part of the problem, I should be part of the solution.
As an equal opportunity employer, I have never discriminated against a name….even though I said I would, it’s not true. My comment was in poor taste. My lack of empathy towards name discrimination was uncalled for. I would also like to say that on Friday my account was hacked, those are not my words.
Are you feeling this clarification? It’s difficult to call it an apology because she never says “I’m sorry for what I said.” She’s just hoping to hit delete on everything and hope that her clarification makes it better. For what it’s worth, I don’t really care. I’ve already made up my mind that she’s a smugly ignorant fool.
Oh, and Raven’s dad threw her under the bus too, writing an open letter to his Facebook on Friday. He said in part that Raven made an “inexcusable gaffe” and that while he’ll always love her, she sometimes “says some dumb S#%T!”
Photos courtesy of WENN.
She’s an employer? Does she mean she has a cleaner and an accountant?
These apologies are so tiresome. You meant what you said, Raven. No need to go back on it now.
^^^^^Exactly!
She’s so dumb. I just don’t understand… I mean she’s in the same crap-level with Kelly Osbourne now. to me.
Mind you we can all say dumb s**t at times, I know I can. It’s probably a very good thing that I am not on live television every day!
This year has should be renamed to Celebrities saying dumb sh*t & yes I’m looking at you Matt Damon & Meryl Streep
Her comments were very, very clear, and somehow the backtracking just makes it worse.
Oh the good ole my account was hacked excuse huh?
I agree. Why would you say that if you didn’t mean it? If you did mean it, don’t lie and say you didn’t. She was not attacking a specific race? Sure. And why is she acting like she owns a corporation and hires hundreds of people? The whole apology was lame and confusing.
I didn’t read an apology because she did not offer one. It’s called doublespeak.
She’s sorry she was called out. That’s about it.
She seems to be mistaking empathy for condescension.
Exactly what she is doing. You can almost see the condescension radiating off her in waves.
Why is this show still on? They’re constantly saying ridiculous crap. No, that wasn’t an apology. Yes, these women are ignorant and they open their mouths spewing BS just to make noise.
If this season isn’t the last one, I’d be shocked.
I wish I could rewind back to 2 years ago, when Raven was still just that really talented Cosby kid who had quietly enrolled in college and come out of the closet in an amazingly dignified fashion. Remember how awsome we thought Bill Cosby must have been for all the kids attached to the show to have turned out so different from other child stars? Then 2015 happened…..
This!!!^^^^^^
Inexcusable gaffe. That might be the best explanation of it yet.
Ahh Raven. I want to like her a lot, because she’s unique and definitely toes/crosses the line with her viewpoints.
However, her viewpoints are so off the wall, and as Kaiser said yesterday, she really shows her lack of school education with so many viewpoints.
As a recant though, I’ll accept it. She took responsibility for spreading the same ignorance, and using a worldwide platform none the less.
And wait, was that a joke at the end about it not being her who said it, it was her account being hacked? If so, that was pretty damn hilarious.
If I’m missing her account legitimately being hacked, then I just REALLY need coffee. (:
I think what she’s failing to understand is that she didn’t say “In the real world, this is how it works. It’s sick and unfair, but that’s how it is.” She said that she personally would not hire someone who had a *insert disgusting stereotype about black people* type name. That’s completely different and astonishing that anyone, let alone a black woman, would actually say something like that out loud where people could hear her.
She really is dumb as a box of rocks with some of the stuff she comes out with.
Especially since, in the real world, Raven Symoné would be one of the names thrown in the garbage pile.
All I keep thinking is: who the bloody hell does she think she is?!
She just needs to go somewhere and actually read books, and news, and talk to real people. I never thought I’d miss Sherry ‘Earth is flat’ Springfield, and Star Jones.
The View is just the worst,
It’s really hard having a name that is “unusual”. Monica is my middle name, not my first. I’ve submitted identical resumes first with my real first name and second with my middle name, and gotten callbacks for the latter and not the former (happened 5 times in 2009). People ask why I just don’t change my name and quite frankly, I thought about it while I was younger but I’m not going to to appease some damn standard and I like my name.
Now, I won’t do this to my kids because I’ve lived it. I’ve gotten flack from family since I’m giving them “white people names” (I’m black, my husband is white) but that’s a whole different discussion.
So Raven (because that’s sooooo “standard”) can have a stadium worth of seats.
I have heard about people finding the name Monica weird or “black”, for a lack of a better word, and I just can’ t wrap my head around it. Where I live Monica is a pretty common and ordinary name among white women.
I think OP was saying she got callbacks for using her middle name, Monica, as opposed to her more unusual first name.
I think it sucks and as somebody in yesterday’s post mentioned, there should be a change in how HR looks at applicants. There should be a way to look at them with name and gender blacked out so qualifications are the only thing being reviewed.
Sorry, I’ m an idiot and my reading comprehension sucks fat balls today! 🙂
I have heard about it being considered too weird, though, and I am always extremely confused when it happens.
I agree that genders, names and skin colours should be blacked out. In certain cases, age as well. Women past 30 who are turned down for a job because obviously at that age they want children and no one wants to deal with having someone in maternity leave, for example.
I don’t get it either. Monica is common and I dont’ think of it as ethnic at all. In fact, I’m more prone to wonder if a woman named Monique is French, because that’s the French version of Monica, but it’s not. They’re just names that their mothers liked. The only thing I can think of is perhaps, the name Monica draws negative impressions because they’re reminded of Monica Lewinsky. That’s all I got. It’s still a pretty name.
What does a ghetto name mean? I’m from South Africa and I’m genuinely curious. Thank you
Here’s just the tip of the iceberg for you:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ghetto+name
“I empathize with those who feel victimized by what I said.” But she’s not sorry. She just empathizes. Her father is partly right. He said she says some dumb sh*t. What he should have said is that all she says is dumb sh*t.
And The View needs to die.
when your OWN daddy doesn’t see it for you….. GTFOH with your Interesting grade of hair all the continents of Africa, I’m not a lesbian just a human loving gal coon self!
Ok QQ…you did it again! Hilarious comment! I Couldn’t agree more. She insists on showing people how truly ignorant she really is.
Her girlfriend AzMarie tweeted #keepmeoutofitplease #notmyproblem
Raven made the comment Thursday morning yet she offered the “apology” Sunday night.She is sorry ,for getting dragged.
AHAHHAHAHAHAH even AzMarie and her “unique name” wont with this??!!! shiiiittt!
Omg. I love you so much. Every time you post I bust a gut laughing.
No, you don’t empathize with them, or you wouldn’t have said it in the first place.
Exactly.
Raven’s biggest problem is thinking she’s funnier than she is. She repeated something she thought was funny but it wasn’t.
So basically she took the long way around the non-apology by not only somehow justifying the original video because it has so many hits (hooray for racists!!) but then completely negating any remorse by blaming it on a hack??
she has an accent on the letter e in simone but it isnt pronounced, i guess it is just there for looks
would she not hire herself?
I just don’t understand why Raven is allowed to spew such drivel. I worked in HR for many years and in my experience, people who had the bad luck to be given weird or culture-specific names were never overlooked when it came to hiring them. If their resume was good and they interviewed well, we hired them. Probably because in Canada we have a strongly multi-cultural society coupled with a workplace human rights code that actually works. Now many people with long, weird first names would often submit their resumes with a bracketed shortened version of their name (e.g. one woman had shortened her name from Alessandrina to “Sandy”) just for ease of use.
Raven can shaddup now.
From your post, I can hardly understand what side you are on? Bad luck to have ethnic names? Long weird names? Are you on drugs?
You are perpetuating the same racist and stereotypical behaviours of individuals who share Raven’s views by describing ethnic names as a tragedy. Additionally, congratulating Canada on its multi-cultural society and “human rights code,” which in your mind prevents name discrimination, is ignorant and clearly misinformed about the reality of Canada.
The University of British Columbia completed a study in which identical resumes were sent out, one with an ethnic Punjabi, Chinese, etc. name and one with an anglicized name. The resumes with an anglicized name had a 40% greater chance of being called in for an interview. 40%!!!! This is the type of racism present in Canada-and both the Punjabi and Chinese communities (there were other ethnicities represented as well) have high levels of academic achievement and still are subject to this type of ignorance.
There have many studies that shown people with non European have more difficulties finding work in Canada. I am not sure why Canadian always act as if racism and prejudices toward non White folks didn’t exist.
I am not perpetuating the same racist or stereotypical behaviours of those who share Raven’s views. I did not describe ethnic names as a tragedy. I merely stated that those whose names are long, difficult, etc. are not overlooked where I have worked as I have worked with many different cultures. Furthermore it was their choice to shorten their names. I’ve lived in countries where my name was totally unpronounceable so I used a name that was similar but easier to say and write. Also I don’t live in BC, I live in Ontario. Perhaps I had the great good luck to work for companies that don’t subscribe to that sort of resume policing.
Oh, and I’m not on drugs either – there’s a polite way to respond to posts on this site Nina, clearly you haven’t learned the CB way of commenting.
Nuhiahbella, please re-read and correct your comments – your post is grammatically incorrect in several instances and that would have been a red flag on your resume, not your name.
I can only think that she is secretly bonused or paid more for stirring s#!& up and generating some discussion about the show…smdh
She was saying this stuff before she got the show.The difference is more people are paying attention.
I work with a woman named Fantastic. We are accountants. People with weird names still get hired, Raven.
The View just needs to go, I don’t know why its there. I don’t know anyone who watches it other than clips like these.
Is her first name something like Ms, Captain or Doctor because if so I think you have a Marvel superhero on your hands. Don’t be fooled by her mild-mannered alter ego.
Like someone said yesterday she’d be the dummy who’d refuse to hire a Beyonce, Condaleeza, or Lupita while quick to snatch up a Justin Bieber, Ben Carson, or Emma Roberts.
Simple minds make simple decisions.
1. And Raven-Symone is still relevant why?????
2. And “The View” is still relevant why??????
3. And anyone give a flying sh#t about what a single word that comes out of any of those tricks mouths because???????
Your own father thinks you are a fool. What does that tell you? I absolutely loved his open letter. He basically said she is not his problem anymore and she is an idiot.
Father’s open letter – That was the best thing that’s come from the view – even though indirectly – in over 5 years.
Raven’s thoughts – Am I the only one who finds her opinion completely hypocritial considering her name is Raven? She’s named after a crow but doesn’t think that might stereotype her in someone else’s eyes? Pretty sure being named after a black rat bird that everybody despises, would not bode well in the eyes of someone who only favors “white” traditional or biblical names. All I think when she opens her stupid mouth anymore is, “that’s so Raven!” Sorry, I had to, but it’s seriously what I think.
Is this the video with two black guys who add “iqua” to random names like “Obamaniqua” and end the video with a fairly normal name which I think is Courtney? Because that video was clearly not meant to be serious and the two guys were clearly having way too much withnit.
Seems to be a pattern here; she wears “some dumb S#%T!,” too.
But have to admit that hot pink number with the beaded epaulets is the perfect ringmaster jacket for her own clown circus of The Cavalcade of Caca That Goes On Between My Ears and Comes Straight Out of My Mouth.
It wouldn’t necessarily be a pretty or a safe place to be, but I admit I’d love to be a fly on the wall at just one of the producer’s meetings for The View.
She does not to say sorry for us to know the she is. The backlash was intense. You would think someone with her name should have known better. This is what happen when you live in bubble and her bubble started very early.
Whenever she opens her mouth about serious issues, I get the impression that she’s trying to appeal to a demographic that will never accept her. That demo is anti-gay and/or anti-black. And despite her protests to the contrary, she’s both.
ok, does “watermalondria” name really exist? its hilarious
It’s a fake name of a black guy on Youtube who does funny skits and such.
Everyone is talking about her as if she is just some normal person who one might pass on the street on any given day… That is the flaw in all the criticism of her… She is a child star… She is from a different planet than any person on here commenting. her comments are out of line and touch but she does not know any better and she never will. She is what we made her, it’s a lil unfair to tear her down for that…
Just to reiterate and show an example of how out of touch and from another planet she is, raven probably thinks a gallon of milk costs either 250$ or .25 cents….