Oprah flips when Raven Symone says she’s ‘American’ not ‘African-American’

[+paradox]

That’s so Raven! Oprah flips when Raven Symone says she’s ‘American’ not ‘African-American’

Actress Raven Symone appeared in ‘The Cosby Show’ and ‘That’s So Raven’ recently sat down with Oprah and something she said caused the host to nearly jump out of her seat. Is wanting to be identified as an American rather than African-American really that big of a crime? Oprah thinks so.

WATCH:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXAho8vlmAI

“I’m tired of being labeled. I’m an American. I’m not an African-American; I’m an American,” Raven said.

“Oh, girl, don’t set up Twitter on fire,” Oprah said. “You’re going to get a lot of flak for saying you’re not African-American.”

“What I really mean by that is I’m an American. That’s what I really mean,” Raven replied. “I have darker skin. I have a nice, interesting grade of hair. I connect with caucasian. I connect with Asian. I connect with black. I connect with Indian. I connect with each culture,” Raven said.

“You are a melting pot in one body,” Oprah said.

“Isn’t that what America is supposed to be?” Raven declared.


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Glenn thought Raven’s comments were fantastic.

“I think that’s absolutely fantastic. Who wants to be defined their sexuality?” he said. “That is unbelievable. This is Martin Luther King’s dream. I’m an American.”

“When Raven says, I just want to be identified as a human, good for you. Good for you,” Glenn said. “Let’s stop dividing ourselves and let’s start being intellectually curious and accepting the fact that other people are going to go in a different direction. And stop trying to win and start trying to understand each other.”

watch the video of glenn beck discussing it here:
http://www.glennbeck.com/2014/10/07/thats-so-raven-oprah-flips-when-raven-symone-says-shes-american-not-african-american/


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what are your thoughts about this and how people love to label others?

 

[Dee]

I don't think she said anything untrue. Yes, she's American, but she's also black. However, I don't think she wants that to be her identity, just like her sexual orientation is not her identity either. She is Raven Symone: actress, singer, dancer, producer, model, female... Essentially, she is a lot of things, and what I feel she was trying to say was that regardless of her skin color, she is an American like the next white person, or the next Asian person, or the Jewish person, all born on the same land yet of different ancestry. We're a big melting pot of people and that is good.

 

[DrLeftover]

NO.

To Liberals, she Must. Be. Black. First!

Period.

Race is the first and last defining attribute.

Take for example Eric Holder:

"Someday, another black president may name another black attorney to run the Department of Justice, and their shared identity may not matter so much," writes NPR's Ron Elving. "But for Holder and Obama, breaking the racial barrier as the nation's top two law enforcement officers meant living with the consequences."

While Barack Obama has conscientiously tried to avoid the race issue in public whenever possible, Mr Holder has often confronted it head on.

In 2009, for instance, he said the US was "a nation of cowards" on racial issues. In 2013 he called statistics showing longer prison sentences for black males compared to whites who committed similar crimes "shameful".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-echochambers-29386296


What was that that famous hater said about "judging by the content of their character instead of the color of their skin?"

 

[+paradox]

and to liberal haters, they class all liberals into the same mind frame, like they all think alike, feel the same way and have the same exact opinions about everything (which is not true) and to label all liberals as to have the same mind frame or opinion is very tiresome...

not all republicans, democrats, conservatives and liberals think like each other's respective "group", so stop trying to say they do...

 

[Nebulous]

....Some people take the whole "I don't want to be labeled" thing to extremes though. Like to the point of you can't even take them seriously as a person anymore.

 

[+paradox]

....Some people take the whole "I don't want to be labeled" thing to extremes though. Like to the point of you can't even take them seriously as a person anymore.

 

[seasidemike]

good for her to make such a stand.

'African American' what the hell is that anyway? Do people walk around calling themselves 'European American' ?

 

[Evil Eye]

Well, doesn't that sound sensible.


"Yeah, that's what it's supposed to be." Tone of voice says it all, doesn't it?

Do people walk around calling themselves 'European American' ?

Irish-American, Italian-American, French-Canadian... I'd say they do.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

NO.

To Liberals, she Must. Be. Black. First!

Period.

Race is the first and last defining attribute.

Take for example Eric Holder:

"Someday, another black president may name another black attorney to run the Department of Justice, and their shared identity may not matter so much," writes NPR's Ron Elving. "But for Holder and Obama, breaking the racial barrier as the nation's top two law enforcement officers meant living with the consequences."

While Barack Obama has conscientiously tried to avoid the race issue in public whenever possible, Mr Holder has often confronted it head on.

In 2009, for instance, he said the US was "a nation of cowards" on racial issues. In 2013 he called statistics showing longer prison sentences for black males compared to whites who committed similar crimes "shameful".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-echochambers-29386296


What was that that famous hater said about "judging by the content of their character instead of the color of their skin?"

Exactly! Gets harder for leftists to play the race game if everybody is calling themselves Americans first and foremost.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

Well, doesn't that sound sensible.


"Yeah, that's what it's supposed to be." Tone of voice says it all, doesn't it?

Do people walk around calling themselves 'European American' ?

Irish-American, Italian-American, French-Canadian... I'd say they do.

No not really. When people and the news see a black person they automatically say African American because of being so terrified of possible racism charges against them. You never see a reporter saying today in the news a Irish American did such and such. Heck you do not even hear the words American. People will say Irish American or others when it is usually a conversation about where are you from.

 

[DrLeftover]

Check out all of the racial choices on some of the government forms.

You have Caucasian/ white and then a laundry list of every other sort of choice.

 

[+paradox]

what about native american?

or is that not allowed either?

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

what about native american?

or is that not allowed either?

Nobody said any of the above is not allowed but at least native American would be accurate.

 

[+paradox]

good for her to make such a stand.

'African American' what the hell is that anyway? Do people walk around calling themselves 'European American' ?

regardless if labeling is right or wrong, or calling americans different things such as asian-american, mexican-american or what have you, the american government does it with voting so they can get an accurate percentage of who votes/voted and for what, it's all about statistics, well, to them at least and the people that love stats... americans are obsessed with statistics so such labeling is a must for them...

that's why as a joke i sometimes call myself an american-american...

 

[seasidemike]

what is ridiculous about it is that Africa itself is the second largest continent in the world made up of 54 countries. So a general comment like 'African American' is meaningless.
Egypt is part of Africa, so is an 'African American' saying that they are from Egypt perhaps?

I bet a lot of 'African Americans' are Caribbean, which of course has nothing to do with Africa.

 

[seasidemike]

Well, doesn't that sound sensible.


"Yeah, that's what it's supposed to be." Tone of voice says it all, doesn't it?

Do people walk around calling themselves 'European American' ?

Irish-American, Italian-American, French-Canadian... I'd say they do.

Ya, but that is different as it connects to a country of heritage, they aren't saying 'European-American'. Africa is a continent not a country. Do they say Tanzanian-American? Congo-American? Nigerian-America?

 

[Evil Eye]

No not really. When people and the news see a black person they automatically say African American because of being so terrified of possible racism charges against them.

Hmm, true.

Ya, but that is different as it connects to a country of heritage

Yeah, except most of those people have as much to do with that country as a black person might with Africa.

I don't go around telling people I'm Holy Roman or something either.

 

[DrLeftover]

But I am a Native American.... I was born just up the road from here, well, up the road, make a left at the light on Fairchild St.

My wife is a Native American, she was born in Mississippi, but that is still America.

 

[+paradox]

But I am a Native American.... I was born just up the road from here, well, up the road, make a left at the light on Fairchild St.

My wife is a Native American, she was born in Mississippi, but that is still America.

http://nativeamericanhistory.about.com/od/Law/a/Who-Are-Native-Americans.htm

 

[seasidemike]

Ya, but that is different as it connects to a country of heritage

Yeah, except most of those people have as much to do with that country as a black person might with Africa.
[/quote]
But Africa is not a country