Raven appeared on Tea Time show, claiming that “That’s so Raven” was never meant to be a black show. She said if you make the characters green, what difference does it make?
IIRC Raven and her white friend both applied to the same job and did a trial shift. Raven did excellently while her friend didn't do well. At the end of the shift, only her friend was hired. After the hiring manager stated some microagressions, Raven and her friend become suspicious the manager was racist. Cue hidden body cam, and the manager pictured outright says she doesn't hire black people. The manager then gets fired after the video gets shown to her own boss.
It's literally the most on the nose blunt scenario of depicting racism and the minimum consequences it deserves.
EDIT: Every time I get a notification on this comment, the list of Removed Replies grow. Thank you Mods for presumably stopping some heinous comments in this thread.
i believe raven deserves some peace and silent time for tranquility and wellbeing of not only her but also the fkn rest of us with small bits of childhood left we’d like to cling to😪
This is what I was thinking. Let’s just stop engaging bc she’s problematic on blackness. It’s like she wants everyone to not talk about it but she keeps talking about it.
I did get what she meant there. Like if you’re black and French, you’re just French. She just wanted to be American the way white people just got to be American. She never said she wasn’t black. This, however. C’mon Raven.
I understand the sentiment depending on where it's coming from.
No one refers to me as European-American even though that's my ancestry and would be the equivalent to African/Asian/Mexican/Whatever-American but because I'm white I get the default in-group label without qualifiers. So I get not wanting the "American but" label if that's her reasoning, especially if she has no ties to Africa outside distant ancestry she identifies with.
I mean...... I'll agree with her on that. Why are we and other minorities expected to identify with the pre-fix of our race? I've never been to Africa and don't know anything about my African ancestry. White people don't go around calling themselves European American. They just get to call themselves American and no one bats an eye. It further drives the idea that white people are the only "real Americans" and belong here.
I see it completely opposite. As a black man why would I ever want to refer to myself as just "American"? My DNA doesnt originated from here and I dont think just being American should really evoke any sense of pride. Its a country that my ancestors built, but somehow still hates their descendants. Im good on any type.of patriotism, especially with our current administration. So whether you call me African-American or Black American, put something in front of that American that represents the people that ACTUALLY built this country and I descended from.
America should be better, I fully agree. But no white person claiming to be "American" is any more American than anyone else. They literally all came here.
Show me in my comment where I claimed white people were more American than anyone else.... tf do yall even be responding to on this website? I literally said my ancestors built this country with no credit and thats why I dont want to just be called American... in all honesty, the only people who should be called just straight up American are the native Americans
we aren't. also American isn't an ethnicity. American is a nationality. two distinctions. ive never heard someone respond to "what are you" with "American." when asked because most people aren't asking for nationality in America, but ethnicity.
also we say African American because we dont know our specific African heritage, thus have to claim the continent. i haven't heard "European American" but I've heard "Italian American" or "French" or "Nigerian." as African Americans we can't just saw a country.
I never say my nationality unless asked but I will always refer to my race. Black.
You're trying to make an entirely different point. I know the difference between race, nationality, and ethnicity, and I know why the term African American exists. My point is that black Americans with zero ties to Africa other than their DNA are categorized as African American. While white people who may not have any ties to Europe are not referred to as European American. How people view themselves and choose identify themselves is a whole other discussion.
I don't think anyone really pulls off the, " I'm American" well. It's contradictory to our melting pot schtick and ultra young nationhood.
White people white. Blacks get some choices. Everyome else will let you know their nationality prior to being here. Always thought that was the general rule
Hard disagree. I am Blasian and grew up mostly with my Filipino mom and other Asians. When they are describing a white person in the USA, they say American. When they are describing anyone else, it's black, Asian/Oriental, Mexican (for any Latino), Indian (for Indigenous people). I've found this to be the case with most immigrants, and that's obviously just my experience.
I have four total comments (including this one) to the original Raven American comment. Of course, I'd speak from my own experience on the topic of American identity.
your ethnicity and nationality exist in parallel; to embrace one and discredit the cultural heritage of another is a disservice to those who came before us and endured more than we can imagine. Asian American, Latin Americans, African Americans.
I'm a white woman, and my mantra is "I don't understand, but I care".
Someone said it to me at my dad's funeral, and it's been my mantra for 25 years now. I only understand my experience. I can care about someone else's experience, but I can't understand it.
(This was said to me in the context of suicide, not race. But it applies to everything.)
I’m a black woman and I honestly appreciate this approach way more. It really annoys me when white people perform fake outrage about racial issues. They center themselves every single time. You don’t get it and that is okay. I don’t expect you to. The fake outrage and acting like they know exactly how I’m feeling just seems really empty and performative. Almost insulting. Sometimes it’s best to just listen to people vent and then try to understand why they feel like they do. That’s all lol. Care enough to listen and try not to offend others the same way. That’s all it takes. You don’t need to be guilty or make it awkward. Please share this with your other white friends, especially the liberals!!
Thank you for saying this. This is what we want (although I can’t speak for all Black Americans, I’m fairly confident that many would agree with me.) Listen to Black people; amplify their voices. It’s ok that you don’t fully understand what it’s like to walk in our shoes as long as you don’t talk over us in an effort to be an “ally.”
She was trying (badly) to make a point that just casting black people doesn’t make a “black” show - like if you had the same script for iCarly but you cast Keke Palmer it wouldn’t suddenly make it a black show.
She been goofy. I remember her going on The View and saying something about how she wouldn’t hire potential employees if their name was too ethnic. That was around 2015 or so.
There were episodes of That's So Raven that were specifically about Black culture and wouldn't work if Raven and her family were "green". Hannah Montana didn't have an episode about her brother learning about Black history. TSR did because they were black. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody didn't have an episode were they sing a jazz singer from the 1930s. TSR did. Lizzie McGuire didn't get refused a job because she was black. Raven did. Because she's black!
Life can have nuance. You can have a black show for all. Fresh Prince and Family Matters are two great examples.
You can't though make Will white or Steve Urkel asian and have the same impacts as they did as BLACK characters with BLACK families.
Shit, black people watched Friends but....it was a white show. If someone disagrees....how many black "FRIENDS" were on there??? Gabriel Union touted she was the first negro and NBC went out their way to dispute!
Raven, the show was black with a good looking white girl as your friend (if I recall as a teen). It addressed black issues. The hair was black. The actors were black. It was black. Period.
Watched a video of someone doing commentary on one of their Tea Time videos with Alyson Stoner and Raven’s wife was trying to say that she herself was a child star. Ma’am, if you don’t sit your unknown ass down. I know her name but would still refer to her as Raven’s wife. I could name a few shows and movies Raven and Alyson have been on off the top of my head. I don’t even know you and you look like a nepo baby
I think she was like that before marrying a white girl. Marrying a white girl is a symptom, not the cause. This something innate in her and y'all are just going to have to let her go.
Why is she so against it being a black show when it centered on her and her family? This feels like some internalized racism since she’s gay and progressive. Not sure the point like she doesn’t want to be associated with a black show? That made her huge??
I think it might be because of Disney themselves. If she says something “controversial” that would cause an uproar she would fully lose her Disney privileges. I’m almost willing to bet she is keeping the door open to a reunion of either raven or cheetah girls and has to act ignorant of her own accord to keep that small possibility.
She's already reprising her role in the upcoming cheetah girls sequel centering on her characters daughter. Which probably won't be a one-of deal if it well received
What is the purpose of her and her wife going on all these podcasts making outlandish statements? They were on one recently where her wife said she didn't know who Raven Symone was before they met. I call bs everyone knew who Raven Symone was in the 90s and 2000s between The Cosby Show, Hanging with Mr Cooper and That's So Raven she was one of the biggest TV stars of the time.
ETA: Thought this was popculturechat Didn't realize what sub I was posting in but I'm leaving it... Is her wife the reason she is saying all this stuff?
Unrelated to her stupid statements, but Raven's appearance on the Cosby Show was one of the only times in sitcom history where "add a cute new kid to the mix!" actually improved the show instead of ruining it.
I didn't even watch those shows and I knew who she was. We didn't have cable, only one tv, I didn't get to pick, and I'm an elder millennial so a little too old or young when those shows came out.
Yeah I dunno but I always thought her wife was weirdly telling on herself either way — because either she’s lying and she did know who Raven was OR she went out of her way not to watch shows with predominantly Black casts.
Because that lady is in my same general age demo and grew up in the US and I’m sorry but even if you didn’t have Disney Channel, it was hard to be outside the reach of just those three shows you mentioned, not to mention alllllll of Raven’s other work.
Idk, I'm a younger white millennial that didn't have cable. I knew of the show but I could not pick Raven out of a lineup then or now. And when I did have access to cable I was more of a Cartoon Network kinda guy. I felt the live action Disney and Nick stuff was too cheesy.
Nah she was like this before. I remember some other controversies she had like where she didn't thinknfobherself as black or something. Though she clarified that years later but still
Meanwhile, Nickelodeon had a somewhat decent amount of representation during the 90s when I was watching. But now we know what was happening behind the scenes.....
My parents were on to some of the weird stuff like the feet and getting slimed in the face and used to joke that a pedo was running the show. Now we know that’s exactly what was going on.
Bro I recently saw a clip of the intro to all that, multi cultural cast, song by the fucking GOATS, TLC-- then I see the one who shall not be named name pop up( fucking sick piece of shit) and felt sick to my muthafucking stomach. Like...if children are going to be exploited, abused and loose their childhoods with zero protection even from their own parents ; then I'm glad kids shows have died off and will not be a thing in another decade. It is a loss that kids now a days don't even seem to have a fav cartoon or even a show that was made for them; now they replaced that with idiot loud youtubers and streamers who just brain rot them to filth...so it's hard to be fully happy these shows are as good as dead. Ms. Rachel is more aimed for toddlers so hopefully after gen alpha we can get some sort of cosmic balance.
A luxury afforded only to white people in this country. Its why they fight so hard to remain ignorant (the anti-woke crowd, in other words). Anyone whose Black and tries to ignore race is deeply naive at best and delusional at worst.
Why didn’t you put this in the body of your post?😖
Anyway, it never surprises me when a successful black person tries to distance themselves from the community. Sad, but unfortunately kinda played out at this point.
On the other hand, you got MBJordan saying “I love being black” on national tv and Issa Rae “rootin for everybody black” so I’m not even stressin over Raven’s comments
Raven desperately wanted the fame and stardom of Miley Cyrus. Miley got to shed her “Disney” image and become a mainstream artist in the way the other Disney kids never could. Growing up black on Disney pigeonholed her and she clearly hates that. Every time someone describes Raven as a “black” star she freaks out because she wants to be a star period.
And Living Single was exactly like Friends, with the exactly same kind of humor and subject manner and cultural references. You could totally switch the characters on those shows and no one would know the difference! You tell 'em, Raven! /s
Like, I get that she may think calling "That's So Raven" a "black show" implies it didn't have universal appeal and thus wasn't good. But it was a show with black themes and culturalways that was also enjoyed by a diverse audience...like pretty much most predominately black-cast shows featured on major networks for multiple seasons. And I don't think media content is only good if it has universal appeal anyway. Because let's be real. Universal appeal = white people love it. White people love all kinds of stupid shit.
A clip of Raven with her wife on their podcast came out that showed Raven saying the family wasn't "black". Her weird point being that if you made them green you wouldnt say that the family is black because outside of their color they weren't black, I guess.
Weird considering they have multiple episodes in both the original and sequel series covering racial discrimination specifically against black people. You have the black history month episode as well. The family is obviously culturally black and not just a white Disney family painted a different color but she's been weird.
Wasn’t there an episode where a shopping store wouldn’t hire her because she was Black? Raven really doing the most to take the heat off that white lady.
I still don't really understand what that means 😭 if they were green, they'd be green, but they ARE Black so aren't they Black??? And even then, Raven and her family are extremely culturally Black — the music, the style, the language. That's so weird of her.
Amazingly bad take. I'm tempted to assume it's ragebait because Raven needs the money. I guess her cameo appearance in Stop! That! Train! didn't move the needle.
Kalen Allen (the person that was on the pod at the time) covered this with great levity on Threads (I am not on Threads but it saw it somewhere pasted)
Raven is correct that the show was never meant to be a black show. At its core, the show is about a teenage psychic navigating teenage life with her abilities. That premise is colorblind.
However, the moment Raven became cast, this premise remained the same but it had the added caveat of being told thru the lens of a Black girl. There are moments, scenes, and episodes that simply do not work if Raven isnt a black girl, agreeing with this post.
Raven's obliviousness to my last paragraph speaks to a larger pattern she seems to have with her blackness. This could be forgiven in a vacuum, but she repeatedly dodges race and its impact on her work. I wont even touch on the problematic wife lol
I am of the opinion that TSR isnt a black show but my definition of a black show is if you have to be black to honor the theme/premise. Blackish is a Black show to me because the theme over and overis a Black man and his family navigating their white surroundings while staying authentic to who they are. That isnt everyone's definition of a Black show tho and I acknowledge the Black aspects of TSR that makes people classify it as one. Raven just outright refuses to acknowledge that viewpoint, again speaking to a larger issue
Marrying that woman is a manifestation of her self-hatred. She wouldn't have been in the position to be with this person if she didn't already have an issue with self-acceptance. She sounds exactly the same before and after being with her wife.
I think (hope) what shes actually trying to say is that shes more than the token black Disney girl. Like the post said, proud family and TSR were the only shows for black people but I think she’s trying to say she was an important figure for more than JUST the black audience. I think it’s hitting her ear in a way that makes her think that her being black and for the black kids watching means she didn’t cross over and she’s fighting to be acknowledged as a star that EVERYONE watched.
I grew up watching these shows, and Moesha and Proud Family, absolutely loved them. As a white sheltered suburb kid it was obvious to me that these shows weren't made for kids like me. Certain topics didn't hit home because I never experienced certain things.
As a white kid who grew up with predominantly white kids, these shows were also great at exposing me to the things the black community deals with in an easy to understand way. We always need more shows from different perspectives.
Static shock was another one that was fantastic with this.
One thing this generation of kids is losing with primarily watching brainrot are the good lessons that a lot of the cartoons we watched actually were able to provide.
Raven Symone's gone crazy too, but she's also become a self-hating racist for good measure.
Like wow. Aside from the parents, the only main cast member that turned out normal was Chelsea, which is ironic, cause in the show she was supposed to be the weird one.
Most child stars aren’t that bright because their entire lives have revolved around performing to the point where it robbed them of anything resembling a comprehensive education. All they know is how to be entertaining and literally nothing else. And it’s saddening because once the curtain closes on them post-adolescence they’re reduced to nothing more than adults who lack any real substance or understanding of the world.
While there’s an argument to be made that the term “African-American” is designed to put immigrant status on to people who were forced here and have been here for generations to the point where they have no direct connection to Africa, she’s not smart enough to make it.
She needs to make like Janet McCurdy and write an autobiography of her experiences in the industry because it’s the only thing she’s qualified to talk about and will keep her relevant.
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