Posted on 03/15/2019 4:02:50 PM PDT by EdnaMode
A video of Maya Angelou checking a teenage girl for calling her by her first name went viral and sparked a Twitter debate Friday about names, age and respect like none other.
In the video, which Newsweek reports is from the early 1990s, Angelou is sitting on stage taking questions from the audience. The host chooses a young girl who begins her question by addressing Angelou as "Maya."
“Oh, thank you,” Angelou replies to the girl in the clip. "And first, I’m Ms. Angelou."
"I’m not Maya, I’m 62 years old," Angelou continues. "I’ve lived so long and tried so hard that a young woman like you, or any other, has no license to come up to me and call me by my first name. That’s first. Also, because at the same time, I’m your mother, I’m your auntie, I’m your teacher, I'm your professor. See?”
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The clip was uploaded by Twitter user Prince Pierre (@PrinceCharmingP) on Thursday night who captioned it, "I can’t wait to turn 30 so I can read one of yall for calling me by my first name like this."
(Excerpt) Read more at blavity.com ...
Aging by and in of itself doesn’t necessarily deserve respect.
“FReelers” should be “FReepers”
Saw Janet Jackson in concert back in the day - very nice.
It is (was) refreshing to be able to tell the writer of some leftist propaganda piece, what a p.o.s. they are and have James Woods agree.
Principal should have told Maya to gather up her sh!t and head out.
Marguerite Annie Johnson was her actual name. She rose up from very humble circumstances, indeed. She adopted the Grand Lady persona when she became a poet and writer.
I agree. The girl was sweet. You can do things in ways that are not publically humiliating to people and still get your point across. I don’t like that kind of attitude at all.
PS... I wonder what her answer to the question was?
Little known fact, Maya Angelou loved to fly on the Concorde.
What was her famous Poem told at the Clinton Inauguration, Rock, Scissors, Paper or something like that?
I can see if she said “yo, there poet lady...”. But you can tell by her demeanor she had respect for her.
Remember the military man that
called Barbara boxer “ma’am”?
I didn’t like that either.
We all grow up differently and come out of different circumstances. Not everyone knows how you wish to be addressed. I wouldn’t make a big deal about it unless somebody was calling me a nasty name.
And on the ma’am subject now the trannies want to be called ma’am.
Hopefully any statues of her will be promptly torn down.
Yes, but were other audience members calling her Maya (even if over 18 or 21)? Was she introduced as “Maya Angelou?” Doesn’t she sign her poetry as “Maya Angelou?”
Did the moderator ask the audience, “Are there any questions for Maya?”
Personally, I was raised to call men I encountered “Sir” any woman “Ma’am”, and any young lady “Miss”.
And I still do it today. My parents have both been gone for some time, but I could never have called them by their first name. Some of my siblings could, but I couldn’t.
Of course, on public transportation when I ever take it these days, I will still give up my seat...even if I am viewed as if I have three heads.
Just the way my Mom and Dad raised me.
I will say, though, that even though I communicate with “Sir” and “Ma’am”, if little kids don’t do it, I would tend to be more charmed than put out as she seemed, even if I don’t agree with kids being familiar in that way to adults.
I don’t think it covered her with any glory to treat that kid like that. She could have put it quite differently but still got the point across, even made it gently humorous in a way that might have made the kid smile! I think that’s possible.
I’m not a fan of her poetry, but in this case she was absolutely right.
I agree with Maya on this one...kids should have some sort of respect for elders and the “...I’m your mother, I’m your auntie, I’m your teacher, I’m your professor. See?” remark was designed to tell them some folks should be addressed more respectfully than a peer would be.
We did the same. All my grandmother’s friends were Mrs. and Mr. My aunts and uncles were all Aunt Ree or Uncle Lee. My friends parents were all Mr. and Mrs. My grandmother and mother even called them that when talking to me.
She believes in equality, right? Should have called her ‘comrade’. Seems some comrades are more equal and entitled than others.
He was officially our “Company Commander”.
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