A decades-old clip of the late Dr. Maya Angelou correcting a young girl who called her by her first name sparked a debate in the streets of Twitter.
The clip is from an old episode of “The Sally Jessy Raphael Show” and a young woman stands up to ask Dr. Angelou her thoughts on interracial marriage. But, she addresses her by her first name.
Maya Angelou quickly checked the young lady saying:
And first, I’m Ms. Angelou. I’m not Maya. I’m 62 years old. 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.
Apparently, “Lack of Home-Training” Twitter took offense to the clip and attempted to cancel the incomparable Dr. Maya Angelou.
The outrage left many shaking their heads. Peep a few tweets below.
Please know that Maya Angelou is trending nationally because there are some young folks who are offended that she directed a young woman to call her Ms. Angelou instead of Maya in a 20-year-old clip.
We are doomed. pic.twitter.com/XD1odHh0cV
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) March 15, 2019
Faux outrage Twitter “cancelled” Maya Angelou, post mortem…. impressively stupid.
— Double L must Rock The Bells (@LoveThePuck) March 16, 2019
Just came to Twitter and saw #MayaAngelou trending for checking a young Queen for not calling her Ms. Angelou…. ???
Ya’ll wasn’t raised right or you just yapping on socials as usual https://t.co/9HmNfHDfKN
— Kojo Ebro (@oldmanebro) March 15, 2019
Wayment….Young Twitter is mad at #MayaAngelou for putting a child in a child's place 20-30 years ago? pic.twitter.com/SE1Jh73cE0
— For what it's worth… (@Davs_TwoCents) March 15, 2019
If you spoke to a grown person by their first name when I was growing up you would be corrected immediately. This was considered very disrespectful and made it look as though you were on the same level as an adult, that’s a no no…#MayaAngelou #respectyourelders https://t.co/udFtF855xM
— Tremelle Vicki, MBA (@vsykes66) March 15, 2019
Only in America can a black woman tell you how she’d like to be addressed, and people have feelings about that, talking about they would have “cursed her out” or “dragged her”. I can’t with this nonsense. What is this? Pick a dead person to pick on Month? Do better. #MayaAngelou pic.twitter.com/4tBfw9TdTT
— Supermodelsonya (@supermodelsonya) March 15, 2019
I'm not sorry. I've been blocking people today. Young black people on this site talking about beating old black folks' asses if they feel disrespected. What? Save that energy for our enemies. No ma'am.#MayaAngelou pic.twitter.com/hp6k2J4qVS
— Blackonbothsides (@Biographer1986) March 15, 2019
1- This Maya Angelou "debate" is disturbing and disrespectful. This is why we have children cussing out teachers and acting a fool in class. Lack of respect for authority or older people. #MayaAngelou
— D. Sala (@hi_7hills) March 15, 2019
If Ms. #MayaAngelou asked me to call her ‘Ms. Angelou, Her majesty, Greatest Poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist of all time' i would gladly call her that without even blinking. pic.twitter.com/hIWpyMuD9j
— Pison Nagaba (@blessed_pison) March 16, 2019
People mad at this have no manners. They don’t hold doors open, don’t say please and thank you, hell they probably don’t even say excuse me. If what Maya Angelou did was bad, you’re lucky you never met big momma. #MayaAngelou
— Joe Pleasant (@iamJoePleasant) March 15, 2019
People seriously mad at #MayaAngelou are likely the same folk that call their parents by their first name and dare people to correct them on anything. ??♂️ Our youth are dying now for lack of loving correction. We're scared of our kids.
— Intelligent & Flatulent ? ? (@Intelligently4U) March 15, 2019
Only a queen like MISS Angelou could get you together real quick with no hesitation, but yet so much grace. Respect your elders kids!?????#MayaAngelou #TBT #WomensHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/ww78daKTa5
— have you registered to VOTE? (@angela_rye) March 14, 2019
So I see #MayaAngelou trending, go take a look and now I'm like, are you serious? In my 20s, working at a college, I always corrected students who just tried to call me Ashley. No ma'am, no sir. Address me correctly. I'm Ms. or Mrs. Ashley. #respect
— Ashley Carter (@iamfabellis) March 16, 2019
And by the way, I don't agree with this #MayaAngelou video being circulated. Many of my most significant teachers and mentors PREFERRED that I call them by their first name! No reason to read that young lady out of nowhere like that…
— Bassooncé Unchained (@GarrettMcQueen) March 15, 2019
I'm happy most people are seeing through this faux #MayaAngelou outage.
Here's perspective:
Accomplished Black woman in the 80s, quite rare, recalls being called "girl" and every lower name in the book. She asks for respect, she's earned it. Give it.
This ain't it Twitter.
— Jemima?? (@JCJ_PHD) March 16, 2019
Black People Rule Number 1: You do NOT address an elder by their first name.
Black People Rule Number 2: You do not say a word, talk back or threaten to call CPS when you've been slapped for breaking BPRN1.
Clearly folk need a refresher course…#MayaAngelou
— Terésa Dowell-Vest, M.F.A. ???????️? (@dowellvest) March 15, 2019
Didn't #MayaAngelou transition in 2014? It must be a slow day in the social media stratosphere that folks are analyzing an almost 30-year-old video of a deceased scholar, but OK. pic.twitter.com/jG7sKnn9OI
— Mz_Esq ? (@TheMoChronicles) March 16, 2019
https://twitter.com/DrAdisaMiles/status/1106956692611387392
Ironically, the same clip folks keep retweeting of #MayaAngelou literally shows her apologizing afterward. She recognized the incident as innocent. But write your ageist thinkpieces ignoring the implications of what a woman who literally is deceased went through w/o her voice.
— Orochi, Fire Usurper (@GIOAssassin) March 16, 2019
Damn a lot of y’all feel dumb as hell now RT @sportyidk: Later in the video, Maya Angelou apologized to the young girl for being short with her so everyone calling people “sensitive” for noticing the disrespect in her initial response can relax lol https://t.co/9uQdbRnSTk
— Dirk Diggler (@Geezy2k19) March 16, 2019
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