ya nasty.
Welcome to WTFriday, our round-up of the week’s news that will have you questioning how humankind rose to the top of the food chain. Enjoy/weep.
Raven-Symoné Said She Wouldn’t Hire Someone Named “Watermelondrea”
Remember when I said, last week, that The View is the gift that just keeps on giving? Looks like they heard what I said and decided to bless us with another bout of nonsense this morning to make us palm our faces to. Person to thank this week? Raven-Symoné. When the show aired a video of a group of children saying “ghetto black names,” Raven vehemently declared: “I am very discriminatory against words like the ones that they were saying in the video. I’m not about to hire you if your name is Watermelondrea.” Not only did she spout this intolerant nonsense on live television in a country where there are laws put into place to prevent that exact kind of discrimination (which is still a reality that millions of people experience every day, incidentally), she directed it at co-host Whoopi Goldberg, proving that “tactless” is another adjective that Raven can add to her list of character traits. Excuse me, Raven-Symoné, but are you operating under the illusion that your name is Jenny Smith? If everyone thought the way you did, you’d probably be in the same unemployed boat as your imagined Watermelondrea. Have a bit of self-awareness before you open your mouth, girl. Read Jamilah Lamieux’s piece on Ebony for an interesting discussion on how Raven’s remarks reinforce a damaging “hierarchy of Black names” in American culture. [h/t Salon]
Bristol Palin Is Mad That Teens in WA Are Getting Free IUDs
Schools and health officials in Washington (the state, not the city) are providing low-cost — or free, in some cases — long-acting, reversible birth control like IUDs to teenagers, and Bristol Palin ain’t happy about it. In a blog that she updates regularly, Palin wrings her hand while lamenting the loss of childhood innocence: “But life isn’t so innocent and carefree for some 10 years old in Washington State. This summer a report came out claiming that some schools in Washington were giving free birth control implants to children as young as 10 years old! These birth control devices are implanted in a girl’s uterus, and all of this can be done without a parent’s consent!” As someone who’s admitted that she wishes she had gotten pregnant with her first child under different, more stable circumstances (she’s had two unplanned pregnancies, so far), Palin should be understanding of the desire to put off pregnancy until someone’s more prepared to handle it. Also, she’s assuming that these ten-year-olds are using IUDs to actually prevent pregnancy. If you’re getting your period at ten years old, chances are you’re going to be experiencing very heavy periods, since your hormones are going to be so out of whack. IUDs and other forms of birth control are extremely useful for regulating periods, giving younger girls a better grip on handling the trials of puberty. Maybe Palin’s throwing salt on everyone else’s game because she’s upset she didn’t know about IUDs back in 2007. [h/t Jezebel]
