Many black woman fans of The Real are still confused about why Tamar Braxton was fired from the show. Rumors have swirled blaming everything from alleged diva behavior, to co-star Loni Love. But a shocking Daily Mail report disturbingly suggests that, under The Real’s executive producer Rachel Miskowiec, Tamar was axed because of her use of African American Vernacular English.
“ ‘The focus group research showed that most educated and working women did not identify with Tamar’s show vernacular and her use of words known to be popular among drag queens and some gay men — phrases like “get your life,” “where they do that at,” “have several seats.”
‘It was even said she seemed more suited to be a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race on Logo instead of a talk show host on The Real,’ revealed the source.
‘The research went on to say that most educated and working women found her to be ‘ghetto’ and that her aggressive eye-rolling, neck-rolling and the smacking of her mouth were indicative of ‘stereotypical behavior that African American women have worked years to overcome,” the source continued.”
“That African American women have worked years to overcome?!” What in the entire f*ck?! I have not, to date, met a black woman who is seeking to “overcome” a sharp side eye, or well-placed mouth smack when the situation called for it. To associate these behaviors with crassness and lack of education reveals more about The Real than it does about Tamar. Is Tamar super extra? Sure. But to equate her behavior with ‘ghettoness’ reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the diversity of black culture and expression (news flash: NOT EVERYTHING BLACK IS GHETTO!) and the sad reality that, in too many instances, people who are NOT black get to determine what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior for people who ARE.
The report also alleges that Tamar had frequent outbursts on set, including in front of show sponsors, and was difficult to work with.
However a friend of Tamar’s hopped on Twitter to dispute that;
We discussed this at a BGLH writers meeting, and some said they could understand why Tamar was fired given her sometimes uncooperative attitude on set, and occasional shading of co-hosts. However, one writer attended a taping of The Real (which goes for 3 hours) and said that, from her perspective, Tamar was warm and genuine and the host she connected with most.
There is speculation that, since being renewed for 2 additional seasons, The Real is trying to reach a whiter audience, and there are rumors that white extras are paid to fill seats at tapings.
Whatever issues The Real may have had with Tamar behind the scenes, blaming her unique expression of blackness as part of the reason for her firing is beyond disgusting and foul.
What are your thoughts ladies?
I don’t speak venacular English. I was not brought up around it. I say he doesn’t not he don’t. I say isn’t rather than ain’t. Is it a big deal? I think not However, when I have been around people who accuse me of “talking white” or putting on to act like I’m better than them. No. It has nothing to do with you. I just find it ironic to say Tamar is being dragged for speaking venacular when black people dragged black people who don’t all the time. I’m not Bill Cosby telling people how they should speak so… Read more »
I absolutely hate when Black people complain about other Black people having teased them for “talking white”. It’s really annoying and a tactic to used to derail things. As you said, it really doesn’t matter what particular vernacular people use. As long as the person is able to get his/her point across, it makes no difference.
Therefore, I don’t understand why you chose to include that tidbit, about how you speak versus how you perceive others to speak. It’s divisive and obviously the result of respectability politics.
” It’s divisive and obviously the result of respectability politics.”–Precisely!!! We already know there are black people who tease other black people in that way, but speaking properly will not affect your job in a negative way whatsoever. So she could have kept that pity party to herself. I was one of those people that got teased as well, never affected me in my job performance one bit. In the case of Tamar, from what it sounds like to me, they’re trying to find a sustainable audience. All the host were over the top, and the subject matters were banal. From… Read more »
you don’t know me or what I do for a living so how do you know what has or hasn’t adversely affected me on my job. The majority of my job is every day going out talking to new and different people from all walks of life. I’m talking about open hostility that is often directed at me and specifically told to me it’s because I supposedly talk white. I am also bilingual and can tell you in some places in the US speaking a language other than English in public can cause some people i.e. complete strangers to go… Read more »
“you don’t know me or what I do for a living so how do you know what has or hasn’t adversely affected me on my job.”–Unless you work for a hood job where speaking properly or “white” is unacceptable or frowned upon, I can’t see how this would have a negative effect on your job performance. Now how it effects you personally that’s another story. “The majority of my job is every day going out talking to new and different people from all walks of life. I’m talking about open hostility that is often directed at me and specifically told… Read more »
I brought it up to show the contradiction in people taking offense to critques about how they talk when some of those same people complain about how other people talk. This is not the only article I have read about this situation. I said I have been around people who took issue with me not speaking in venacular and I wasn’t talking strictly about black people. where I currently live people say he don’t and ain’t regardless of race. I don’t care but they do. If it’s not a big deal then why do they bring it up to me… Read more »
I really don’t believe you and no it doesn’t matter. You seem to believe that because you speak using standard English, you are better. Just reading these couple of comments I can tell it is a point of pride for you. You mention that you weren’t brought up around that. Around what, exactly?
It’s certainly not an insult to anyone at all. Obviously, the way someone speaks doesn’t equal intelligence. However, that is the underlying message of your statement. And not to be rude, but your grammar isn’t exactly perfect, or even close to it.
It wasn’t rude and my grammar is not perfect. I brought it up on this conversation but I never mention this when I am out talking to people mostly as part of my job. So I don’t get why people and not just blacks keep bringing it up. I refuse to call it AA vernacular because as I said most people where I live talk this way so I’m not sure why it gets labeled like that. I know people of many professions even doctors who use incorrect grammar. So what. By brought up around it, I mean no one… Read more »
she has EVERY right to complain about it. let’s not act like it doesn’t happen. there are black people that bash other black people for ‘talking white’ or ‘not sounding black enough’ and it is a very STUPID and IGNORANT thing to do because 1. proper english is not only spoken by white people and 2. only african americans (and those that try to copy) use AAVE.There are different types of black people around the world so ‘not sounding black enough’ is a foolish sentence.
Your entire comment is useless. Obviously, Black people are not monolithic. Not sure where I said only white people standard English? Also, there is no such thing as African American vernacular English/Ebonics. Vernacular is mostly regional. Also, not sure when I said anything about not sounding Black enough? It seems as if you have just made up things through your own perception.
I’m so glad you said that. I gave examples of how I speak versus how other people I know speak. It was a comparison and not every comparison is a critique. I say bathroom where when I went to UK they said Liu. Whatever. Yet that didn’t stop the conversation from going to “respectabilty politics” although I never said one word about me thinking that any particular way of talking to be superior than another. In fact I said I wasn’t Bill Cosby. I don’t go around correcting people or telling them how to talk. It seems to me that… Read more »
typical. whenever the example shows we black people discriminate against our own, we’re “derailing” the conversation…unless its about white people discriminating, then we march to kingdom come. bish please. Cosita is correct.
Don’t call me a bish.
I have only seen the show a few times as well, but I too had enough of her. The way she spoke was forced and was actually painful for me to watch and listen to. I don’t think she was talking “black” because most black women do not speak like that and I found her completely unrelatable. I just do not think she was a good fit for the show. It doesn’t mean she isn’t talented or that she will not be a good fit elsewhere.
xxx
” I don’t speak venacular English ” LOL exactly what does this mean ?.
It is always amusing to me when people who love to humble brag about “speaking white ” show such poor command of the English Language ..Get it together and learn both the correct spelling and meaning of words, as well as the difference between adjectives and nouns etc.
LOL Thanks. I will use this as part of my defense next time my great aunt gets mad at me for talking white. See auntie, my nouns and adjectives are confused so I can’t possibly talk white. LOL.
Firstly the word is vernacular, it is clearly not a typo as you have misspelled it at least 4 times in your multiple posts. Secondly the word refers to the native language,culture of a particular group, profession etc. as in African American vernacular or gay vernacular, therefore the term ‚” I dont speak venacular ? English ” by itself doesn’t make much sense ( unless you were referring to people in England which I doubt and even then it would be the English vernacular ) Also when used as a noun it would be “Tamar uses a particular vernacular or spoke… Read more »
I am crying. Sis, that was read. The library is OPEN! All sections. LOL
Interesting. So what is it that you define as a culture? I said in another post that most all the people where I live currently speak the same way regardless of race. It’s not profession. Not sexual orientation. That’s the culture based on environment which I believe all ways of speaking is based on. If I said AA vernacular English it would make no sense when white people around here talk exactly the same way. Is there need for another qualifier when I am not reffering to any particular racial, ethnic, professional group? I guess you think so. Cool. I… Read more »
Ouch! Burn!
This may seem an odd thing to stand out but what stood out to me was the focus group of educated and working women didnt like her. Why are they the focus group? 1) Working.…. for all purposes mostly includes jobs from the hours of 9–5 or if you want to go a wider spectrum 6am to 6pm , these people wouldnt be watching the real anyway because they are.…working..so Im confused and 2) im not really sure what education has to do with this, while their findings might have shown that the people who listed a higher education didnt… Read more »
1. I second this point. I never thought about the focus group dynamics in relation to the show and the time.Good point.
2. Education is brought into it because the association with ghetto and blackness is being uneducated. Many people think that black people period, and more so black people who particularly speak African American Venacular English are uneducated as a result of where they come from and them being black.
I agree although every job I have had the employees are free to watch tv during work hours as long as it doesn’t interfere with getting your work done. Most people listen rather than actually watch. I watch Judge Mathis often on the job. I enjoy his show. Mostly I keep it on cable news programs. But I don’t think think being able to watch tv at work the norm unless it’s the break room.
I won’t be watching “The Real” anymore. When I read the part about her being “too ghetto” and “African American women have worked decades to overcome”, I knew I was done with it. I’m not the biggest fan of Tamar, but I won’t support a talk show that where producers use coded language. They want to make the show whiter and that’s fine, but the ratings for this show will be on a steady decline. They most likely won’t make it to a fourth season.
This is the same wench that mocked blue ivy’s hair and her blackness. she’s getting 0 sympathy from me. Girl bye
exactly, she lost me on the episode she said she didn’t like her hair and wanted tamera’s. she isn’t “too black” she’s just ignorant to the point of making viewers like myself uncomfortable.
Tamar is ANNOYING. Point. Blank. Period. The end.
Lol, Its called a DVR. Who watches tv on a regular schedule in 2016. Working people watch daytime tv too.. DVR it lady, lol
To those Obama critics who think he hasn’t done enough for Blacks, let this be a lesson in how being Black in a national spot light is a very slippery slope.
It’s obvious to me that Tamar is playing a character. Yes she’s extra but not so over the top on BFV or T&V. IMO she goes overboard The Real because they want her to. Why “fire” someone without a warning? I’m quite sure if they told her to tone it down she would have. I mean did I watch DWTS when she was on? That’s a prime example of her toned down.
She got canned because nobody wants to hear the nonintellectual vocabulary that values style over substance.
I understood the article to say that she was using a lot of “gay” vernacular words; not black.
Thanks for the spelling correction. I have always been sloppy with spelling. The thing is like I said I don’t go around correcting people because I just don’t care. As I said you don’t know me or my job so your point about how it affects me on the job is mere speculation. my paycheck depends on getting people to speak to me in a place where I am treated as an outsider just for how I speak. Hence job performance issue. As for the second language I was giving another example of about some people being hostile based on… Read more »
–“As I said you don’t know me or my job so your point about how it affects me on the job is mere speculation. my paycheck depends on getting people to speak to me in a place where I am treated as an outsider just for how I speak. Hence job performance issue.”–So I can speculate that you work for a hood job. Got it! –” As for the second language I was giving another example of about some people being hostile based on the way people speak. Do you have a foreign accent? Plenty of people who do find that… Read more »
LOL I don’t know what you consider hood but yeah sure have at it. You were the one who brought up my job, and I responded to it. If you are unaware that some jobs depend heavily on building community relationships with people then I will do my own assuming that you are oblivious. If you think not speaking the way most people around you speak can never be a professional detriment then I will also assume you have never worked for a non-profit, civil rights, or political organization. I have a black friend from Seattle who is dealing with… Read more »
“LOL I don’t know what you consider hood but yeah sure have at it. You were the one who brought up my job, and I responded to it.”–Seeing that my initial comment about your job status was to someone else and not you, cool. ” If you are unaware that some jobs depend heavily on building community relationships with people then I will do my own assuming that you are oblivious.”–Thanks for the confirmation on the hood job status. I’m no longer oblivious. “If you think not speaking the way most people around you speak can never be a professional detriment… Read more »
As said in my first post I think all speech patterns are environment based unless you are someone who purposely tries to change the way you speak. It’s not race. I don’t believe in AA vernacular English. oh well. I also don’t believe there is any such thing as “talking white”. These are things I said that are said to me and coming from anyone equally irks me. However, the problem is more some people refusing to talk to me because of it, and I work for an organization. Isn’t saying regional vernacular English a complete contradiction to saying aa… Read more »
–“As said in my first post I think all speech patterns are environment based unless you are someone who purposely tries to change the way you speak”–No you did not. You might want to reread your first post again. –” I don’t believe in AA vernacular English. oh well. I also don’t believe there is any such thing as “talking white”. These are things I said that are said to me and coming from anyone equally irks me. However, the problem is more some people refusing to talk to me because of it, and I work for an organization. Isn’t saying… Read more »
Yes you are right. I wrote in response to another commenter. It was before I responded to your first comment so I thought you knew. My mistake. So you know. I don’t believe in AA Vernacular English. I read the BGLH article. I saw it said AAVE, and I omitted it on purpose. I know plenty of people who are not black who speak exactly how so called AAVE is described so I think associating it or any other manner of speaking with a race is bs. In fact I have long made it clear many times in articles on… Read more »
“Yes you are right. I wrote in response to another commenter. It was before I responded to your first comment so I thought you knew. My mistake. So you know. I don’t believe in AA Vernacular English. I read the BGLH article. I saw it said AAVE, and I omitted it on purpose. I know plenty of people who are not black who speak exactly how so called AAVE is described so I think associating it or any other manner of speaking with a race is bs. In fact I have long made it clear many times in articles on… Read more »
Ok, “an urgent or emotional request for something. The boy’s parents have made an emotional plea for him to come home.” This is N/A. “Appeals to emotion are intended to draw visceral feelings from the acquirer of the information. And in turn, the acquirer of the information is intended to be convinced that the statements that were presented in the fallacious argument are true.” N/A. My argument that speaking differently from the majority around you can affect your job is true. LOL I’ve been talking all along of a cultural norm within the rural South. People from the rural South (an… Read more »
Acting black and black vernacular is only cool when white people do it, don’t cha know