Does Paula Deen Really Have To Go On An Apology Tour?

[Sunshine]

You don't get out much do you?

And redneck in your opinion is not racial? I think your opinion is pretty narrow minded and you seem a little bigoted.

The word ****** is racist. Honky and Cracker (although I have not heard those terms in a long time) is racist.

TO ME redneck is not racist. It is more a lifestyle. IN MY OPINION. It certainly is nothing even close to a word that was created to degrade an entire race of people like the word ******.

IN MY OPINION. On the other hand, I am black. When whites call each other rednecks, is it racist? Is it racist for a black person to call a white one that? I dont know. I dont do it myself. I dont think it is. Is it a term of endearment because someone as G rated as foxworthy says it with pride? I dont know. Its not really any of my business and honestly, I dont care since I dont call ANYONE that.

Do you not understand what I am saying here.

I understand. The "N" word was not created to be racist any more than "German" was created to be racist. It was simply a slang word used for slaves, much like "Jew" or "Hispanic".
It only became a pejorative because it was used as such. It's use as a pejorative is rare, these days. Here in Alabama, it is still used though primarily by old folks 70-90 that were raised calling blacks that. It WAS socially accepted in their circle when they were youngsters. People my age and younger rarely use it and when they do, they get, at best a sneer, at worst sternly corrected.

I see the word "redneck" about the same way. When Foxworthy (Hey did you hear he's building a $1/4 billion entertainment complex here in Lower Alabama?) uses "redneck" it's a term of endearment and maybe self description, kind of like blacks using the "N" word amongst themselves.

I guess what I'm trying to say is intent has a lot to do with whether or not a word is racist.
If I was to tell you, "I'm fixin' ta go ta Wallmart." and you reply, "You're starting to sound mighty "redneck, there, Ernie." I wouldn't have a problem. but USE it as a pejorative, and I'll respond about the same way as you would if I said, "Fuck you, NXXXXX!"

I have a neighbor about 1/4 mile up the road. Henry is black and grew up here in LA. Henry is more redneck than I am and I tell him so all the time.

I had a black friend in Nashville who died a year or so ago. I recall her saying that she was officially a redneck when the latch on her truck broke and she wired it shut. I was going to get her a gun rack and Confederate flag, but never found those items cheap enough to be used as a joke. A guarantee she WOULD have put them in her truck.

I never heard her refer to any white people as rednecks, though.

My girlfriends and I don't call one another that. We don't consider ourselves rednecks or hillbillies. Most of us are formally educated and the ones who are not have managed to distinguish themselves in some fashion like being business owners, or writing books.

Now, people DO call me 'Red' as I am a redhead.

 

[Sunshine]

I remember an incident on the no. 24 Bus on York street here in Denver in the early eighties. I was sitting in a seat behind a Black girl and her son. It was kind of cute, he kept peeking up from behind the seat ahead with those big cute brown watery eyes of his. It was cute. But then this 3 year old tyke asks his mom " is that a H-word? I winked at him, and pretended not to notice, his mother told him to shut up. His mother moved them to another seat. I thought of CSNY's song: teach your children well. I got over it. Why can't we do that with NOW? Wink, and get on with it.

I remember an incident on the Green Line going through Allston back in the late 90s. I was sitting about half a car away from an elderly Chinese lady who was sitting by herself. A few seats behind her was a black woman and her 4-5 year old son. This black woman seemed to be paying a lot of attention to the old Chinese lady (peering over and whatnot). At one point she leans over and starts talking into her child's ear for a few minutes. The child then stands up, and with a gentle push from his mother from behind, walks over and in front of the Chinese lady. The child then proceeds to pull back the corners of his eyes, jut out his upper teeth, and dance around in front of the old lady saying "ching chong, ching chong!" in a sing-songy voice. The child's mother is at this point laughing hysterically and clapping her hands in time with the child's performance. The old lady looked to have no idea what was going on and why this kid was acting so strangely, but most of the other passengers were stunned into silence for a moment not believing our eyes. A number of passengers started to stand up just as the train reached the next stop and the woman and child got off. As the train continued on, some of the passengers exchanged silent glances as if to say "wtf? did that just happen?" The old Chinese lady seemed fairly oblivious to the whole thing (or else had a killer poker face).

In addition to anger and outrage, I felt deeply disappointed that this woman, who I don't doubt had been subject to racism more than a few times in her own life, would do this to her own child (not to mention being so disrespectful to an elderly woman). It brought to mind the phenomenon of a person abused as a child later going on to abuse their own children.

It's hard to be optimistic about the human condition sometimes.

I was 55 when I went to China. I really expected not to be able to keep up with the rest of the entourage. But I learned when I got there that we had been invited by the Chinese nurses to teach their nurses because we were 'older nurse authorities.' The oldest in our group was 76. Most were older than me. None were under 30. The Chinese handled us like we were gold. I thought of that when I had my rotator cuff surgery and no one at WalMart would help me get my groceries to the car and when I was still using a walker after knee replacement and other customers would about knock me down to get around me.

 

[Pheonixops]

I remember an incident on the no. 24 Bus on York street here in Denver in the early eighties. I was sitting in a seat behind a Black girl and her son. It was kind of cute, he kept peeking up from behind the seat ahead with those big cute brown watery eyes of his. It was cute. But then this 3 year old tyke asks his mom " is that a H-word? I winked at him, and pretended not to notice, his mother told him to shut up. His mother moved them to another seat. I thought of CSNY's song: teach your children well. I got over it. Why can't we do that with NOW? Wink, and get on with it.

I remember an incident on the Green Line going through Allston back in the late 90s. I was sitting about half a car away from an elderly Chinese lady who was sitting by herself. A few seats behind her was a black woman and her 4-5 year old son. This black woman seemed to be paying a lot of attention to the old Chinese lady (peering over and whatnot). At one point she leans over and starts talking into her child's ear for a few minutes. The child then stands up, and with a gentle push from his mother from behind, walks over and in front of the Chinese lady. The child then proceeds to pull back the corners of his eyes, jut out his upper teeth, and dance around in front of the old lady saying "ching chong, ching chong!" in a sing-songy voice. The child's mother is at this point laughing hysterically and clapping her hands in time with the child's performance. The old lady looked to have no idea what was going on and why this kid was acting so strangely, but most of the other passengers were stunned into silence for a moment not believing our eyes. A number of passengers started to stand up just as the train reached the next stop and the woman and child got off. As the train continued on, some of the passengers exchanged silent glances as if to say "wtf? did that just happen?" The old Chinese lady seemed fairly oblivious to the whole thing (or else had a killer poker face).

In addition to anger and outrage, I felt deeply disappointed that this woman, who I don't doubt had been subject to racism more than a few times in her own life, would do this to her own child (not to mention being so disrespectful to an elderly woman). It brought to mind the phenomenon of a person abused as a child later going on to abuse their own children.

It's hard to be optimistic about the human condition sometimes.

That's a disgusting story, it really pisses me of when people who were or are discriminated against because of their race turn around and act just like their oppressors. I'm not a boisterous person, but I definitely would have said something to that lady along the lines of what I said above...........................

 

[daveman]

I wonder if pickaninny or aunt jemima is considered racist?

[...]

I usually refer to Condoleeza Rice as George W. Bush's personal pickaninny and to Colin Powell as a house ******. I realize it is offensive to do so -- which I intend it to be. But doing so has absolutely no bearing on my feelings toward Black people in general.

It's okay. The left approves of racism toward black conservatives.

 

[Huey]

******.

"wigger"

 

[Zona]

The word ****** is racist. Honky and Cracker (although I have not heard those terms in a long time) is racist.

TO ME redneck is not racist. It is more a lifestyle. IN MY OPINION. It certainly is nothing even close to a word that was created to degrade an entire race of people like the word ******.

IN MY OPINION. On the other hand, I am black. When whites call each other rednecks, is it racist? Is it racist for a black person to call a white one that? I dont know. I dont do it myself. I dont think it is. Is it a term of endearment because someone as G rated as foxworthy says it with pride? I dont know. Its not really any of my business and honestly, I dont care since I dont call ANYONE that.

Do you not understand what I am saying here.

I understand. The "N" word was not created to be racist any more than "German" was created to be racist. It was simply a slang word used for slaves, much like "Jew" or "Hispanic".
It only became a pejorative because it was used as such. It's use as a pejorative is rare, these days. Here in Alabama, it is still used though primarily by old folks 70-90 that were raised calling blacks that. It WAS socially accepted in their circle when they were youngsters. People my age and younger rarely use it and when they do, they get, at best a sneer, at worst sternly corrected.

I see the word "redneck" about the same way. When Foxworthy (Hey did you hear he's building a $1/4 billion entertainment complex here in Lower Alabama?) uses "redneck" it's a term of endearment and maybe self description, kind of like blacks using the "N" word amongst themselves.

I guess what I'm trying to say is intent has a lot to do with whether or not a word is racist.
If I was to tell you, "I'm fixin' ta go ta Wallmart." and you reply, "You're starting to sound mighty "redneck, there, Ernie." I wouldn't have a problem. but USE it as a pejorative, and I'll respond about the same way as you would if I said, "Fuck you, NXXXXX!"

I have a neighbor about 1/4 mile up the road. Henry is black and grew up here in LA. Henry is more redneck than I am and I tell him so all the time.

I had a black friend in Nashville who died a year or so ago. I recall her saying that she was officially a redneck when the latch on her truck broke and she wired it shut. I was going to get her a gun rack and Confederate flag, but never found those items cheap enough to be used as a joke. A guarantee she WOULD have put them in her truck.

I never heard her refer to any white people as rednecks, though.

My girlfriends and I don't call one another that. We don't consider ourselves rednecks or hillbillies. Most of us are formally educated and the ones who are not have managed to distinguish themselves in some fashion like being business owners, or writing books.

Now, people DO call me 'Red' as I am a redhead.

From a black perspective...(mine)... I do know blacks from the south. Arkansas. They (the ones I know) call themselves "country".

It goes something like this...Wow your so damn Country. Is that racist as well? I dont feel as though it is. Its a lifestyle. Just like I think calling someone a redneck is.

That is just my opinion.

 

[Zarius]

The word "******" is the foot in the door to controlling speech. Eventually, they will pass a law that criminalizes the use of the word (by whites). Once that door is opened, there will be a flood of outlawed words to follow.

Yea that's it. Free speech. Tea party folks want a world that would accept you walking into a McDonald's and saying "Hi ******,I'll take a number three".

 

[katsteve2012]

The word "******" is the foot in the door to controlling speech. Eventually, they will pass a law that criminalizes the use of the word (by whites). Once that door is opened, there will be a flood of outlawed words to follow.

Yea that's it. Free speech. Tea party folks want a world that would accept you walking into a McDonald's and saying "Hi ******,I'll take a number three".

Lol! Now THAT was funny.

 

[MikeK]

The word "******" is the foot in the door to controlling speech. Eventually, they will pass a law that criminalizes the use of the word (by whites). Once that door is opened, there will be a flood of outlawed words to follow.

Yea that's it. Free speech. Tea party folks want a world that would accept you walking into a McDonald's and saying "Hi ******,I'll take a number three".

And that would call for a well-deserved cup of hot coffee, or a fist, right in the face. So I don't think your scenario would ever evolve.

There is a difference between academic and pejorative use of words. To use the word ****** directly and insultingly is wrong and provocative and to do so is inviting the appropriate response.

 

[Foxfyre]

I understand. The "N" word was not created to be racist any more than "German" was created to be racist. It was simply a slang word used for slaves, much like "Jew" or "Hispanic".
It only became a pejorative because it was used as such. It's use as a pejorative is rare, these days. Here in Alabama, it is still used though primarily by old folks 70-90 that were raised calling blacks that. It WAS socially accepted in their circle when they were youngsters. People my age and younger rarely use it and when they do, they get, at best a sneer, at worst sternly corrected.

I see the word "redneck" about the same way. When Foxworthy (Hey did you hear he's building a $1/4 billion entertainment complex here in Lower Alabama?) uses "redneck" it's a term of endearment and maybe self description, kind of like blacks using the "N" word amongst themselves.

I guess what I'm trying to say is intent has a lot to do with whether or not a word is racist.
If I was to tell you, "I'm fixin' ta go ta Wallmart." and you reply, "You're starting to sound mighty "redneck, there, Ernie." I wouldn't have a problem. but USE it as a pejorative, and I'll respond about the same way as you would if I said, "Fuck you, NXXXXX!"

I have a neighbor about 1/4 mile up the road. Henry is black and grew up here in LA. Henry is more redneck than I am and I tell him so all the time.

I had a black friend in Nashville who died a year or so ago. I recall her saying that she was officially a redneck when the latch on her truck broke and she wired it shut. I was going to get her a gun rack and Confederate flag, but never found those items cheap enough to be used as a joke. A guarantee she WOULD have put them in her truck.

I never heard her refer to any white people as rednecks, though.

My girlfriends and I don't call one another that. We don't consider ourselves rednecks or hillbillies. Most of us are formally educated and the ones who are not have managed to distinguish themselves in some fashion like being business owners, or writing books.

Now, people DO call me 'Red' as I am a redhead.

From a black perspective...(mine)... I do know blacks from the south. Arkansas. They (the ones I know) call themselves "country".

It goes something like this...Wow your so damn Country. Is that racist as well? I dont feel as though it is. Its a lifestyle. Just like I think calling someone a redneck is.

That is just my opinion.

But let's look at that from the broader perspective. It is your opinion that 'redneck' is not a racist or perjorative term in most cases. And by implication would it be safe to assume that your interpretation of the term is the one that should count when you use it?

So does that same understanding of intent apply to somebody like Paula Deen? Somebody raised in the south, brought up in that culture, most likely doesn't have a racist bone in her body, and her choice of phrases and words mean something quite different to a race-based activist than they mean to her. What should be our collective attitude about something like that? Because she isn't 100% PC smart, she must be branded a racist whether she is or not?

 

[alpine]

Does Paula Deen Really Have To Go On An Apology Tour?

No she doesn't, unless she wants to keep her good paying job on a public tv station profiting off of the community, including black people.

Otherwise, she is free to go live her life, off of the tv screen. Last time I checked, you don't get jailed using the word.

I don't get all this fuzz...

 

[Foxfyre]

Does Paula Deen Really Have To Go On An Apology Tour?

No she doesn't, unless she wants to keep her good paying job on a public tv station profiting off of the community, including black people.

Otherwise, she is free to go live her life, off of the tv screen. Last time I checked, you don't get jailed using the word.

I don't get all this fuzz...

The 'fuzz' is related to the justice/tolerance/sense of fair play of we the people. Do we get to interpret somebody else's meaning and forgive and/or condemn him/her based on how we hear it rather than on how somebody else intended it? Does a moral and just society take the power to ruin somebody for being un-PC? For instance Zona doesn't think of or interpret "redneck" as Sunshine does. Because he doesn't see the term as perjorative and she does, who gets to set the definition?

I can accept Zona's definition of the word and it won't bother me if he uses it. If he uses it directed at Sunshine knowing how she feels about it and how she defines it, that is a different matter.

My whole problem with this whole thing is the demands of a few that everybody toe the line re what words we are and are not allowed to use, most especially when who gets to use a word is determined by skin color. That is not the way I want my America to be.

 

[Papageorgio]

I understand. The "N" word was not created to be racist any more than "German" was created to be racist. It was simply a slang word used for slaves, much like "Jew" or "Hispanic".
It only became a pejorative because it was used as such. It's use as a pejorative is rare, these days. Here in Alabama, it is still used though primarily by old folks 70-90 that were raised calling blacks that. It WAS socially accepted in their circle when they were youngsters. People my age and younger rarely use it and when they do, they get, at best a sneer, at worst sternly corrected.

I see the word "redneck" about the same way. When Foxworthy (Hey did you hear he's building a $1/4 billion entertainment complex here in Lower Alabama?) uses "redneck" it's a term of endearment and maybe self description, kind of like blacks using the "N" word amongst themselves.

I guess what I'm trying to say is intent has a lot to do with whether or not a word is racist.
If I was to tell you, "I'm fixin' ta go ta Wallmart." and you reply, "You're starting to sound mighty "redneck, there, Ernie." I wouldn't have a problem. but USE it as a pejorative, and I'll respond about the same way as you would if I said, "Fuck you, NXXXXX!"

I have a neighbor about 1/4 mile up the road. Henry is black and grew up here in LA. Henry is more redneck than I am and I tell him so all the time.

I had a black friend in Nashville who died a year or so ago. I recall her saying that she was officially a redneck when the latch on her truck broke and she wired it shut. I was going to get her a gun rack and Confederate flag, but never found those items cheap enough to be used as a joke. A guarantee she WOULD have put them in her truck.

I never heard her refer to any white people as rednecks, though.

My girlfriends and I don't call one another that. We don't consider ourselves rednecks or hillbillies. Most of us are formally educated and the ones who are not have managed to distinguish themselves in some fashion like being business owners, or writing books.

Now, people DO call me 'Red' as I am a redhead.

From a black perspective...(mine)... I do know blacks from the south. Arkansas. They (the ones I know) call themselves "country".

It goes something like this...Wow your so damn Country. Is that racist as well? I dont feel as though it is. Its a lifestyle. Just like I think calling someone a redneck is.

That is just my opinion.

The very definition of redneck, the way the real world views it, that should be enough for a person of any sensitivity, or logic, or even with a brain to consider redneck a racial term. Your excusing it as no big deal and your reaction to the n word speaks volumes of your bias and bigotry.

 

[Papageorgio]

Does Paula Deen Really Have To Go On An Apology Tour?

No she doesn't, unless she wants to keep her good paying job on a public tv station profiting off of the community, including black people.

Otherwise, she is free to go live her life, off of the tv screen. Last time I checked, you don't get jailed using the word.

I don't get all this fuzz...

The 'fuzz' is related to the justice/tolerance/sense of fair play of we the people. Do we get to interpret somebody else's meaning? For instance Zona doesn't think of or interpret "redneck" as Sunshine does. Because he doesn't see the term as perjorative and she does, who gets to set the definition?

I can accept Zona's definition of the word and it won't bother me if he uses it. If he uses it directed at Sunshine knowing how she feels about it and how she defines it, that is a different matter.

My whole problem with this whole thing is the demands of a few that everybody toe the line re what words we are and are not allowed to use, most especially when who gets to use a word is determined by skin color. That is not the way I want my America to be.

The very definition of redneck, makes it a racial term. One doesn't get to decide what is a racial slur and what is not.

Zona's ignorance does not change the meaning of the word. It is a slur, just as the n word is a slur, no matter how ignorant the person saying it is.

 

[Samson]

Looks like we all need to be extra sensative about who we call *******, queers, *****, chinks, kikes, and crackas.




OOps.

 

[Foxfyre]

No she doesn't, unless she wants to keep her good paying job on a public tv station profiting off of the community, including black people.

Otherwise, she is free to go live her life, off of the tv screen. Last time I checked, you don't get jailed using the word.

I don't get all this fuzz...

The 'fuzz' is related to the justice/tolerance/sense of fair play of we the people. Do we get to interpret somebody else's meaning? For instance Zona doesn't think of or interpret "redneck" as Sunshine does. Because he doesn't see the term as perjorative and she does, who gets to set the definition?

I can accept Zona's definition of the word and it won't bother me if he uses it. If he uses it directed at Sunshine knowing how she feels about it and how she defines it, that is a different matter.

My whole problem with this whole thing is the demands of a few that everybody toe the line re what words we are and are not allowed to use, most especially when who gets to use a word is determined by skin color. That is not the way I want my America to be.

The very definition of redneck, makes it a racial term. One doesn't get to decide what is a racial slur and what is not.

Zona's ignorance does not change the meaning of the word. It is a slur, just as the n word is a slur, no matter how ignorant the person saying it is.

Well, as much as it amazes me that I am in the really REALLY uncomfortable position of defending Zona )), he and I are on the same page on that one. "Redneck" is a term I use fairly frequently, both in fun and as an affectionate term, and while I understand the racial connotations and origins of the term, that is not what I am thinking about when I use the term. I am thinking of the humorous side of some of the corny things we or our friends or family do that somebody like Jeff Foxworthy would have a ball with. And I sometimes think of it as rugged patriotism and individualism and love of country in ways that many now consider politically incorrect. In both cases, for me, it is a term of endearment.

I can see how Zona does not see it as a perjorative and I can accept that.

I can see how Sunshine or you do see it as a perjorative and I can respect that too.

The point is, who gets to decide what somebody means when they use a term like Redneck? Or use language in any other way, with perfectly innocent intent, that others hear as politically incorrect? And who gets to decide who gets a pass for committing a PC faux pas and who must be destroyed?

 

[Gracie]

Well...I learned that redneck is a slur and I have used that term often, similar to what blacks call each other in rap songs and amongst themselves (nigga).....so one positive note came of this whole thing. I learned it's crude to use the term redneck. It never struck me as racist or rude. Until now.

And if, at 60 years old, this old dog learned a new trick at what is considered taboo...maybe an older dog (Paula) learned from it too. Should I be fired if I worked in a public field for using redneck? Yes, although I wouldn't dream of calling a customer "hey redneck! Anything I can do for you?" or it came to public attention I called my gardener "redneck" or wanted a wedding for my son to be "nothing but rednecks complete with jacuzzis made out of plastic liner in the bed of trucks for the guests". My boss would have control over who he/she would want representing their company. I also wouldn't go running around apologizing, either. I would just say "I didn't realize. It won't happen again", but I wouldn't grovel. What is, is.

Anyway...I think FN will change their minds. She will be back. I think everyone is fed up with the double standards over that word. Paula is the proverbial straw on the camels back. And if they do take her back. Great. I still won't watch her. Which is MY prerogative, just as it is for those who enjoy her cooking, will watch.

As someone else said in one of the many threads about this....there are other issues far more important to get all excited about. What happens to some celeb is not one of them.

 

[Gracie]

The 'fuzz' is related to the justice/tolerance/sense of fair play of we the people. Do we get to interpret somebody else's meaning? For instance Zona doesn't think of or interpret "redneck" as Sunshine does. Because he doesn't see the term as perjorative and she does, who gets to set the definition?

I can accept Zona's definition of the word and it won't bother me if he uses it. If he uses it directed at Sunshine knowing how she feels about it and how she defines it, that is a different matter.

My whole problem with this whole thing is the demands of a few that everybody toe the line re what words we are and are not allowed to use, most especially when who gets to use a word is determined by skin color. That is not the way I want my America to be.

The very definition of redneck, makes it a racial term. One doesn't get to decide what is a racial slur and what is not.

Zona's ignorance does not change the meaning of the word. It is a slur, just as the n word is a slur, no matter how ignorant the person saying it is.

Well, as much as it amazes me that I am in the really REALLY uncomfortable position of defending Zona )), he and I are on the same page on that one. "Redneck" is a term I use fairly frequently, both in fun and as an affectionate term, and while I understand the racial connotations and origins of the term, that is not what I am thinking about when I use the term. I am thinking of the humorous side of some of the corny things we or our friends or family do that somebody like Jeff Foxworthy would have a ball with. And I sometimes think of it as rugged patriotism and individualism and love of country in ways that many now consider politically incorrect. In both cases, for me, it is a term of endearment.

I can see how Zona does not see it as a perjorative and I can accept that.

I can see how Sunshine or you do see it as a perjorative and I can respect that too.

The point is, who gets to decide what somebody means when they use a term like Redneck? Or use language in any other way, with perfectly innocent intent, that others hear as politically incorrect? And who gets to decide who gets a pass for committing a PC faux pas and who must be destroyed?

As usual, you said it much better than I did. Thank you.

 

[Foxfyre]

Well...I learned that redneck is a slur and I have used that term often, similar to what blacks call each other in rap songs and amongst themselves (nigga).....so one positive note came of this whole thing. I learned it's crude to use the term redneck. It never struck me as racist or rude. Until now.

And if, at 60 years old, this old dog learned a new trick at what is considered taboo...maybe an older dog (Paula) learned from it too. Should I be fired if I worked in a public field for using redneck? Yes, although I wouldn't dream of calling a customer "hey redneck! Anything I can do for you?" or it came to public attention I called my gardener "redneck" or wanted a wedding for my son to be "nothing but rednecks complete with jacuzzis made out of plastic liner in the bed of trucks for the guests". My boss would have control over who he/she would want representing their company. I also wouldn't go running around apologizing, either. I would just say "I didn't realize. It won't happen again", but I wouldn't grovel. What is, is.

Anyway...I think FN will change their minds. She will be back. I think everyone is fed up with the double standards over that word. Paula is the proverbial straw on the camels back. And if they do take her back. Great. I still won't watch her. Which is MY prerogative, just as it is for those who enjoy her cooking, will watch.

As someone else said in one of the many threads about this....there are other issues far more important to get all excited about. What happens to some celeb is not one of them.

But even you seem to be missing the point Gracie. I can accept that YOU see Redneck as a perjorative term. Can you accept that I can use it in ways that are not? That those I call 'redneck" know exactly what I mean and are not in the least offended? Of course I wouldn't call a stranger by 'redneck' or any other descriptive term. You just don't do that. But I would fully expect to be able to go on a talk show and explain what redneck means to me without being crucified for my opinion.

Sometime back, some public figured referred to a woman as 'beautiful" and was immediately called out for a sexist remark. She was quick to respond that she didn't mind being called 'beautiful" and that one blew over fairly quickly, but it did illustrate how hypersensitive as a society we have become.

In my opinion it is one of several factors that keeps racism, sexism, and other ugly 'isms alive and well.

 

[Gracie]

Well...I learned that redneck is a slur and I have used that term often, similar to what blacks call each other in rap songs and amongst themselves (nigga).....so one positive note came of this whole thing. I learned it's crude to use the term redneck. It never struck me as racist or rude. Until now.

And if, at 60 years old, this old dog learned a new trick at what is considered taboo...maybe an older dog (Paula) learned from it too. Should I be fired if I worked in a public field for using redneck? Yes, although I wouldn't dream of calling a customer "hey redneck! Anything I can do for you?" or it came to public attention I called my gardener "redneck" or wanted a wedding for my son to be "nothing but rednecks complete with jacuzzis made out of plastic liner in the bed of trucks for the guests". My boss would have control over who he/she would want representing their company. I also wouldn't go running around apologizing, either. I would just say "I didn't realize. It won't happen again", but I wouldn't grovel. What is, is.

Anyway...I think FN will change their minds. She will be back. I think everyone is fed up with the double standards over that word. Paula is the proverbial straw on the camels back. And if they do take her back. Great. I still won't watch her. Which is MY prerogative, just as it is for those who enjoy her cooking, will watch.

As someone else said in one of the many threads about this....there are other issues far more important to get all excited about. What happens to some celeb is not one of them.

But even you seem to be missing the point Gracie. I can accept that YOU see Redneck as a perjorative term. Can you accept that I can use it in ways that are not? That those I call 'redneck" know exactly what I mean and are not in the least offended? Of course I wouldn't call a stranger by 'redneck' or any other descriptive term. You just don't do that. But I would fully expect to be able to go on a talk show and explain what redneck means to me without being crucified for my opinion.

Sometime back, some public figured referred to a woman as 'beautiful" and was immediately called out for a sexist remark. She was quick to respond that she didn't mind being called 'beautiful" and that one blew over fairly quickly, but it did illustrate how hypersensitive as a society we have become.

In my opinion it is one of several factors that keeps racism, sexism, and other ugly 'isms alive and well.

Maybe I didn't express it well enough, but I use the term the same way you do. Not as an insult at all to those I say it to. But it could be construed as hateful by those who hear me say it and not understand the context of why I said it. And yes, I can relate to what you said because I am in the same proverbial boat.