Boss
Take a Memo:
So Paula Deen, who grew up in the Southern United States, at some point in her life, used a racial slur... the "N" word. Is this surprising to you? I think most people in the South have said the word at least once, it's not like the word automatically means you are a racist to the core and no amount of time can ever change that. Some people, do indeed feel ashamed for using that word in the past, and realize they were wrong. Not just about the word, but about their attitude. Some people actually grow through their life experiences, and become better in character as people, as they mature. Racism is a belief that one race is superior or inferior to another, it has nothing to do with colloquial or socially-inclined language, or youthful ignorance.
I grew up in southern culture, around white people who used the word freely in private, and every now and then, in public as well. They would let one slip out, and cringe, while looking around to see if any black folk were nearby. I don't know if they were racists, or if they ever repented, I don't have the ability to see inside their heart. I can only go by my own heart and life experience. I won't say that I never used the word, but I never felt comfortable saying it, every time that it came from my lips, it felt awkward and wrong. I don't recall ever saying it as an adult. I know that I am not a racist, I don't believe we have race anymore, we're all part of the universal gene pool now.
What is happening to Paula Deen is appalling to me. It's the same thing that happened to Jimmy The Greek, who made some off-key comment about Africans being bred as naturally better athletes, or something. The firestorm which ensued, ended his public life for good. They are destroying Paula the same way, because these are the scapegoats. The examples to be made that we have 'overcome' our racism, when nothing is further from the truth. Every now and then, a sacrificial lamb has to be offered up, so that the institutional racism can continue with a clear conscience.
Take the food biz, for example. Paula Deen made a fortune on her cooking shows, featuring cuisine that largely came from Western Africa, and was brought to this country by slaves. Barbecue, a Southern tradition... came from Africa. But this story is never told. Plantation museums feature blacks as "servants" while every single morsel of the food on the elaborate dining table, was literally "slaved over in the kitchen" which was detached from the main house. What black people have contributed to Southern food culture, is completely ignored, while people like Paula Deen get wealthy off the heritage. I can get far more upset with Paula for this, than for using the "N" word.
I can never forget the first time I had "soul food" in Mississippi. It shocked me, because I was expecting to have something I never had, and it was just like what my grandmother used to cook. I always called it "old-fashioned" cooking. So much of what we call "southern culture" is the result of influence from African culture. Promoters and marketers avoid honesty to play to a white market. Cheerio's recently pulled a commercial because it featured a biracial couple and their mixed child, and this was viewed as too controversial. ...But you see, they've sacrificed Paula for saying the "N" word, so it's all okay!
I grew up in southern culture, around white people who used the word freely in private, and every now and then, in public as well. They would let one slip out, and cringe, while looking around to see if any black folk were nearby. I don't know if they were racists, or if they ever repented, I don't have the ability to see inside their heart. I can only go by my own heart and life experience. I won't say that I never used the word, but I never felt comfortable saying it, every time that it came from my lips, it felt awkward and wrong. I don't recall ever saying it as an adult. I know that I am not a racist, I don't believe we have race anymore, we're all part of the universal gene pool now.
What is happening to Paula Deen is appalling to me. It's the same thing that happened to Jimmy The Greek, who made some off-key comment about Africans being bred as naturally better athletes, or something. The firestorm which ensued, ended his public life for good. They are destroying Paula the same way, because these are the scapegoats. The examples to be made that we have 'overcome' our racism, when nothing is further from the truth. Every now and then, a sacrificial lamb has to be offered up, so that the institutional racism can continue with a clear conscience.
Take the food biz, for example. Paula Deen made a fortune on her cooking shows, featuring cuisine that largely came from Western Africa, and was brought to this country by slaves. Barbecue, a Southern tradition... came from Africa. But this story is never told. Plantation museums feature blacks as "servants" while every single morsel of the food on the elaborate dining table, was literally "slaved over in the kitchen" which was detached from the main house. What black people have contributed to Southern food culture, is completely ignored, while people like Paula Deen get wealthy off the heritage. I can get far more upset with Paula for this, than for using the "N" word.
I can never forget the first time I had "soul food" in Mississippi. It shocked me, because I was expecting to have something I never had, and it was just like what my grandmother used to cook. I always called it "old-fashioned" cooking. So much of what we call "southern culture" is the result of influence from African culture. Promoters and marketers avoid honesty to play to a white market. Cheerio's recently pulled a commercial because it featured a biracial couple and their mixed child, and this was viewed as too controversial. ...But you see, they've sacrificed Paula for saying the "N" word, so it's all okay!