Relax, Paula Deen is just being Jimmy The Greeked!

[Pogo]

I said in another thread that it seems like she needs to revise and adapt the way she runs her business. She started with nothing, delivering sandwiches and then the restaurant. What may have been ok in the beginning is clearly not working now.

I don't know, I think that is sort of like saying someone needs to tell Oprah and Trump how to run a business, the woman obviously did something very right, she was a major success. The only reason anything "isn't working now" is because it was revealed she said a bad word once, and described a man's blackness.

The comment about 'he is blacker than that board' makes me think she is 'locked into the stereotypical Southern' personna. I don't find it quaint or charming, personally. That is her 'schtick'?

I don't think she is a racist but I think she needs to abandon the 'I is what I is' outlook.

Again, we have no context of what she was saying, just that she said something people took offense with. Are we no longer allowed to be socially awkward? If that's the case, I'm in huge fucking trouble, I'll tell you that. Not from racist things, but just saying something before thinking about how it might be interpreted, I am the worlds worst. I'll blurt out... "So when are you expecting?" to a 'seasonally-overindulgent' associate, and get that look of shock from them, to be informed they are indeed, NOT pregnant, thank you very much. I usually follow up with... are you sure? lol... jk. But seriously, I think I can speak for many, we sometimes SAY something without thinking, it doesn't MEAN anything.

Albany, GA---a very small southern town. In some county in that area the town displays the Confederate flag and from time to time there is an article about it. Won't take it down --that sort of stuff. Times have changed.

I am a native Georgian, about Paula Deen's age. It is true --the good and the bad about the South. She didn't need to perpetuate a stereotype that is no longer accurate. I guess that is my point. She is an educated woman, with an empire and needs to demonstrate that--rather than clinging to the Past. jmo.

Yeah, but you don't know anything here... you are projecting a southern stereotype onto Deen for what you perceive she said that was "offensive" and not giving her any benefit of the doubt. Is that fair, in your mind? Would you like to be judged the same?

What the hell is wrong with the Confederate flag? Is removing it going to remove racism? Will it remove the past or change our history in any way, other than to put it out of mind? Again, we are dealing with a SCAPEGOAT.... something you can drag up on the scaffold every so often, and say... LOOK AT US... we're not racist anymore! It's a sham and a lie, and you know it. Instead of spending time trying to have the flag taken down, why not teach youth the roles black people played in the Civil War? I bet you didn't know that much of the crucial scouting for Grant and the Union and Shilo and Manassas, was conducted by black spies, who blended right in with the plantation slaves. Or that the Confederacy had a unit comprised of Native Americans and free blacks, and they never lost a single battle. No, the history books of full of Abe Lincoln and how he fought the Civil War to free the slaves, like some early incarnation of Dr. King. This white-guilt-cleansed version of history, is perhaps the very first 'scapegoat' perpetrated on us, to continue allowing a racially-divided culture and society.

It carries on through the 20th century, and all of the FDR and LBJ programs for the "poor unfortunate minah-tehhs" another "token" for us to parade around and claim we're not racist anymore. Here's another check for you to stay at home and have more black babies without fathers... see, we're not racists anymore. Hey, let's pass a law that people have to hire you because you're black, because... after all, who could ever expect an ignorant black to compete on the same level playing field, see? We're not racists anymore! Bailout and rebuild your failing and corrupt cities over and over again... SURE... we're not racists anymore! And if anyone dares to question or challenge the money we are pouring your way, we'll make sure to call them out as racists, who want to keep you in chains!

Geez, take a breath, dude

There's a whole lot of projection at work, for instance the confederate flag. I see them around here and no, I don't see it as racist in itself. But the poster didn't say that either, and you're projecting onto her post. I suspect just as there's projection of seeing racism where none exists (and there's surely more than enough of that), so there is projection of seeing the seeing of racism where it may not exist (as here).

We are way too sensitive about this shit to the point of irrationality. I myself was called "racist" on this board for simply observing that the demographics of the Fox News audience were predominantly white And if that's not loony enough, another poster came in from outside and actually agreed with it. Methinks we need to calm down and stop with the hallucinations.

 

[Sallow]

I said in another thread that it seems like she needs to revise and adapt the way she runs her business. She started with nothing, delivering sandwiches and then the restaurant. What may have been ok in the beginning is clearly not working now.

I don't know, I think that is sort of like saying someone needs to tell Oprah and Trump how to run a business, the woman obviously did something very right, she was a major success. The only reason anything "isn't working now" is because it was revealed she said a bad word once, and described a man's blackness.



Again, we have no context of what she was saying, just that she said something people took offense with. Are we no longer allowed to be socially awkward? If that's the case, I'm in huge fucking trouble, I'll tell you that. Not from racist things, but just saying something before thinking about how it might be interpreted, I am the worlds worst. I'll blurt out... "So when are you expecting?" to a 'seasonally-overindulgent' associate, and get that look of shock from them, to be informed they are indeed, NOT pregnant, thank you very much. I usually follow up with... are you sure? lol... jk. But seriously, I think I can speak for many, we sometimes SAY something without thinking, it doesn't MEAN anything.

Albany, GA---a very small southern town. In some county in that area the town displays the Confederate flag and from time to time there is an article about it. Won't take it down --that sort of stuff. Times have changed.

I am a native Georgian, about Paula Deen's age. It is true --the good and the bad about the South. She didn't need to perpetuate a stereotype that is no longer accurate. I guess that is my point. She is an educated woman, with an empire and needs to demonstrate that--rather than clinging to the Past. jmo.

Yeah, but you don't know anything here... you are projecting a southern stereotype onto Deen for what you perceive she said that was "offensive" and not giving her any benefit of the doubt. Is that fair, in your mind? Would you like to be judged the same?

What the hell is wrong with the Confederate flag? Is removing it going to remove racism? Will it remove the past or change our history in any way, other than to put it out of mind? Again, we are dealing with a SCAPEGOAT.... something you can drag up on the scaffold every so often, and say... LOOK AT US... we're not racist anymore! It's a sham and a lie, and you know it. Instead of spending time trying to have the flag taken down, why not teach youth the roles black people played in the Civil War? I bet you didn't know that much of the crucial scouting for Grant and the Union and Shilo and Manassas, was conducted by black spies, who blended right in with the plantation slaves. Or that the Confederacy had a unit comprised of Native Americans and free blacks, and they never lost a single battle. No, the history books of full of Abe Lincoln and how he fought the Civil War to free the slaves, like some early incarnation of Dr. King. This white-guilt-cleansed version of history, is perhaps the very first 'scapegoat' perpetrated on us, to continue allowing a racially-divided culture and society.

It carries on through the 20th century, and all of the FDR and LBJ programs for the "poor unfortunate minah-tehhs" another "token" for us to parade around and claim we're not racist anymore. Here's another check for you to stay at home and have more black babies without fathers... see, we're not racists anymore. Hey, let's pass a law that people have to hire you because you're black, because... after all, who could ever expect an ignorant black to compete on the same level playing field, see? We're not racists anymore! Bailout and rebuild your failing and corrupt cities over and over again... SURE... we're not racists anymore! And if anyone dares to question or challenge the money we are pouring your way, we'll make sure to call them out as racists, who want to keep you in chains!

Geez, take a breath, dude

There's a whole lot of projection at work, for instance the confederate flag. I see them around here and no, I don't see it as racist in itself. But the poster didn't say that either, and you're projecting onto her post. I suspect just as there's projection of seeing racism where none exists (and there's surely more than enough of that), so there is projection of seeing the seeing of racism where it may not exist (as here).

We are way too sensitive about this shit to the point of irrationality. I myself was called "racist" on this board for simply observing that the demographics of the Fox News audience were predominantly white And if that's not loony enough, another poster came in from outside and actually agreed with it. Methinks we need to calm down and stop with the hallucinations.

The confederate flag is pretty racist.

The south was fighting for the "right" to enslave human beings because of their skin color.

I can't think of anything more despicable, with the possible exception of Nazis.

 

[Boss]

The Confederate flag is a symbol of racism and slavery.

Flying it normalizes both.

I never understood why it isn't illegal to do so.

The confederate flag is pretty racist.

The south was fighting for the "right" to enslave human beings because of their skin color.

I can't think of anything more despicable, with the possible exception of Nazis.

The American Civil War had absolutely NOTHING to do with racism. And slavery was only an issue because it was a LEGAL practice, upheld by the US Supreme Court and every president and Congress up to, and including, Lincoln. The Federal government sought to usurp their own Constitution and confiscate rightfully owned property (which SCOTUS claimed slaves were), and the states rebelled. Had the US government, at any time during their previous 85 year history, chosen to outlaw and ban slavery, there would have been no Civil War. If there was some great northern cry to end slavery, it could have been accomplished very easily by simply boycotting slave-produced cotton. Slavery was ultimately ended by passage of Constitutional Amendments 13 & 14, not the Civil War. It didn't even become "the cause" until late in the game, it began for the North as a war to preserve the Union. When Lee nearly defeated the Union Army, Lincoln had to exploit slavery as the rallying "cause" for which compelled the Union to fight and win.

The south was not fighting for their right to enslave people, that was already the law of the land, according to the US Supreme Court and the US Congress, far before there was EVER a CSA. It was common practice and perfectly legal to own slaves in the US, and always had been. You act as if this wasn't the case, and those pesky Southerners just wouldn't respect the law. But of course, this is an example of public education, where the history books are designed around this "scapegoat" to cast all your guilt of racism away, and pretend that you're not racist anymore. Blame it on the South, those racists bastards who wanted to enslave people because of their skin color... WRONG... they bought people who were already enslaved in legal sales ordained by US courts of law, and it wasn't because of their skin color, it was because they were good for picking cotton.

 

[Sallow]

The Confederate flag is a symbol of racism and slavery.

Flying it normalizes both.

I never understood why it isn't illegal to do so.

The confederate flag is pretty racist.

The south was fighting for the "right" to enslave human beings because of their skin color.

I can't think of anything more despicable, with the possible exception of Nazis.

The American Civil War had absolutely NOTHING to do with racism. And slavery was only an issue because it was a LEGAL practice, upheld by the US Supreme Court and every president and Congress up to, and including, Lincoln. The Federal government sought to usurp their own Constitution and confiscate rightfully owned property (which SCOTUS claimed slaves were), and the states rebelled. Had the US government, at any time during their previous 85 year history, chosen to outlaw and ban slavery, there would have been no Civil War.

Because it was law it wasn't racism? Really? Do you understand exactly what racism is?

Oh gosh.

The south was not fighting for their right to enslave people, that was the law of the land, according to the US Supreme Court and the US Congress, far before there was EVER a CSA. It was common practice and perfectly legal to own slaves in the US. You act as if this wasn't the case, and those pesky Southerners just wouldn't respect the law. But of course, this is an example of public education, where the history books are designed around this "scapegoat" to cast all your guilt of racism away, and pretend that you're not racist anymore. Blame it on the South, those racists who wanted to enslave people because of their skin color... WRONG... they bought people who were already enslaved in legal sales ordained by US courts of law, and it wasn't because of their skin color, it was because they were good for picking cotton.

Yeah..the south was absolutely fighting for the right to enslave people.

They were also the aggressors and they were traitors.

Re writing history doesn't help your cause.

 

[Boss]

Because it was law it wasn't racism? Really? Do you understand exactly what racism is?

Oh gosh.

The US has had all kinds of racist laws, what does that have to do with the CSA? Do you think plantation owners, who legally bought slaves because that's how we harvested cotton, were "racists" while people who didn't buy slaves, weren't? Did any of those people buy slave-produced cotton, or profit from the trade of it in any way? Then they are just as duplicitous. Did all the "non-racists" rise up and demand a Constitutional Amendment from our government before the Civil War?

Yes. I understand what "racism" is, do you? It's the belief that one race is superior or inferior to another, and curious fucking thing about 1860s America, pretty much everyone believed blacks were inferior to whites, including Lincoln himself. See... Here you are attempting to use slavery as the scapegoat... see? we outlawed slavery, we're not racists anymore! The majority of those opposed to slavery, were not opposed because they weren't racists. Most were simply incensed by the abhorrent practice of enslaving humans. I don't like dog fighting...doesn't mean I think dogs should get to vote.

Do you want to know about the first time black people were invited to the White House? A group of black leaders was selected and invited by President Lincoln, a short time before the Civil War. They were not allowed to speak. They met with the President, who informed them of his plan to repatriate freed slaves (and other free black men) to a parcel of land in Central America, which the US had acquisitioned for the endeavor. He wanted to encourage them to support his effort by leading hoards of black people off to some primitive armpit.... far away from the white folk. So this was YOUR guy's idea of "brotherly love" in those days.

Yeah..the south was absolutely fighting for the right to enslave people.

They were also the aggressors and they were traitors.

Re writing history doesn't help your cause.

Well, hard head, no they weren't. They already had the right, it was law of the land. How can they be fighting for something they already had? There was no treason and the South were not aggressors, they simply declared independence. They had no intent of taking control of the Union, overthrowing the Union government or anything else. You will find nothing in any succession document speaking of controlling or even attacking the Union. It was purely defensive posture, we will defend our State sovereignty. So you've not made your case here, and if you would like to submit something to do so, I welcome it.

Rewriting history is exactly what you are doing. But that was my initial point, we have been doing this since the Civil War and Slavery. Hey... Look at us... See? We're not racists anymore!

 

[Sallow]

Because it was law it wasn't racism? Really? Do you understand exactly what racism is?

Oh gosh.

The US has had all kinds of racist laws, what does that have to do with the CSA? Do you think plantation owners, who legally bought slaves because that's how we harvested cotton, were "racists" while people who didn't buy slaves, weren't? Did any of those people buy slave-produced cotton, or profit from the trade of it in any way? Then they are just as duplicitous. Did all the "non-racists" rise up and demand a Constitutional Amendment from our government before the Civil War?

Yes. I understand what "racism" is, do you? It's the belief that one race is superior or inferior to another, and curious fucking thing about 1860s America, pretty much everyone believed blacks were inferior to whites, including Lincoln himself. See... Here you are attempting to use slavery as the scapegoat... see? we outlawed slavery, we're not racists anymore! The majority of those opposed to slavery, were not opposed because they weren't racists. Most were simply incensed by the abhorrent practice of enslaving humans. I don't like dog fighting...doesn't mean I think dogs should get to vote.

Do you want to know about the first time black people were invited to the White House? A group of black leaders was selected and invited by President Lincoln, a short time before the Civil War. They were not allowed to speak. They met with the President, who informed them of his plan to repatriate freed slaves (and other free black men) to a parcel of land in Central America, which the US had acquisitioned for the endeavor. He wanted to encourage them to support his effort by leading hoards of black people off to some primitive armpit.... far away from the white folk. So this was YOUR guy's idea of "brotherly love" in those days.

Yeah..the south was absolutely fighting for the right to enslave people.

They were also the aggressors and they were traitors.

Re writing history doesn't help your cause.

Well, hard head, no they weren't. They already had the right, it was law of the land. How can they be fighting for something they already had? There was no treason and the South were not aggressors, they simply declared independence. They had no intent of taking control of the Union, overthrowing the Union government or anything else. You will find nothing in any succession document speaking of controlling or even attacking the Union. It was purely defensive posture, we will defend our State sovereignty. So you've not made your case here, and if you would like to submit something to do so, I welcome it.

Rewriting history is exactly what you are doing. But that was my initial point, we have been doing this since the Civil War and Slavery. Hey... Look at us... See? We're not racists anymore!

I'm not using slavery as a "scapegoat" and I am not "rewriting" history. You are. The south fired the first shots.

That's what the south was fighting for, the right to enslave human beings. They committed treason to retain that right. And got their asses kicked.

The biggest mistake the North made was reconstruction.

Jefferson Davis and Robert E Lee should have been executed in the slowest and most painful manner. The ground of the south should have been burned and salted. There should have been impaled southern soldiers lining the roads. The most fearful thing in the southern mind should be revolution.

It's not. And that's a problem.

 

[Bfgrn]

I really thought this thread would generate some comments. I guess everyone must be tired of the whole Paula Deen thing? Maybe they are too wrapped up in the next scapegoat, Zimmerman? Yep, I said it, he's another example of someone who is singled out, portrayed as a racist, and our crucification is supposed to cleanse our souls and make us whole again.

Zimmerman ended a human life. That IS a form of 'crucifiction'.

I don't know what all the flap over Deen is. I hear people trying to blame liberals for her situation. She is personally responsible for her situation, and most people forgive her.

But, she is being sanctioned harshly by the market place. She is no longer marketable in the eyes of some corporations. That is not about racism, crucifiction or language. It's about $$$$$

 

[JoeB131]

I really thought this thread would generate some comments. I guess everyone must be tired of the whole Paula Deen thing? Maybe they are too wrapped up in the next scapegoat, Zimmerman? Yep, I said it, he's another example of someone who is singled out, portrayed as a racist, and our crucification is supposed to cleanse our souls and make us whole again.

Zimmerman ended a human life. That IS a form of 'crucifiction'.

I don't know what all the flap over Deen is. I hear people trying to blame liberals for her situation. She is personally responsible for her situation, and most people forgive her.

But, she is being sanctioned harshly by the market place. She is no longer marketable in the eyes of some corporations. That is not about racism, crucifiction or language. It's about $$$$$

Exactly!

What I find amusing is that the very same people who defended to the hilt Mitt Romney looting GS Steel and AmPad, leaving people like Joe Soptic without medical coverage, because, hey, that was "only business" and even tried to defend the practice as "Creative Destruction" are now bemoaning the fact that these top brands don't want their products associated with someone who used a racial slur.

Paula Deen is going to be fine. She's made plenty of money.

 

[editec]

Dean had to go.

She represented the WHITE SOUTHERN CULTURE and she embarrassed that culture by reminding folks that the word "******" (and all the ramifications of that word) was once so much a part of that culture.

The South wants the rest of us to forget that it's former peculiar institution (slavery) ever happened, and using that racial slur is a reminder of those bad old days.

Bad luck for her.

I'm sure she isn't especially any more racist than most people of her age who laud the Southern Culture.

 

[Toro]

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!

Feel free to patronize her business empire.

In the meantime, corporations are free to fire her since they don't want to be associated with a person using the term "******" at her place of work a few years ago.

That's how free market capitalism works.

 

[wavingrl]

wow---I couldn't read all of that.

carry on.

 

[Pogo]

I really thought this thread would generate some comments. I guess everyone must be tired of the whole Paula Deen thing? Maybe they are too wrapped up in the next scapegoat, Zimmerman? Yep, I said it, he's another example of someone who is singled out, portrayed as a racist, and our crucification is supposed to cleanse our souls and make us whole again.

Zimmerman ended a human life. That IS a form of 'crucifiction'.

I don't know what all the flap over Deen is. I hear people trying to blame liberals for her situation. She is personally responsible for her situation, and most people forgive her.

But, she is being sanctioned harshly by the market place. She is no longer marketable in the eyes of some corporations. That is not about racism, crucifiction or language. It's about $$$$$

Therein lieth the irony in these here threads -- a certain faction wants to not only make a damn TV cooking show into a political football, but wants to assign that football to the entire Liburrul team.... and these are the same people always crowing about "individual personal responsibility". Amazing how quickly they can about-face their own logical basis.

You can cut the hypocrisy with a butter knife.

 

[Pogo]

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!

Feel free to patronize her business empire.

In the meantime, corporations are free to fire her since they don't want to be associated with a person using the term "******" at her place of work a few years ago.

That's how free market capitalism works.

Spot on, it is. Although having read the complaint I still think it has more to do with them not wanting to be associated with her enterprises when the gory details of that trial come out -- which have little or nothing to do with what words anyone used and everything to do with employment conditions. They and their lawyers had to have looked over the case and determined that it had enough merit to at the very least receive a future media splash, and no doubt they wanted to distance themselves from that in advance.

Ultimately the same dynamic applies though; it's their business and up to them who they enter into a contract with and which of those are renewed and which aren't - and in the case of advertisers, which ones want the association and which don't.

 

[Boss]

Feel free to patronize her business empire.

In the meantime, corporations are free to fire her since they don't want to be associated with a person using the term "******" at her place of work a few years ago.

That's how free market capitalism works.

Spot on, it is. Although having read the complaint I still think it has more to do with them not wanting to be associated with her enterprises when the gory details of that trial come out -- which have little or nothing to do with what words anyone used and everything to do with employment conditions. They and their lawyers had to have looked over the case and determined that it had enough merit to at the very least receive a future media splash, and no doubt they wanted to distance themselves from that in advance.

Ultimately the same dynamic applies though; it's their business and up to them who they enter into a contract with and which of those are renewed and which aren't - and in the case of advertisers, which ones want the association and which don't.

You are both missing the point I am making, to establish a point that I agree with you on. Yes, I understand how free market capitalism works, and her company or sponsors/advertisers are well within their rights to fire her or disassociate with her, for whatever reason they pick, that are within the law and terms of contract, etc. I am not arguing that.

Were you aware, there was never any law on the books which stated that black people had to ride on the back of the bus? This was not a statute in any state at any time, it was a policy adopted by the bus company, to appeal to white patronage. They did it because it was legal to do it, and they were within their rights, from a capitalist perspective. That didn't make it okay, it was still very wrong and racist.

Advertisers, sponsors and companies, respond to 'public perception' and when we have people like Nancy Grace, 24/7 on 147 channels, doing live coverage on the Plight of Paula, the public's perception can't help but be skewed. 'Back in the Day' we would have never even known about Paula Deen's use of the N word, much less, inclined to reckon our opinions on it. Do you reckon Henry Ford ever muttered the word? We know from biographies, he supported a lot of Hitler's racist rantings, so it's not a stretch to think he may have said the N word around the office. What about LBJ? You think that redneck Texas SOB didn't ever say the N word? Of course, he probably called them "nigrah's" but, we never heard about it.

Now, we get... This is Nancy Grace, reporting LIVE in Savannah, where our crack team of investigative reporters are following Deen's every move, to see what racist thing she will do next... Skip, you're on the scene at her home, have you noticed any racist activities around the Deen household today? Well Nancy, this morning, Deen was spotted throwing away Oreo's in the trashcan outside... not sure what that means, but many speculate it was a statement of some kind....you know what they say about 'oreos'... [Nancy] Were they the "double stack" kind? That would indicate she favors whites over blacks, would it not?

So this constant barrage of 'news-turned-soap-opera' that we seem to be enamored with in our culture these days, has produced what we commonly call "political correctness run amok." We're now using it to single out individuals and offer them up for sacrifice, as a form of entertainment. At some point, perhaps "reality TV," we somehow conflated fantasy with reality, and now we hunger for that sensation like a crack whore. The more "real life" it is, the more we are entertained by the drama. But these are all real people, with real lives and families, careers, hopes, dreams and ambitions, they aren't actors playing a role.

In the end, what purpose is served by destroying Paula Deen's career? Is she any less racist? Do you think she was taught a lesson by it? Most importantly, is it going to make culture and society embrace the contributions of black Americans to food culture and 'southern cuisine' or feature that more prominently in the future? Probably not, it's simply another "scapegoat" we can toss on the fire to illustrate how we're not racist anymore.

At the risk of sounding like I am contradicting myself, because I said that I am not racist, let me say that, by todays standards of what is "racist" I think we all are a little bit. That's not to say we are all racists, but we do have prejudice, it's human nature. I think many today, often mistake simple prejudices for racism, and this prevents us from addressing the really true institutionalized racism we accept everyday. Is there a difference between not wanting to live in a high-crime black neighborhood, and not wanting to work for a company that doesn't promote blacks to management level? Can both be "racist" or not be? Doesn't it depend on a myriad of other details we're not privy to? Or do we now live in George Orwell's world, where everything that is spoken, is filtered through and deemed to be 'appropriate' or 'inappropriate' speech?

 

[Desperado]

Big difference is that Paula Deen said what she said in private.
Jimmy The Greek said it in front of a TV Audience.

 

[Boss]

I'm not using slavery as a "scapegoat" and I am not "rewriting" history. You are. The south fired the first shots.

That's what the south was fighting for, the right to enslave human beings. They committed treason to retain that right. And got their asses kicked.

The biggest mistake the North made was reconstruction.

Jefferson Davis and Robert E Lee should have been executed in the slowest and most painful manner. The ground of the south should have been burned and salted. There should have been impaled southern soldiers lining the roads. The most fearful thing in the southern mind should be revolution.

It's not. And that's a problem.

No one knows who fired the first shots at Ft. Sumter, it has always been in dispute. South Carolina had declared secession from the Union, so the Union had no business occupying the fort. They were being blockaded by Confederate forces when shots rang out, to this day, historians are uncertain as to who fired first. To insinuate that YOU KNOW it was the South, is a lie. You may be saying this through sheer ignorance, or whatever, it's still a LIE.

They did not declare secession to gain the right to enslave people. Slavery was perfectly legal in the United States, and always had been. Abolitionists were small in number at the time, they couldn't ever garner enough political support to end slavery. This wasn't due to just the Southern states rejecting it, it was also Northern politicians who understood the money aspects of our most valuable economic asset, King Cotton. Northern textile industry profited greatly off cheap Southern cotton, and it was our #1 export crop as well. To simply try and rewrite history so that "free thinking" whites up North were non-racist sympathizers to blacks, while all the racists were from the South, is a LIE. Again, it may be a lie out of sheer ignorance, I don't know, but it's a lie nonetheless.

There was no "act of treason" committed on part of the CSA, this is not just my opinion, but the finding of the US government following the war. They took your argument into consideration and disagreed with your opinion. Rightly so, I believe.

 

[tinydancer]

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!

Now you are addressing southern cuisine as slave food but there are differences. Many differences.

Creole and Cajun for just one quick example. And they are very different cuisines.

But food prepared by servants/slaves world wide completely affected the culinary tastes of the elite depending on the country.

For example, on my mothers side from the Ukraine and Russia borscht is considered a peasant food.

And yet in the finest restaurants in Moscow, you will find borscht. Basically we are talking field food. Beets potatoes with a hit of meat if any my ancestors were lucky enough to have a rib or too to throw in for stock.

But it still became the soup of Czars.

Blacks in America are not alone in this. Take great pride.

Truly. Jacques Pepin did an amazing series on French "country" or what we would call rural cuisine.

Once again the slave/serf/servant was the greatest influence.

 

[Pogo]

Feel free to patronize her business empire.

In the meantime, corporations are free to fire her since they don't want to be associated with a person using the term "******" at her place of work a few years ago.

That's how free market capitalism works.

Spot on, it is. Although having read the complaint I still think it has more to do with them not wanting to be associated with her enterprises when the gory details of that trial come out -- which have little or nothing to do with what words anyone used and everything to do with employment conditions. They and their lawyers had to have looked over the case and determined that it had enough merit to at the very least receive a future media splash, and no doubt they wanted to distance themselves from that in advance.

Ultimately the same dynamic applies though; it's their business and up to them who they enter into a contract with and which of those are renewed and which aren't - and in the case of advertisers, which ones want the association and which don't.

You are both missing the point I am making, to establish a point that I agree with you on. Yes, I understand how free market capitalism works, and her company or sponsors/advertisers are well within their rights to fire her or disassociate with her, for whatever reason they pick, that are within the law and terms of contract, etc. I am not arguing that.

Were you aware, there was never any law on the books which stated that black people had to ride on the back of the bus? This was not a statute in any state at any time, it was a policy adopted by the bus company, to appeal to white patronage. They did it because it was legal to do it, and they were within their rights, from a capitalist perspective. That didn't make it okay, it was still very wrong and racist.

Advertisers, sponsors and companies, respond to 'public perception' and when we have people like Nancy Grace, 24/7 on 147 channels, doing live coverage on the Plight of Paula, the public's perception can't help but be skewed. 'Back in the Day' we would have never even known about Paula Deen's use of the N word, much less, inclined to reckon our opinions on it. Do you reckon Henry Ford ever muttered the word? We know from biographies, he supported a lot of Hitler's racist rantings, so it's not a stretch to think he may have said the N word around the office. What about LBJ? You think that redneck Texas SOB didn't ever say the N word? Of course, he probably called them "nigrah's" but, we never heard about it.

Now, we get... This is Nancy Grace, reporting LIVE in Savannah, where our crack team of investigative reporters are following Deen's every move, to see what racist thing she will do next... Skip, you're on the scene at her home, have you noticed any racist activities around the Deen household today? Well Nancy, this morning, Deen was spotted throwing away Oreo's in the trashcan outside... not sure what that means, but many speculate it was a statement of some kind....you know what they say about 'oreos'... [Nancy] Were they the "double stack" kind? That would indicate she favors whites over blacks, would it not?

So this constant barrage of 'news-turned-soap-opera' that we seem to be enamored with in our culture these days, has produced what we commonly call "political correctness run amok." We're now using it to single out individuals and offer them up for sacrifice, as a form of entertainment. At some point, perhaps "reality TV," we somehow conflated fantasy with reality, and now we hunger for that sensation like a crack whore. The more "real life" it is, the more we are entertained by the drama. But these are all real people, with real lives and families, careers, hopes, dreams and ambitions, they aren't actors playing a role.

In the end, what purpose is served by destroying Paula Deen's career? Is she any less racist? Do you think she was taught a lesson by it? Most importantly, is it going to make culture and society embrace the contributions of black Americans to food culture and 'southern cuisine' or feature that more prominently in the future? Probably not, it's simply another "scapegoat" we can toss on the fire to illustrate how we're not racist anymore.

At the risk of sounding like I am contradicting myself, because I said that I am not racist, let me say that, by todays standards of what is "racist" I think we all are a little bit. That's not to say we are all racists, but we do have prejudice, it's human nature. I think many today, often mistake simple prejudices for racism, and this prevents us from addressing the really true institutionalized racism we accept everyday. Is there a difference between not wanting to live in a high-crime black neighborhood, and not wanting to work for a company that doesn't promote blacks to management level? Can both be "racist" or not be? Doesn't it depend on a myriad of other details we're not privy to? Or do we now live in George Orwell's world, where everything that is spoken, is filtered through and deemed to be 'appropriate' or 'inappropriate' speech?

Oh I agree with that. I'd say Nancy Grace needs to be bitch-slapped out of existence and has needed that since she oozed up from whatever muckraker sewer spawned her. She does far more social damage than Paula Deen, and she makes a career of it. Yet we reward her with TV ratings and pretend to be offended with Deen. Go figure.

IMHO.

 

[Boss]

Big difference is that Paula Deen said what she said in private.
Jimmy The Greek said it in front of a TV Audience.

This is true, but we lived in different times in terms of media coverage. Had he made that comment in private, it would have never been known by the public at large. Still, did the comment he make, actually mean that he was a racist or had racist thoughts? From my understanding, he simply pointed out what he believed to be the reason black athletes have more success in sports, and it pertained to their heritage. Well, could he be correct about that and not be a racist? Did destroying his career change what he said in any way, or make it less legitimate as an observation? More importantly, did black coaches and QBs start popping up all over football because we realized black athletes were superior at sports?

No... what we did, was what we are doing with Deen now, and what others have done with the Civil War and Slavery, and Civil Rights examples, we are offering up a scapegoat to show that we have overcome our racism as a society. We take a side in these examples to show to others that we're not racists... see? We're defending the minority, we can't be the racists! Meanwhile, our culture and way of doing things, completely contradict this notion.

 

[Pogo]

Big difference is that Paula Deen said what she said in private.
Jimmy The Greek said it in front of a TV Audience.

That's true -- it's quite a shortcut to making the decision on what's bad for business.

Actually, on the title of this thread, the thought of Paula Deen getting "Greeked" is not something I'd like to think about...

And no comments about butter, y'all...