White people across the nation spent the weekend resting their sore knees after a busy week of taking turns kicking Paula Deen in the ass to prove thoroughly, appropriately repulsed they are by the very idea of racism.
Before we go on, I have to admit that I hate Paula Deen in ways that defy description. Her fake-ass accent, her insufferable cokehead kids with their spinoff shows, her shameless hawking for labor/animal abuse superstars Smithfield, her "Ain't heart disease and obesity hilarious!" cooking style, and her paid shilling for a diabetes drug when her daily butter intake finally caught up with her…
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she's just a disgusting human being all around. That she apparently held and/or holds racist tendencies is neither surprising nor, in my case, a reason to think less of her. I really can't think less of her without getting to know her and adding some sort of personal component to my loathing.
That said, it's hard not to feel like we're going a bit overboard here. I would rather Food Network fire her because her show is an appalling trainwreck – like Divine from the John Waters films making a dessert buffet for a live in-studio meeting of the Daughters of the Confederacy. I would rather she lose endorsement contracts because the lifestyle she promotes is disgusting. I would rather her book contract be rescinded because her books are garbage aimed at morons. I would rather the public turn on her because she's a grating, cloying, parody of the worst things about America. All of these seem like worse offenses than an admission under oath that she used the word "nigger" thirty years ago.
Yes, I find that offensive too, and I have no sympathy for her.
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None. If it cost her a job, endorsements, and other opportunities, she has no one to blame but herself. But is it necessary for us to howl until she's burned at the stake for what happened? As Jimmy Carter said, "I think she has been punished, perhaps overly severely, for her honesty in admitting it and for the use of the word in the distant past.
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" And as Jesse Jackson Sr. said, "She should be reclaimed rather than destroyed." Perhaps the problem is that Deen is so generally unlikeable that we're merely seizing on this as a reason to crap all over her. But it sure seems like some of us are using vehement, public condemnations of her actions as a means of allaying guilt – "I'm glad they got her and not me."
Screw Paula Deen. I'm glad to see her fail. Can any of us, though, say with a straight face that we've never thought or said things that are offensive? Racist? Homophobic? Sexist? We all like to say "Yes, but that was in the past, I've changed. If the rest of us can fall back on that, why not Deen?
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Maybe she used to talk like that but no longer does. Maybe she still does. Who knows. The point is that the Downfall of Paula Deen strikes me as a case of the right thing happening for the wrong reasons.
J. Dryden says:
Even the most slow-witted of us can recognize that we live in a country absolutely bursting at the seams with institutionalized racism. Also, social racism. And marketplace racism. And–I think I've made my first point. My second point is this: Those of us who benefit from institutionalized racism, who have it disproportionately better, in ways large and small, than those who are victimized by it, are only able to live with ourselves if we pretend that it does not exist. I mean, just flat out denial–knowing that it's there but refusing to admit it because, if we did, we'd have to give up all the awesome perks of being white. And culturally Christian. And straight. And so on. I mean, we'd have to, right? We couldn't live with ourselves otherwise, right?
So when Paula Fucking Dean opens her goddamned mouth and reminds us that not only is this a pretty racist country–because you're right, we've all done or said something horrible at some point, enabled by the consequences-free benefits of being on the happy side of racism–and then has the gall to follow up her racist admission with a pretty clear sense of "But really, what's the big deal?"–Well, when that happens, we all have to be the closeted jocks in the locker-room when the openly gay kid walks in. Pile on! Shun! Outrage! Deny! Not me! No way!
Look, I'm not saying "We're all just like Paula Dean, really." We're not. Really, we're not. She's a lot worse than most. (I hope.) And I'm not saying "Hey, at least she's honest." Because that's not what she should be–admitting she said it doesn't warrant a mulligan.
She should, instead, be honest about her racism the way an alcoholic is honest about his drinking: "I fell into a destructive pattern of thinking and acting that hurt a lot of people, and I've still got that devil inside me, but now I see that it is a devil and not just 'how I was raised,' so while I can't promise to be perfect, I can promise that I don't like that part of myself, and that I'll strive to be self-aware and at the very least do as much as I can not to inflict my own flaws on others. Also, just to be clear: Racism is evil, and don't do what I did, ever, because I wish I hadn't. Don't learn from regret, like me–learn from not fucking up in the first place–it's WAY better."
That's what she should have said. And meant. But instead, she gave a half-assed apology that made it seem as if she was the victim, which just makes the rest of us, who like her are on the fun side of the racial divide, obliged to stone her in the public square, as a scapegoat for our collective guilt. (The difference being that a scapegoat was traditionally an innocent vessel, and Dean is not that. At all.)
Too many people feel good about pointing out Dean's sins because hers are greater than theirs (ours). Christian philosophy calls 'bullshit' on that kind of schadenfreude, what with the mote and the log and all that. Even if Dean's got the log and we've got the mote, just…silence. Just be silent. One quiet, calm declaration of "No, that's not OK that you said that, and if you're still the sort of person who said that, I can't in good conscience buy your products." That's fine.
But the next time you or your white kid gets caught with a dime bag and gets community service while the black kid down the street gets 5-to-10, just remember that you're accepting the benefits of the same system that encourages Paula Dean to think it's OK to refer to black people as "niggers."
Denny says:
I'd recommend reading the commentary by "The Rude Pundit".
http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-defense-of-paula-deen-followed-by.html
giri says:
Read up on all the appalling things that happened in her businesses, which led to the current lawsuit and firing. There's a lot more to the story than her admission that she used the N-word twenty years ago.
robotswillstealyourjobs says:
Eh, it's more than just saying the word once thirty years ago. There's also her attempts to create a 'sambo burger', her creepy plantation wedding fantasies, the allegations that certain employees were told they were 'too dark to work thhe front desk', etc.
Contrary to J. Dryden, I don't think all of us realize we live in a country dominated by racism; there's quite a lot of subtle and not-so-subtle racism that is ignored quite blithely by many white people. The thing about Paula Deen is, she is racist in such a retrograde and Southern-fried way that even the people who think racism consists only of burning crosses on people's lawns notice it, and so they can express their Lack of Racism in a ritualized Shunning of the Racist.
Arslan says:
Ahem. http://blacklegalissues.com/Article_Details.aspx?artclid=7dfdbe0461
giri says:
http://www.blacklegalissues.com/Article_Details.aspx?artclid=7dfdbe0461#sthash.qsBDORLS.gbpl
Personally, I don't give a shit about her or what happens to her. But it does get my back up when white people start saying that it's an overreaction blah blah racism lite blah blah didn't we all already know she was racist blah blah. Because fuck that shit. Seriously. That second-level reaction to the criticism of Deen is what makes anybody who's not white shake their head sometimes and say "you will just never get it".
giri says:
And believe me, there are plenty of people who feel good about pointing out Dean's sins because fuck racism and racists, especially unapologetic Southern racists. No need to theorize about out motivations any more than that.
giri says:
And fuck stupid typos too. Sorry, fellas.
ladiesbane says:
To the above, let me add that the I'm Not A Racist BUT people I know keep posting that poor ol' Paula Deen got fired for doing what Lil Wayne does every day (use the N word) plus he dances on the U.S. flag and doesn't get dropped from WalMart so there is no justice equals don't fire Paula Deen for doing what "crap-rap" stars do every day 'cause apparently it's not racist, ya'll.
Let me just say that if she was just a clueless white Georgian of a certain age who had no idea that she was evil, she would have unselfconsciously let her racism slip long ago. You can't discreetly hide your racism and then act SHOCKED SHOCKED I TELL YOU that what you were hiding is considered filth to decent people. Naivete and calculation do not go hand in hand.
wetcasements says:
I'm sure Ms. Deen will cry herself to sleep on a bed of cash and sticks of butter.
RosiesDad says:
@Denny: Rude Pundit pretty much nailed it so thanks for posting that link. I went to college in the Deep South in the 1970's and what he says is true. And there is a line between saying racist things and acting in a racist way or tolerating racist behavior in a social or work environment where you have the ability (and obligation) to see to it the this behavior is not tolerated. Virtually every white I met down there who had grown up in the Deep South was guilty of the former but only a small subset were guilty of the latter. Paula Deen's inclusion in the latter group is why it's just for her to pay a high price now.
c u n d gulag says:
When all is said and done, she can coat herself in flour and eggs, and then breadcrumbs, and fry herself in butter, and I couldn't give a Hershey-squirt sh*t.
Her show sucked.
And she and her family of goobers made the Clampett's from "The Beverly Hillbillies" look like a family of erudite scholars.
I won't miss her, her talentless sons, her brother, her hubby (or, did I just repeat myself), or the guest-goober chef's.
She built an empire on butter and fat, and now, "Grease" fell.
That being said, I admire her for her honesty.
Other people would have lied, and then the whole situation would have turned into a 's/he-said – s/he-said," situation.
I give her credit for that.
But now, seeing what happened to her, the next person accused of being an overt racist, will lie.
All I'll say now, is that universal Southern curse: "Well, bless her heart" – which always wishes the worst possible thing on the subject of that blessing.
"Well, bless your heart, Paula. Bless your heart…"
Jaime Oria says:
The lack of detail about the actual facts of this case – in almost every piece of media about it – is maddening. As summarized in the article linked by Giri and Arslan, Paula Deen appears to be a terrible TERRIBLE boss and business owner.
I don't see anyone bringing up the fact that the original complainant was a female assistant manager at one of Deen's restaurants who wasn't being paid on an equal level with her male counterparts – wage inequity for women just isn't a narrative with 'heat' for most news shows or professional, or even amateur, bloviators.
Clearly, much of the awfulness being recounted in the lawsuit is informed by Deen and her fool brother being old school Southern-style racists. But if she'd settled with her former employee and either fired or publicly reprimanded her brother Deen could have emerged from all this relatively unscathed. I suppose the fact that it went to court – complete with the depositions that have hoisted Deen on her own petard – speaks to the fact she didn't think she was doing anything wrong in the running of her businesses.
middle seaman says:
You, post and comments, spend way too much time and energy on the Deen micro scandal. She belongs not to my confine of disgusting people since admitting her will force me to extend the confine substantially to make room for her peers.
Her cooking is terrible. Tubs of butter and cream with a single carrot may have been de rigueur for Louis XVI, but now?
She lost millions but already has way to many millions. Let it rest in lack of noise.
Anubis Bard says:
The problem with the ritual destruction of Paula Dean is that it teaches people once again that "racism" and its cures are all about antiquated, detestable, individual racists like Dean. This caricature of racism is paraded in front of us and publicly humiliated. Well, job well done, racism vanquished. But, uh no. Obvious, overt, mass-scale racism that is orders of magnitude more destructive (criminal justice system anyone?) is essentially invisible because Americans don't understand structural racism. And millions of people who quietly deplore the sorry state of black "culture" or think that George Zimmerman's murder of Trayvon Martin makes sense because young black men "tend" to be violent — believe they're not racist because at least they don't expect their waiters to tap dance.
Elle says:
That's exactly it, Anubis Bard. Beautifully said.
freeportguy says:
I don't expect people to love everyone else. Actually, people can and will always dislike others for whatever reasons (too tall, too fat, too rich, gays, blacks jews, neighbors, parents, coworkers, themselves, or someone else, etc.), however I DO expect them to treat those they dislike in a legally fair and respectful manner, i-e to not act on their dislike in any way, shape or form against them.
In other words, we cannot expect or force people to love everyone else. But we can make it a point that they can't act on it. Honestly, there are some people exactly like myself that I dislike, thus it's an utopia to believe that I will LOVE all those that don't!
I'm certainly not here defending Deen, having an issue with her general attitude toward racism, which we get from various past interviews. But destroying her?
To me, that is so typical conservative Republican to try to shut down and destroy ANYONE we disagree with on ANY level. I don't listen to Deen, or Limbaugh, Hannity, etc., and other than at times argue back to their imbecility, my dislike will simply be expressed in their ratings.
Hazy Davy says:
Oh, for Pete's sake. As the RP noted (linked above), she did a lot more than "say the N word", and Bubba Hiers is a pig whose behavior she implicitly endorsed.
But that's not why she lost her endorsements and her show. She lost them because she's no longer marketable. I sure don't need to kick her, especially when she's not really down. She made millions, despite being a far less likable, capable person than you or I. She is resplendent evidence that the world is not a meritocracy.
Hazy Davy says:
Oh, for Pete's sake. As the RP noted (linked above), she did a lot more than "say the N word", and Bubba Hiers is a pig whose behavior she implicitly endorsed.
But that's not why she lost her endorsements and her show. She lost them because she's no longer marketable. That's partly because of racism. But not entirely.
I sure don't need to kick her, especially when she's not really down. She made millions, despite being a far less likable, capable person than you or I. She is resplendent evidence that the world is not a meritocracy.
Paul says:
Sorry, Ed, but "Divine from the John Waters films making a dessert buffet for a live in-studio meeting of the Daughters of the Confederacy" would not be an appalling trainwreck—it would be a glorious trainwreck, a magnificent trainwreck, a trainwreck of transcendent beauty.
Well, mostly says:
ms has it, let it rest in a lack of noise. Great line.
Randy Newman nailed this whole thing 39 years ago.
Multiply this lady, her husband, sons and company times 40 million or so and there you have it. Outrage and surprise need not apply. How did we think it really was?
It's deeply sad, but one public stoning don't get it, though the splats are weirdly enjoyable for a moment or two. Don't we all love a little distraction now and again?
Southern Beale says:
"That said, it's hard not to feel like we're going a bit overboard here."
I said the same thing over at Facebook and got smeared for it. But really, I despise Paula Deen — her voice makes we want to guzzle bleach and her food is a national disgrace. But seriously, Paula fucking Deen? Isn't she, like, the easiest target out there? How about some of the racist fucks in Congress? How about Sen. Jeff Sessions, who once said the only thing wrong with the Klan is that there were pot smokers in it? He's trotted out on Press The Meat every Sunday where he can talk about the dangers of immigrants bringing their diseases over the border and peddle crackpot Reconquista theories.
I have to think the pile-on over Paula Deen is about something else. Since when does anyone really care what liberals think about anything, anyway? I think Paula Deen was getting too big for her britches, especially since I think her entirely family owns a piece of the Food Network. She upset Someone Important and they got tired of her and they tossed her out of the lifeboat. Maybe she pissed off Andrew Cuomo's wife, Sandra Lee. I dunno, it just seems fishy how all of a sudden EVERYONE is dumping Deen, even Wal-mart who, last I checked, told the left to shut up and DIAF over worker's right.
Southern Beale says:
Sorry for the typos. I think the font is too small for my old eyes.
:-)
Mo says:
Martha Stewart did time…Jamie Dimon and Lloyd Blankfein et al continue to skate and prosper.
Paula Deen gets dumped for being a racist asshole…Rush Limbaugh somehow stays employed.
I recall a scene in Candide where, on the shipful of starving passengers, the decision is made to slice a buttock from a concubine in order to feed everyone.
If only our corporate oligarchs were starving – or maybe they just think they are because they don't have complete feudalism re-established yet, so gotta keep the screws on.
jon says:
(Something I wrote when I heard the "but blacks people say the N-word!" whine one too many times.)
To clarify, again: white people are free to use the word "nigger". That they are judged differently than black people after use of that word is an unfortunate and unfair thing, just as it is unfortunate and unfair how black people were forced to be slaves and second-class citizens for many years. If white people can't handle their unfair position, that's just too fucking bad for them.
Really, no one is saying you can't say "nigger". Really. You can. Go ahead. Just don't expect people not to judge you afterward. It's not an infringement on your free speech to be judged based on what you say. It isn't.
It's almost as if that's what they REALLY want: to be able to call people "niggers" without it having any negative effect on them. If that's not the definition of racist, I can't come up with a better one.
(Also, you CAN judge blacks who use the term, too! But use it as justification for your own use? Nope. Doesn't work that way unless your goal is to say "nigger". If that's what you want, then you can just go ahead as no one is stopping you.)
Southern Beale says:
Thanks to whomever posted the Rude Pundit link. Great analysis. And that lead me to similar op-eds in traditional media that it's the workplace harassment and discrimination, not the n-word, which has caused corporate America to drop her like a 2-ton anchor. Here's one:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/06/27/4133475/workplace-harassment-not-n-word.html
I can now see why Wal-mart, which is trying to put out all sorts of worker's rights flames and is even facing "strikes," would cut ties with Paula Deen. They're running all sorts of ads in my market about how Wal-mart is SO TERRIFIC for communities, with nice young folks of all colors saying "I got a job at WalMart and now I can be a productive member of the community and feed my family!" So clearly the strikes and living wage activism has them scared. The last thing they need is to be seen in the same company as someone like Bubba Hiers, whom Deen defends ‘cuz he’s her brother and his restaurant is part of her corporation.
JohnR says:
1. Who the hell is Paula Deen, and why should I care?
2. With reference to your last paragraph, I don't mind being an offensive asshole, but I'd rather do it on purpose than by accident. Also, too, when I am, there's generally nothing personal in it, since I pretty much despise most people other than some women and a couple of men. I suspect that this will not matter to anyone other than myself, but for what it's worth. People. not to put too fine a point on it, are largely selfish, uncaring jerks. They may be lovable in some ways, but if you want to find some reason to be offended, there's usually something there for you.
Xynzee says:
What JohnR said. Shorter and to the point.
Especially, point 1.
planb247 says:
from what I understand, her whole damn family and all their restaurants are racist. as in, they are managed in a racist manner. she's just getting what she deserves, but you are correct that she should have been gone a long time ago solely because of her unhealthy, horrible food.
witless chum says:
I always sorta had a positive impression of her as the lady who makes everything comically unhealthy, but just not a strong feeling one way or the other.
It says something terrible about us as a country that the media has decided to tell a moderately complex story of a rich person and her ne'er do well clan shitting on their employees in comically mean ways as 'she said a bad word mommy!' I'm not sure if the media is too dumb or the audience is too dumb, but there's a whole lot of fucking dumb.
And, yeah, swearing that you believe Paula Deen is a bad lady is a handy way to paper over any guilt one might have about moving to a whiter school district. That was totally about test scores, which are not at all bullshit class markers, we swear.
sluggo says:
What ever happened to basic journalism? Who, what where etc…
This thing blew up last week and all I heard was she said the wrong word years ago, fired from sponsorships, a tearful apology, but almost nothing about the nuts and bolts of the lawsuit.
The other take away is that she is absolutely clueless. Not only doesn't she get it; she doesn't get that she doesn't get it.
Major Kong says:
Her accent to me always sounded like a very bad Hollywood imitation of a southern accent – turned up to "11".
OK Paula, we get it, you're from Georgia. Now you can turn it down a notch.
Southern Beale says:
"People. not to put too fine a point on it, are largely selfish, uncaring jerks."
What a cop-out.
If we write off the bulk of humanity as assholes, we don't have to worry about caring about them. It's just fuckitall, who gives a shit, they're jerks, every one of 'em.
I am so glad my life is filled with wonderful, caring people who have helped me avoid such a cynical worldview.
mothra says:
Dear old Paula. First, for those of you who laud her for "telling the truth;" she did it only under oath and only when compelled to attend a deposition in a lawsuit she ought to have settled if she had half a brain. (Her attorney, likely seeing the billable hours fly by like the dials on a slot machine, probably wasn't eager to recommend settlement, either). I don't really care that she said the racist word, but I do find it revealing that later in her depo she says that all jokes pick on someone: blacks, jews, gays. So she can't discern what might offend anyone of those groups at any one time. That tells me she is an asshole. Because come on, Paula. Seriously, you can't figure out that a joke that makes fun of someone because of the color of their skin might offend that person? Really?
Xynzee says:
@Southern: It's not so much cynical, as saying don't be surprised when ppl act in horrible ways or let you down. We may aspire for the stars, but when someone cuts you off on a hot miserable day don't be surprised w yourself if you curse that person for their race, gender…
By all means keep aspiring for the stars. You may only reach the lowest branch of the tree, but you'd never have gotten there if you hadn't been jumping upwards.
bb in GA says:
@cund
"All I'll say now, is that universal Southern curse: "Well, bless her heart" – which always wishes the worst possible thing on the subject of that blessing.
'Well, bless your heart, Paula. Bless your heart…' "
In my almost 67 years, I have heard the expression used in two ways:
1.) A sincere, empathetic comment about/for some soul who has come upon misfortune
2.) An eye-rolling acknowledgment that Bubba or Nectarine has gotten themselves in a jam by there very own goobernacity. But no celebration therefore…
I have never heard it used as a curse in the way you describe. But I won't shout you down when you're preachin' good.
//bb
cromartie says:
I'll agree with the "right thing for the wrong reasons". She had no reason to continue to be in a place of prominence after her own biology hoisted her on her own petard.
That said, like people accused of terrorism, when it comes to the use of racial slurs, was she aspirational, or operational? By which I mean, did she admit to speaking the language? Or did she actively speak the language or act, or condone the acts of others in an effort to denigrate someone based on race as a result? Aspirationally, if you did it at one point in the past, we can move beyond that. If you were operationally racist (and it appears that a fair amount of this activity went on under her employ) then I'm sorry, you don't get to pass go, nor do you get to collect four shots of insulin.
Let's use George Allen as an example. George Allen having a confederate flag hanging in his dorm room at college in the south in the 1970s, probably forgivable. George Allen calling someone a macaca on camera in 2004? I'm sorry, no Senate seat for you.
Anonymouse says:
@sluggo and witless; the reason why the media is reporting the Paul Deen ugliness is "she's being PERSECUTED for saying a bad word when she was mugged 40 years ago!Eleventy!" when in truth her behavior was much more recent and much more reprehensible, is the same reason George Zimmerman is being reported as "the captain of the neighborhood watch" who was "responding to suspicious behavior" when actually he was a wannabe cop with a history of arrests for violence who was also actively taking several drugs.
Elle says:
Sidenote, but I thought you may collectively have been exaggerating about her recipes. I just went to her website and marvelled at the Summer Fruits with Dip, which is a plate of fruit alongside a 'dip' that features cream cheese, cream, and a cup and a quarter of sugar. The second recipe I looked at was for brie and grapes, served as an appetiser (wrong end of the meal for me, but whatever), with the brie served with a sauce(?) made with sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Incredible.
bb in GA says:
The comments that dump on Ms Deen's recipes and ingredients show how truly petty many of y'all really are.
I tease this line, but it's true "There's no accounting for taste, including mine…"
Some people like a lot of butter and sugar, some like cat heads, and some like fermented cabbage…
Seriously, PD never intended that we fix every meal from one of her recipes…It's what we call 'SPAY-shul'
//bb
pk scott says:
Ok I'm female 60 and southern. My mouth would burst into FLAMES before I said the n word. I was raised better. This cracker bitch embarrasses me personally because people see how she is and assume that is ME.
Nope. No sympathy here.
Oh, and the one time I watched her show she was deep frying a ham and cheese sandwich made on a great big donut. She is going straight to hell for that one.
pk scott says:
Ok, I'm female, 60, and southern. My mouth would burst into FLAMES before I said the n word. I was raised better. This cracker bitch embarrasses me personally because people see how she is and assume that is ME.
Nope. No sympathy here.
Oh, and the one time I watched her show she was deep frying a ham and cheese sandwich made on a great big donut. She is going straight to hell for that one.
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jojodawhale says:
who is paula deen? fat ugly old lady on da tv? why watch? im a 30 something male, really? america is so racist overall, who cares, civil liberties? racism occurs all around us, and we should act suprised or shocked when it happens? so stupid and unrealistic
JazzBumpa says:
I have paid such keen attention to this matter that I didn't realize it was over something she said in decades past. I thought it was something she said the day before the shit hit the fan.
Go, Paula!
Right out the damned back door.