Paula Deen.. What do you think about her? I always loved her show.. :(

[marciaquezada]

I am still trying to put together the things that she "may" have said.. I often wonder if these things are true or are they manufactured to destroy something.

I am assuming it has to have some truth to it if every company who used to sponsor her dropped her. Thoughts anyone?

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blog...gly-roots.html

[MrsK]

http://www.medicalspouse.com/forums/...ght=paula+deen

We were talking about her a week or so ago.

I think she really put her foot in her mouth when she replied "of course" when testifying that she'd made racial slurs. It would have been quite different had she shown any remorse at all -- she could have responded "regretfully, yes" or even just "yes" when asked if she'd used the N-word but responding "Of course!" and following up with statements that she couldn't know whether people would be offended by racial humor and all humor makes fun of ethnic groups shows a shocking lack of insight.

[marciaquezada]

Sorry.. Didn't see the post. I agree, though. It is different to show remore and regret.. and even apologize for being a bigot. I used to think she was such a nice lady.. Sucks for Ms.Deen!

[SoonerTexan]

I was never really a fan. Too much butter woman. But a few of the things I've read since it all came out have me wondering a little if any of her claims are true. In truth, she could have answered "no" to the N word question, but she was honest about her past use. The lawsuit was about discrimination in the workplace--I want to know what truly happened there.

[moonlight]

I heard the woman suiting her is not a minority- and a white woman that claimed to have a AA niece but then it came out that it was her sister's step daughter and not a blood related niece. I think that's why Paula said that line about this coming from evil and jealous people that want what she has or whatever the line was.

[diggitydot]

I actually don't even care if the plaintiff isn't the minority group mentioned. If Deen created a hostile workplace, it's still a valid suit in my eyes.

[moonlight]

But don't you think its odd we don't know any of the details of what she's done or possibly done? All we know is she used the N word in 1986... and that she's clueless when it comes to explaining herself.

[diggitydot]

But don't you think its odd we don't know any of the details of what she's done or possibly done? All we know is she used the N word in 1986... and that she's clueless when it comes to explaining herself.

It's not odd to me. I haven't been paying a lot of attention to it, so I don't really expect to know a lot of the deets.

The fact that she was all, "Of course, I've used it," about the term is enough of an indictment from her own lips for me. I know NO ONE who would utter that phrase with any kind of regularity or familiarity for it to be a forgone conclusion that they'd have used it on any specific date.

[ladymoreta]

It's not odd to me. I haven't been paying a lot of attention to it, so I don't really expect to know a lot of the deets.

The fact that she was all, "Of course, I've used it," about the term is enough of an indictment from her own lips for me. I know NO ONE who would utter that phrase with any kind of regularity or familiarity for it to be a forgone conclusion that they'd have used it on any specific date.

Cautiously treading in here... I grew up in a racist family in a backwards small, rural town. The word was used fairly regularly by my grandparents, and my parents occasionally used it. I can remember using the word once in a grocery store with my aunt when I was really little. She was shocked, and she carefully explained to my sister and me that it was a mean word and would hurt the feelings of people who heard it. That was such an eye-opener to me, and we never used it again. All that to say that that generation in the 1980s didn't have the discretion to hide their racism as much as racists do today. I don't doubt that Paula Deen said and did some things like that, but I don't think it's incredibly shocking for that time period in the South. It sounds like most of the complaints are against her brother, though. He sounds like a truly horrible person.

ETA - Please don't think I'm defending her at all. I think it's awful to have those kind of beliefs, and worse to act on them.

[MrsK]

I was never really a fan. Too much butter woman. But a few of the things I've read since it all came out have me wondering a little if any of her claims are true. In truth, she could have answered "no" to the N word question, but she was honest about her past use. The lawsuit was about discrimination in the workplace--I want to know what truly happened there.

No. She was testifying under oath. If she answered "no", that would have been perjury. But she didn't have to answer "of course!" either. A simple yes would have been sufficient.

I actually don't even care if the plaintiff isn't the minority group mentioned. If Deen created a hostile workplace, it's still a valid suit in my eyes.

This.

But don't you think its odd we don't know any of the details of what she's done or possibly done? All we know is she used the N word in 1986... and that she's clueless when it comes to explaining herself.

Everything that cassy said. Also, when the plaintiff was promoted to manager, Deen and Bubba told her that it was a man's job. There was a lot of sexist, racist and hostile behaviour in that workplace. The plantiff has adequate standing.

Laurie, I understand what you are saying. There is a cultural context and Deen is pleading ignorance. However, a person in her position cannot afford to be ignorant. If you are selling your products in Wal-Mart, you have crossed over into the cultural mainstream and you need to be sensitive to your consumer.

[medpedspouse]

I probably should not voice an opinion since I really have not given much thought or attention to the topic. However, from reading your posts (I get my news from IMSN ), PD reminds me of my ILs. They make racist/sexists re,arks all.the.time and do not even realize it. If I point it out, they look horrified and assure me that it was not meant "in a bad way" yet they do it again. I honestly do not think that they have malicious intent but I do think their bubble is so small that they do not have the ability to comprehend beyond that. PD, although a celebrity, should have known better. However, from what I understand, it seems like she, too, has lived in somewhat of a bubble. I mean, I do not see her traveling all over the world, trying new foods/spices a la Anthony Bourdain or Mario Batali, etc.

[SoonerTexan]

I guess what bothers me now despite my initial reaction of "what a wretched woman" is how she became yet another media firestorm. Tried via media and twitter in a day and done. It's a recent trend that's starting to bother me because people jump on board so quickly before everything is clarified and we really know the truth. In her case, have any of the allegations of what happened in her restaurant been proven yet? Maybe they have and I haven't followed up. And honestly I don't doubt they are true, but I kind of want to know for sure.

It's like the recent Abercrombie backlash. I think it was Angie who pointed out that the comments were actually made 9 years ago. Not that it truly matters but what % of people who read about it knew that?

It's the lack of context around some of this stuff that bothers me.

[houseelf]

how she became yet another media firestorm.

Preach it sister! I'm neither defending nor promoting Deen, but this 1000 times.

Change the word to "Gay" used as an insult in the eighties and I'm guilty. I'm horribly ashamed about this now and a huge proponent of same sex marriage, but that is what was culturally normal at the time and I partook in similar verbage. (That's so "gay"). I am unable to cast too many stones at Ms. Deen from my vantage point. I get this comparison is like comparing apples and freight trucks as I was a middle schooler at the time and she is a corporate mogul creating a work environment that included porn, visible glass ceilings, and an outright racist environment, but I think that the media has excoriated her nonetheless. I'm so tired of American media sensationalism. Where did the real news go?

[medpedspouse]

Oh- for sure - I totally agree with the media firestorm. I am always leery when someone becomes a celebrity out of the blue and their face is all over the net, magazines, etc. You know the media that built them up will be there to take them down too.

[SoonerTexan]

http://mobile.businessweek.com/artic...areer-meltdown

This is interesting and clarifies some of what happened. Sounds like her biggest problem was protecting her dumbass brother and letting him treat employees that way