Paula Deen wise woman Hunt

[weesie]

Hi,

I do not know if you know who Paula Deen is. But, at this point, the wise woman hunt has gone beyond ridiculous.

After seeing story after story of stores and businesses cancelling deals with her, I decided I needed to read the entire deposition. I did. All 149 pages.

The deposition:

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I now fully believe they are on a serious wise woman hunt for which she has not really done anything to deserve.

Companies that have abandoned her:

Wal-Mart
Kmart
JCPenneys
Home Depot
Barnes & Noble
Sears
QVC
Target
Smithfield Foods
Food Network
Caesars Palace
Novo Nordisk
Ballantine Books (This is the publisher that had contract to publish ( October?) her newest book which is #1 at Amazon.) Now the deal is off.

There may be more.

It seems the press is more hung up on the N-word than other parts of the deposition. That was not mentioned much at all in the deposition.

The person who initiated the suit was a manager for one of their restaurants. She, Miss Jackson, submitted a proposal to change "Bubbas'" restaurant to a buffet. Paula said no to this proposal.

Shortly after that, Miss Jackson called in sick to work, again, again and again. Finally calling one last time to say she would not be coming back at all.

Shortly after leaving the company she filed the suit. (suspicious?)


If Paula did anything, according to the deposition, she stuck up for her brother (who does seem to be somewhat offensive). And she did admit to saying the "N-word" in the PAST. But again, the deposition did not dwell on this subject.

This whole situation is so WRONG, I just can't get it out of my head. How many people can HONESTLY say, they never, EVER, did/say/do something they are not proud of?

Here is a link to a petition supporting Paula Deen. Please sign it:

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[dionysus]

I'm not saying she's right and I'm not saying she's wrong. But she DID invite close scrutiny into her life, present and past, when she opted to go beyond cooking into celebrity.
I've little patience for celebs who push to be in the public eye then cry 'woe is me, where's my privacy'

 

[weesie]

Maybe so, celebrities have to deal with all kinds of crap. THAT does not change the fact that this is wrong on so many levels.

People need to READ the deposition before they point their sharp little fingers!

 

[anniemac]

I finally heard the whole story on when/where she said the "N" word.

27 years ago she was working as a bank teller and a bank robber held a gun to her head and demanded money. When she was telling her husband what had happened, in the privacy of her own home, she used the "N" word. The robber was black.

27 years ago, she was not a public figure. She was a very scared person that used a word commonly used in the South at the time. Would she have been as persecuted had she called the robber a Wop, Dago, Beaner or Wetback? How about Cracker or Whitey?

That word is offensive and should never be used by anyone. But I don't think she should be nailed to the wall for something that happened years ago. If there hadn't been an agenda going on, this would have never been an issue.

 

[weesie]

I finally heard the whole story on when/where she said the "N" word.

27 years ago she was working as a bank teller and a bank robber held a gun to her head and demanded money. When she was telling her husband what had happened, in the privacy of her own home, she used the "N" word. The robber was black.

27 years ago, she was not a public figure. She was a very scared person that used a word commonly used in the South at the time. Would she have been as persecuted had she called the robber a Wop, Dago, Beaner or Wetback? How about Cracker or Whitey?

That word is offensive and should never be used by anyone. But I don't think she should be nailed to the wall for something that happened years ago. If there hadn't been an agenda going on, this would have never been an issue.

Exactly! The agenda being that of a disgruntled former employee!

 

[silcnlayc]

Reminds me of "sticks and stones" and those that are without sin "throw the first stone" sayings. When did americans get so sensitive that we cannot forgive someone that has done something they regret in the past? I mean, I did some pretty dumb things as a young woman that I am not proud of but with age, I have learned tolerance and forgiveness.

We have been turned upside down in the USA by being such cry babies and litigious society. Say something that was deemed "sticks and stones" in my day, you stick your tongue out at the person saying the awful things, and run, run fast! In todays day, a lawsuit is bound to happen. How ridiculous have people become? Really?

Example: Johnny was called fat..oh my! He was sooo traumatized by this..lets sue! This is the mentality that americans have become..

I was called every thing from a dumb pollock down to a stupid foreigner and much worse when I was a kid that couldn't speak english..but you know what? I survived and turned out quite well IMO.....so did my kids that were raised by a "traumatized" mom...(being fecitious here) People really need to get a life and leave others alone that are harming no one. 27 years ago...I mean, really???


.

 

[jetset]

I've been wondering about this for several days as the coverage (and the disassociations by pc companies) has grown.

"wise woman hunt" was exactly the phrase that popped into my head, too and the whole thing seems to have been blown out of all proportion.

The woman made a serious and offensive mistake, and she has spent a lot of time saying how much she regrets her behaviour, yet the media continue to hound her.

And she has surely paid a hefty commercial as well as personal price for her provocative comments.

I can think of a few politicians who did pretty bad things but didn't get this sort of persecution once they had done the mea culpa bit.

 

[Balthazar]

Here's a good question: Who has never used the N word in the privacy of their home? Don't lie.

 

[pmutts]

Everyone makes excellent points

The whole thing is utterly absurd. You would think this woman has been burning crosses in peoples yards and firing up lynch mobs in some secret double life the way the press and her sponsors have reacted.

Absolute crap.

 

[rockycatt]

Here's a good question: Who has never used the N word in the privacy of their home? Don't lie.

or he's a dumb mick., or heeb. or guiny warp, or wasp,or frog, or towel head ,or crout'or red skin 'I could go on for ever

in this case the wedding that she recently planed for her brother was a southern style weddin in authicity of the 18th centry wiyh black wait staff that's what ticked off some people and they doug for dirt =27 years ago when it was [the prejudice of blacks was way more prevalent .

that being said the only true way to tell if some one is really prejudice if they wont sleep with that ethinticty's most beautiful woman

and im not at all prejudice

 

[manfreid88]

Help me

1. I really don't want to read the more than 100 pages of the depositions, so could you help me understand what happened and who is Paula Deen? The short version.

2. Why no one can use the word "Nigger"? Nigger I am guessing it comes from Negro which pretty much sums up the color of the skin, thus it is a truth stated for a true fact. Why it should be considered as a racist word while you are stating the truth? They also call us Whites, Whitey, etc. so... again it is the statement of a true fact.

Should the humankind wage a war because the color of the skin?

Or why should I be offended if someone states that I am a black person, a yellow person, a red person or a white person?

It is the truth, right? Biologically, the color of our skin is given by the melanin and it was and it still is influenced by the evolution and the region where the specific human races are living.

So why humans are so focused on denying an obvious truth by considering it offensive?

 

[skiny]

1. I really don't want to read the more than 100 pages of the depositions, so could you help me understand what happened and who is Paula Deen? The short version.

2. Why no one can use the word "Nigger"? Nigger I am guessing it comes from Negro which pretty much sums up the color of the skin, thus it is a truth stated for a true fact. Why it should be considered as a racist word while you are stating the truth? They also call us Whites, Whitey, etc. so... again it is the statement of a true fact.

Should the humankind wage a war because the color of the skin?

Or why should I be offended if someone states that I am a black person, a yellow person, a red person or a white person?

It is the truth, right? Biologically, the color of our skin is given by the melanin and it was and it still is influenced by the evolution and the region where the specific human races are living.

So why humans are so focused on denying an obvious truth by considering it offensive?

The truth is the colour of someone's skin should be totally irrelevant but for some people it isn't and that is what is offensive. The word in question is a derogatory term adopted for the soul purpose of insulting and belittling people with one specific skin colour. Racial slurs are not intended as personal insults. They insult an entire race even when the issue is with one person.

There is nothing wrong with saying a person is black as a general description. Black is not an insult. There is something wrong with denigrating or discriminating against a person because they are black. This is the purpose of a racial slur and there should be no tolerance for it.

Should people wage a war because of skin colour? Yes. If any group of people are struggling for racial equality they have every right to fight for it.

 

[rockycatt]

Nigger


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This article is about the pejorative use of the word. For nigga as a colloquial reference, see Nigga. For other uses, see Nigger (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Niger.

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1885 illustration from Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, captioned "Misto' Bradish's nigger"
Nigger is a noun in the English language. The word originated as a neutral term referring to black people, as a variation of the Spanish/Portuguese noun negro, a descendant of the Latin adjective niger ("color black").[1] Often used slightingly, by the mid 20th century, particularly in the United States, it suggested that its target is extremely unsophisticated. Its usage had become unambiguously pejorative, a common ethnic slur usually directed at blacks of Sub-Saharan African descent.



Contents
[hide] 1 Etymology and history
2 Usages 2.1 British
2.2 North American
2.3 Denotational extension
2.4 Other languages
2.5 Literary
2.6 Popular culture 2.6.1 Cinema
2.6.2 Literature
2.6.3 Music
2.6.4 Theatre
2.6.5 Comedy
2.6.6 Translations 2.6.6.1 "Nigger-brown" colored furniture
2.6.6.2 "Nigger brown" pants


2.7 Derivations 2.7.1 Place names


3 Derivatives 3.1 The N-word euphemism
3.2 Homophones
3.3 Intragroup versus intergroup usage

4 See also
5 Footnotes
6 References
7 External links


Etymology and history

Main article: Negro

The variants neger and negar, derive from the Spanish and Portuguese word negro (black), and from the now-pejorative French nègre (negro). Etymologically, negro, noir, nègre, and nigger ultimately derive from nigrum, the stem of the Latin niger (black) (pronounced [ˈniɡer] which, in every other grammatical case, grammatical gender, and grammatical number besides nominative masculine singular, is nigr-, the r is trilled).

In the Colonial America of 1619, John Rolfe used negars in describing the African slaves shipped to the Virginia colony.[2] Later American English spellings, neger and neggar, prevailed in a northern colony, New York under the Dutch, and in metropolitan Philadelphia's Moravian and Pennsylvania Dutch communities; the African Burial Ground in New York City originally was known by the Dutch name "Begraafplaats van de Neger" (Cemetery of the Negro); an early US occurrence of neger in Rhode Island, dates from 1625.[3] An alternative word for African Americans was the English word, "Black", used by Thomas Jefferson in his Notes on the State of Virginia. Among Anglophones, the word nigger was not always considered derogatory, because it then denoted "black-skinned", a common Anglophone usage.[4] Nineteenth-century English (language) literature features usages of nigger without racist connotation, e.g. the Joseph Conrad novella The Nigger of the 'Narcissus' (1897). Moreover, Charles Dickens and Mark Twain created characters who used the word as contemporary usage. Twain, in the autobiographic book Life on the Mississippi (1883), used the term within quotes, indicating reported usage, but used the term "negro" when speaking in his own narrative persona.[5]

During the fur trade of the early 1800s to the late 1840s in the Western United States, the word was spelled "niggur", and is often recorded in literature of the time. George Fredrick Ruxton often included the word as part of the "mountain man" lexicon, did not indicate that the word was pejorative at the time. "Niggur" was evidently similar to the modern use of dude, or guy. This passage from Ruxton's Life in the Far West illustrates a common use of the word in spoken form—the speaker here referring to himself: "Travler, marm, this niggur's no travler; I ar' a trapper, marm, a mountain-man, wagh!"[6] It was not used as a term exclusively for blacks among mountain men during this period, as Indians, Mexicans, and Frenchmen and Anglos alike could be a "niggur".[7]

By the 1900s, nigger had become a pejorative word. In its stead, the term colored became the mainstream alternative to negro and its derived terms. Abolitionists in Boston, Massachusetts, posted warnings to the Colored People of Boston and vicinity. Writing in 1904, journalist Clifton Johnson documented the "opprobrious" character of the word nigger, emphasizing that it was chosen in the South precisely because it was more offensive than "colored."[8] Established as mainstream American English usage, the word colored features in the organizational title of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, reflecting the members' racial identity preference at the 1909 foundation. In the Southern United States, the local American English dialect changes the pronunciation of negro to nigra. Linguistically, in developing American English, in the early editions of A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language (1806), lexicographer Noah Webster suggested the neger new spelling in place of negro.[9]

By the late 1960s, the social progress achieved by groups in the United States such as the Black Civil Rights Movement (1955–68), had legitimized the racial identity word black as mainstream American English usage to denote black-skinned Americans of African ancestry. In the 90's, "Black" was later displaced in favor of the compound blanket term African American. Moreover, as a compound word, African American resembles the vogue word Afro-American, an early-1970s popular usage. Currently, some black Americans continue to use the word nigger, often spelled as nigga and niggah, without irony, either to neutralize the word's impact or as a sign of solidarity.[10]

Usages

British

 

[Westland Bowl]

Some people have said they have read the disposition from which supposedly all this hullaboo originated from. But here is a Black lawyer who saw things different and reports Paula said/did more than just said the N word: [URL="http://www.blacklegalissues.com/Article_Details.aspx?artclid=7dfdbe0461&fb_action_ids=10200589859481404&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map={%2210200589859481404%22%3A380369662074825}&action_type_map={%2210200589859481404%22%3A%22og.likes%22}&action_ref_map=[]"Black Legal Issues: The Paula Deen Incident; you should know all that's being alleged before defending her"[/URL]

 

[weesie]

Hi West,

The link does not work. I can search for it myself. Curious since I have been keeping up with this law suit.

Thanks

 

[Westland Bowl]

Hi West,

The link does not work. I can search for it myself. Curious since I have been keeping up with this law suit.

Thanks

Hard for me to edit it from a mobile phone. But just go to www.blacklegalissues.com and scroll down to the "Legal Commentary" section and it is the top one (as of now) titled "The Paula Deen Incident: you should know........"

 

[weesie]

Ok,

I read the article, but I don't see mention WHERE the writer got HIS information. He provided a summary, but a summary of what? Was this part of another deposition?

If it is a summary of another actual deposition, I would like to read the whole thing in order to form my own opinion.

 

[jetset]

I read a news item today reporting that Lisa Jackson - the complainant in this case - has issued a further statement emphasising that she is white, and that her motivation for launching her litigation against Deen is in protest at the manner in which Deen mistreats and abuses her employees.

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[BMWSTACK]

This whole situation is so WRONG, I just can't get it out of my head. How many people can HONESTLY say, they never, EVER, did/say/do something they are not proud of?

You are right about this being constantly in the media, but now we can even find it on our casino forums.

This situation wasn't really about a word, but about the fact that she is a racist. Paula Deen is from the deep south where there is still lots of hate for people of different races. There has always been suspicion that she was a racist, it just took this issue to finally prove it.

Of course all people do things wrong, but this isn't about a school playground fight, so please don't try to discredit to such. This situation is about hate. Discrimination does not just happen accidently. If someone discriminates or hates a race, gender or type of person it doesn't just go away. Most people that discriminate and hate will most likely do such for life.

Discrimination and hate tears the world apart. Its all around us. You see it at the grocery store. You see it at the workplace. It seems it will never go away. But as long as there are people that can see the good in everyone, regardless of race, gender, handicaps, Etc, evil will not win. Yes I referred to it as evil, not sure of any other word to describe hate against people.

Paula Deen is not a role model for anyone any longer. She does not deserve to be put on the pedestal. She has made her bed. But please don't let all the boo hoo support for Paula fool you, I guarantee you she will still have enough money to live an above average lifestyle. As a matter of fact she should take her money and donate it to some youth group that is based upon teaching equality for everyone.

As for your petition, I have not read it, nor will I. I do not choose to support racism or the people that let it come out of their mouth.

 

[weesie]

Wow, BMW! You sure have made up your mind.

By the way, it is NOT MY petition. I just put it out there.

As old as I am, and having mixed race relatives ( that started way before it was socially acceptable) I always try to keep an open mind about situations like this.

Just the fact that I started this thread about it seems to bother you. I am sorry if that is the case.

I did put it in the "political" section, at least.

 

[jetset]

I don't believe that weesie - or indeed anyone sharing her opinion - are 'racists' (an epithet itself pretty much guaranteed to have most folks diving for cover and perhaps more powerful than even the n word).

As I see it, this thread is more about the considerable and maybe excessive punitive measures taken against Deen with no recourse to the courts and before the Jackson complaint has been the subject of judicial testing.

Imagine a situation where you were stripped of your main assets built up over a lifetime almost overnight under these circumstances, and then continually pilloried in the media. That's a hefty punishment that could have reached the stage where it outstrips the alleged offence given.

The commercial cost alone to Deen must be massive...and she has been effusive in her apologies (which usually seems to earn forgiveness for crooks and erring politicians).

 

[weesie]

Sound theory Jet.

I have to wonder too, just who decides which person, celeb., to treat this way. It seems many people, politicians, actors, whoever manage to get off with a slap on the wrist.

I don't get it.

 

[BMWSTACK]

Wow, BMW! You sure have made up your mind.

By the way, it is NOT MY petition. I just put it out there.

As old as I am, and having mixed race relatives ( that started way before it was socially acceptable) I always try to keep an open mind about situations like this.

Just the fact that I started this thread about it seems to bother you. I am sorry if that is the case.

I did put it in the "political" section, at least.

I understand its not your petition, but you did say "please sign this."

Yes indeed I have made up my mind. I am not a civil rights activist, but I do know the difference between right and wrong. This woman's actions is not acceptable, and it is not about a word she said. Its all about the fact that she actually showed her true thoughts. Of course she is going to go apologize and then later play victim.

No need to apologize, You have your right to start the thread, and I am all about the discussion. I have not lost sleep over this situation, but this is the first time I can illustrate my point of view. Yes indeed I do get aggravated when people try to claim she's the victim. She messed up, she needs to pay the price, and hopefully she can change, but like I said before, when someone is either brought up to, or lives a life of discrimination against a particular type of human being, it is just that , a way of life.

Hate is a very powerful thing, it creates violence, divides people, starts war, and makes the world a very hardened place. What fuels all these wars? Hate and greed. Yes indeed the Paula Deen situation probably wont start a Civil War, but again look at the attention its got. Look at how people become divided on a little situation like this.

 

[BMWSTACK]

I don't believe that weesie - or indeed anyone sharing her opinion - are 'racists' (an epithet itself pretty much guaranteed to have most folks diving for cover and perhaps more powerful than even the n word).

As I see it, this thread is more about the considerable and maybe excessive punitive measures taken against Deen with no recourse to the courts and before the Jackson complaint has been the subject of judicial testing.

Imagine a situation where you were stripped of your main assets built up over a lifetime almost overnight under these circumstances, and then continually pilloried in the media. That's a hefty punishment that could have reached the stage where it outstrips the alleged offence given.

The commercial cost alone to Deen must be massive...and she has been effusive in her apologies (which usually seems to earn forgiveness for crooks and erring politicians).

Correct, taking Paula's side doesn't mean someone is a racist. But I am certain that quite a few supporters are either racists or do not put a value on human equality.

Paula's empire was built by "the people" based upon her role as a public figure. You screw your image up you can lose your fortune. Its happened to many and will continue to happen to others. Everything you do could be the next move to losing it all. The people giveth and the people take away.

Unfortunately her apology only lasted so long, then she pulled out the victim "wise woman hunt" card. Yes indeed she started this wise woman hunt terminology. The victim card is going to a lot more than she thinks. This almost makes it look like she is defending her actions. She needed to continue to play the apology card. The apology route throughout would have kept people in the middle, whether you supported or didn't support. Creating this "wise woman Hunt"
scenario now created much more extreme thoughts and support on both ends.

Yes indeed apologies work for all kind of scenarios, it all seems to be just measured in how long it will take for people to forgive. But domestic abuse and Racism seem to be the toughest ones to get through.

 

[weesie]

Well, for the "wise woman hunt" part, I named it that.......

I do not remember it coming from her. But you have your opinion and I have mine.

I haven't totally decided WHAT exactly I believe, still looking at all the evidence. From the start, I couldn't believe it to begin with. Then I googled the transcripts so I could be better informed.

If you have reading material that could enlighten me, please post a link.

Thank you

 

[BMWSTACK]

Well, for the "wise woman hunt" part, I named it that.......

I do not remember it coming from her. But you have your opinion and I have mine.

I haven't totally decided WHAT exactly I believe, still looking at all the evidence. From the start, I couldn't believe it to begin with. Then I googled the transcripts so I could be better informed.

If you have reading material that could enlighten me, please post a link.

Thank you

Its been called a wise woman hunt in the media a few times, so not necessarily saying you are credited with starting the term.

Paula Deen did play the victim card a few days ago. And she or her family may have referred to it as a wise woman hunt but either way that's the way the Deen's portrayed it.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and who knows you may never know what to believe, but I would assume that you made up your mind when you posted the petition asking people to sign it in support of her.

The evidence is already there IMO. She said the word and people can go on and on about whether its racist or not. But the fact is she is a public figure and it is unacceptable for that to slip out. I don't doubt she is a racist based upon plenty of incidents that have come to light. Even giving her the benefit of the doubt she did wrong. She said the word and now she should be the sacrificial lamb to teach people, especially the kids that hear about this, that racism and racist words are not acceptable. Again she has handled this poorly and maybe thru certain actions like not trying to play the victim, continually apologizing, and starting a youth for unity group, maybe she would gain forgiveness.

You can find tons of sources if you just google it. I have seen lots since it occurred.

 

[Jasminebed]

I think this may have given one of more of her endorsers an "out" out of a relationship they wanted out of anyway.

With serious issues facing this world, signing a petition to help a wealthy woman is the last thing on my list of things to do.

Her home and assets were not seized. She lost contracts. She can self publish and people can still buy cook books. She can open a restaurant, start a blog or open a casino. Sing on street corners for all I care.

Even 27 years ago, that was not an acceptable word. It wasn't acceptable 50 years ago when I was a little girl.

 

[dionysus]

Good lord, she's a celebrity. She'll proably end up selling more books

 

[pmutts]

You always have such an incredible way of putting it . . .

I think this may have given one of more of her endorsers an "out" out of a relationship they wanted out of anyway.

With serious issues facing this world, signing a petition to help a wealthy woman is the last thing on my list of things to do.

Her home and assets were not seized. She lost contracts. She can self publish and people can still buy cook books. She can open a restaurant, start a blog or open a casino. Sing on street corners for all I care.

Even 27 years ago, that was not an acceptable word. It wasn't acceptable 50 years ago when I was a little girl.

in a NUTSHELL! I love reading your posts Jasminebed.

 

[vinylweatherman]

So 27 years ago she used the word in the privacy of her home where her husband heard it.

So, how on EARTH did the media get hold of this

It was unacceptable 27 years ago, but in the 1960's it was actually LAW in some states that Blacks and Whites be kept apart, and being openly non racist could get a white person arrested. It was the law in South Africa for a long time after.

The UK was no better, itself implementing policies based on skin colour in some situations as recently as the 50's and 60's.

The issue is not the use of a word 27 years ago, but the allegations of putting the prejudice into practice now.

Companies are boycotting her because if they do nothing they may face boycotts themselves. It doesn't matter how minor they feel the issue is, they have to act in the best interests of their businesses, and that means keeping customers happy to carry on using them.

If Paula Deen is proven innocent of all claims, she can then sue these companies that boycotted her for damages. They have after all acted on rumour and allegations, not facts proven in a court or tribunal setting.


What she has lost is her pride and standing, not her wealthy lifestyle. ALL celebrities face this risk, and the media often goes looking for "dirt" on the latest celebrities and politicians as this helps their own businesses make money. Even the president is not immune, suffering constant allegations that he was not a natural born US citizen, and thus could not legally be president so should step down.


Her high standing probably made it easier for her to get away with mistreating workers (others in power would see her as "one of us", so would likely protect her), so it would make sense that the story broke in an explosive manner, rather than trickled out. If she was summarily dismissing workers who tried to raise issues, this too would keep a lid on the problem, but of course would ensure that when it blew, it had built up some serious levels of pressure. It seems it was a manager, not a group of workers, that finally "blew" and let the story out.

I expect this story will get covered in the UK soon in some depth, something like a Dispatches or Panorama documentary, or even a "one off" investigation. It is, after all, a story about modern racism by the rich and powerful in society.

 

[skiny]

Keep in mind this is a comedy show.

 

[vinylweatherman]

So 27 years ago she used the word in the privacy of her home where her husband heard it.

So, how on EARTH did the media get hold of this

It was unacceptable 27 years ago, but in the 1960's it was actually LAW in some states that Blacks and Whites be kept apart, and being openly non racist could get a white person arrested*. It was the law in South Africa for a long time after.

The UK was no better, itself implementing policies based on skin colour in some situations as recently as the 50's and 60's.

The issue is not the use of a word 27 years ago, but the allegations of putting the prejudice into practice now.

Companies are boycotting her because if they do nothing they may face boycotts themselves. It doesn't matter how minor they feel the issue is, they have to act in the best interests of their businesses, and that means keeping customers happy to carry on using them.

If Paula Deen is proven innocent of all claims, she can then sue these companies that boycotted her for damages. They have after all acted on rumour and allegations, not facts proven in a court or tribunal setting.


What she has lost is her pride and standing, not her wealthy lifestyle. ALL celebrities face this risk, and the media often goes looking for "dirt" on the latest celebrities and politicians as this helps their own businesses make money. Even the president is not immune, suffering constant allegations that he was not a natural born US citizen, and thus could not legally be president so should step down.


Her high standing probably made it easier for her to get away with mistreating workers (others in power would see her as "one of us", so would likely protect her), so it would make sense that the story broke in an explosive manner, rather than trickled out. If she was summarily dismissing workers who tried to raise issues, this too would keep a lid on the problem, but of course would ensure that when it blew, it had built up some serious levels of pressure. It seems it was a manager, not a group of workers, that finally "blew" and let the story out.

I expect this story will get covered in the UK soon in some depth, something like a Dispatches or Panorama documentary, or even a "one off" investigation. It is, after all, a story about modern racism by the rich and powerful in society.

* Black people could also get arrested, but there didn't need to be a reason (you are Black, right - you're nicked), unlike with the whites, so my use of colour there is not racist against whites.

If Paula Deen treated staff differently based on their race, she was racist, and it doesn't matter what words she did or did not use however many years ago.

 

[LaurieJim]

If there is anyone out there who has not thought or said a racial slur in the privacy of their home or to a friend , family member , ect , then there are a lot of lying closet hypocrites out there.



Laurie

 

[dionysus]

Oh I may have said some of those words..I've never said them with hate or malice

 

[swampwitch]

If there is anyone out there who has not thought or said a racial slur in the privacy of their home or to a friend , family member , ect , then there are a lot of lying closet hypocrites out there.



Laurie

You have just made a sweeping generalization. I don't use derogatory words for race, religion, native country, or sexual orientation. Not. Ever. My bile is saved for the willfully stupid and bigoted. But, if you'd like to believe I'm a lying closeted hypocrite, that's your prerogative.

 

[BMWSTACK]

If there is anyone out there who has not thought or said a racial slur in the privacy of their home or to a friend , family member , ect , then there are a lot of lying closet hypocrites out there.



Laurie

That's a very bold statement. There are actually people in the world that will never do certain things that they know are wrong.

I actually think its kind of weird that friends and families would use racial slurs in conversation between each other. It may be common in the area you live or the way you were brought up, but I can assure you its not common for everyone.

I do understand where you are coming from in your statement. The south has always been associated with racism. I have spent a lot of time in the south, and I can tell you from my experience there is far more racism there, and yes indeed people say racial slurs between friends and family like its coffee talk. I have certainly heard plenty of those conversations and I can assure you I have never said anything racial even to try to fit in. Is always the opposite, I get turned off by that talk. I have spoke up a number of times and let people know I didn't approve of that talk. There are other times where I remain quiet. But I will always lose respect for the individual(s) that took part in that conversation.

 

[Balthazar]

Even 27 years ago, that was not an acceptable word. It wasn't acceptable 50 years ago when I was a little girl.

Can we keep it in context Jasmine? If some low life pulled a gun to my face and someone close to me asked about it, I'd use every derogatory term in the book that would fit the attacker to describe him.

You guys react like she went out on the street calling random black people "f*cking n*ggers". She didn't.

Also, you should be free to say whatever you want in the privacy of your home.

 

[vinylweatherman]

Can we keep it in context Jasmine? If some low life pulled a gun to my face and someone close to me asked about it, I'd use every derogatory term in the book that would fit the attacker to describe him.

You guys react like she went out on the street calling random black people "f*cking n*ggers". She didn't.

Also, you should be free to say whatever you want in the privacy of your home.

Well, if this really was an isolated incident from 27 years ago in "the privacy of her own home", there is no way the media would know about it. She must have repeated, or retold the story, so that it moved from being a one off private matter to something that was well known among those close to her (not necessarily friends), and so when the fuss blew up, someone was interviewed that related the tale, and that's how the media found out.

Besides, the word itself is not really relevant in this case, it's the reported attitude and actions to those beneath her, such as the workers in her restaurants. Did she also not think that designing such a traditional 1800s Southern Style wedding would cause a frenzy of "dirt digging" among the media, who would make a fair bit of money if they found a story that was powerful enough to knock her off the celebrity pedestal.

Far from helping her cause, touting for support is ensuring that more and more people find out the story, and at present it looks like a powerful boss getting away with mistreating her staff for years due to her celebrity status, and now finding that the loss of that status has encouraged her downtrodden staff to rebel, and the media to feed.

 

[Westland Bowl]

At first, like most people, I only heard about Paula using the N word years ago and all these companies ending their contractual relationship with her over it. That seemed like a very fast and extreme action those companies made. Didn't make sense to hammer someone about a mistake made years and years ago. People change. If that was all to the story (and the media made it out like that in the beginning), then people are willing to give Paula some slack as we all make mistakes and it appeared Paula didn't use the N word since. I've read more than one person (including weesie's here) who said they read the disposition and while the use of the N word by Paula was mentioned, it was the only racist thing in there.

But then other people, like the Black attorney I posted about earlier said, no, it is more than that. It was persistent racist attitude she had over the years. He pointed out that these other racist actions and attitudes were in the disposition. What? Is there another disposition somewhere? Or did the Black attorney just make things up? If true about these other persistent racist actions and attitudes from Paula, then yes, that changes the picture of her. But why did weesie and other people did not see in the disposition these other actions mentioned by the Black attorney? Wrong disposition?

[tin foil hat mode] Seems like the whole Paula Deen story is not reported accurately. Intentional? [/tin foil hat mode]

Now today I read this by a certain Willie Smith on Facebook:
"I've tried to keep quiet about the Paula Deen situation, but I've seen so much "dirt" being tossed around, I figured I might as well shed a little light.

I've worked at Ms. Deen's restaurant for close to nine years and I'm as "BLACK" as they come. I was never forced to enter through the back door. It's a rule that ALL employees enter through the back door so we don't disturb guest while they're eating. I'm currently a waiter there, which is about as front house as you can get. I didn't have to beg to be a waiter. In fact, I was ASKED to be one. Many of her staff in the front house are black. Young black kids in college. Bathroom usage is for ALL employees, but we(ALL EMPLOYEES) only use the back of the house restrooms during service so that we don't disturb guest. One of Paula's longest working employees, an elderly BLACK woman, was invited to be a guest at Paula's house after this lady had surgery. Paula looked out for her. The restaurant looks out for ALL OF US by providing health and dental insurance and 401 K plans. Not too many restaurants doing that. We're also allowed paid vacation. As a BLACK man who has been with the company for some time now, I'm simply saying don't believe all accusations you're hearing....cause they're just that. Accusations. And no, I'm not just saying this to brown nose my employers. I'm saying this as someone who doesn't believe in casting stones at an individual for making a mistake.

Signed,
A happily employed and thankful young man."

If you have Facebook, here is the link to the above

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

He seems to be a legit person with a real FB account.

So it seems like the truth is getting mangled out there about the Paula Deen situation.

 

[weesie]

Hi again West,

Thank you for the FB link, I have been reading the comments from respondents to Willies original post. It has several other employees saying pretty much the same thing.

Interesting read, if a person is following the case.

 

[LaurieJim]

That's a very bold statement. There are actually people in the world that will never do certain things that they know are wrong.

I actually think its kind of weird that friends and families would use racial slurs in conversation between each other. It may be common in the area you live or the way you were brought up, but I can assure you its not common for everyone.

I do understand where you are coming from in your statement. The south has always been associated with racism. I have spent a lot of time in the south, and I can tell you from my experience there is far more racism there, and yes indeed people say racial slurs between friends and family like its coffee talk. I have certainly heard plenty of those conversations and I can assure you I have never said anything racial even to try to fit in. Is always the opposite, I get turned off by that talk. I have spoke up a number of times and let people know I didn't approve of that talk. There are other times where I remain quiet. But I will always lose respect for the individual(s) that took part in that conversation.

I stand by my statement , the world is full of crazy people who do not care what they say and show little respect for their fellow human beings , it is sad but true, it is all around us and it is hard to tune it out while it plays in our music and everyday life events , that was what I was trying to state in my" General Statement".

I have always been proud to be from the south and yes we have had our share of racism but this is all over the world my friend , watch the world news , it is going on all around this globe not only in the south.

Laurie

 

[skiny]

If there is anyone out there who has not thought or said a racial slur in the privacy of their home or to a friend , family member , ect , then there are a lot of lying closet hypocrites out there.



Laurie

Can we keep it in context Jasmine? If some low life pulled a gun to my face and someone close to me asked about it, I'd use every derogatory term in the book that would fit the attacker to describe him.

You guys react like she went out on the street calling random black people "f*cking n*ggers". She didn't.

Also, you should be free to say whatever you want in the privacy of your home.

One of the reasons racism still exists is that people seem to believe there are such things as justified racism or situational racism. "If someone pulled a gun on me I would denigrate his entire race" as if every black person in existence is to blame for the offense. A person who uses a racial slur in the privacy of their own home is still a racist. The fact that they've learned they can't do this in public changes nothing. People don't stop being racists just because they've left the house and they don't start being racists once they get home and close the door.

It seems ludicrous to sit here trying to think of scenarios when it's acceptable to be a racist. Even if you live in the inner cities where the population of immigrants is dense and crimes perpetrated by black or ethnic groups is high, that's still not a race problem. If it was middle and upper class black or ethnic people would be perpetrating the same crimes and these crimes wouldn't be perpetrated by white people. It's an economic and social problem and adding racism to the mix only makes it worse.

Personally, I think the woman is a racist even if she was nice to some of her black staff.

She told a story in an interview about how rough it was for one of her ancestors after the civil war because he lost his 30 something slaves. "He didn't know how to deal with life with no one to help operate his plantation."

They weren't helping. They were slaves.

She continued by saying "I feel like the south is almost less prejudice because black folks played such an integral part in our lives. They were like our family."

They weren't your family. They were a race of people with no rights being bought and sold like cattle and being forced to work in chains.

Just because your ancestors had slaves doesn't make you a racist. But if you want me to believe you're not, stop acting like it was ok to own people regardless of where or when it happened.

 

[Sovietsky]

If there is anyone out there who has not thought or said a racial slur in the privacy of their home or to a friend , family member , ect , then there are a lot of lying closet hypocrites out there.



Laurie

With racial slurs can we also add in whites, asians and semetics?

I do use words like white trash, fag, rednecks, pajamas people, yellow people and such (it's mostly with sense of humor). I discriminate all races and their beliefs.

Whites it is more or less okey to insult but the N word is a big no-no.

 

[BMWSTACK]

One of the reasons racism still exists is that people seem to believe there are such things as justified racism or situational racism. "If someone pulled a gun on me I would denigrate his entire race" as if every black person in existence is to blame for the offense. A person who uses a racial slur in the privacy of their own home is still a racist. The fact that they've learned they can't do this in public changes nothing. People don't stop being racists just because they've left the house and they don't start being racists once they get home and close the door.

It seems ludicrous to sit here trying to think of scenarios when it's acceptable to be a racist. Even if you live in the inner cities where the population of immigrants is dense and crimes perpetrated by black or ethnic groups is high, that's still not a race problem. If it was middle and upper class black or ethnic people would be perpetrating the same crimes and these crimes wouldn't be perpetrated by white people. It's an economic and social problem and adding racism to the mix only makes it worse.

Personally, I think the woman is a racist even if she was nice to some of her black staff.

Good post. Your exactly right, how can anyone try to justify the use of a racial slur?

 

[Jasminebed]

When I was a small girl, I was taught a little "Eeny meeny miney moe, catch a tiger by a toe" rhyme by my mother.

The only time I can remember using that N word myself was when I came home and asked my mom what kind of animal a "N" was. She told me that it was a dirty word for coloured person (early 60's) and nice people didn't say it. While I didn't speak up when it was used in the schoolyard, I didn't use it myself.

Still don't, and now I usually speak up if I hear it still.

Granted, growing up where I did, people of colour except Asians were very rare. But we did have TV and books back then.

 

[rockycatt]

observation = some people here ,trying to get into heaven

 

[skiny]

observation = some people here ,trying to get into heaven

Some people here are atheists and don't need a god or a church to tell them right from wrong.

 

[Nifty29]

I stand by my statement , the world is full of crazy people who do not care what they say and show little respect for their fellow human beings , it is sad but true, it is all around us and it is hard to tune it out while it plays in our music and everyday life events , that was what I was trying to state in my" General Statement".

I have always been proud to be from the south and yes we have had our share of racism but this is all over the world my friend , watch the world news , it is going on all around this globe not only in the south.

Laurie

I think the South has had WAY more than its "fair share" of racism, and from what I read and hear, much of it still exists simmering under the surface, which is not surprising given that these racist attitudes were/are passed down through the generations.

Just because it exists in other places too does not make it OK.

 

[Janek12]

She continued by saying "I feel like the south is almost less prejudice because black folks played such an integral part in our lives. They were like our family."

They weren't your family. They were a race of people with no rights being bought and sold like cattle and being forced to work in chains.

I remember reading somewhere about a survey carried out still in the 20th century among very old African American people who actually experienced the era of slavery in the south; there were roughly 1,000 respondents in that survey, IIRC. A surprisingly huge percentage of them (regrettably, I do not remember the exact figure) reminisced about the era of slavery as very good old times. They said their white masters took care of them, gave them work, housing, food, even some education, health care, etc. Also, black nannies were taking care of the white children, so the two races became interpersonally intertwined. The respondents went on to say that after slavery was abolished, they were on their own; I am paraphrasing but I recall the impression of something like being thrown out to the cold world without having the resources of the white masters behind them (of course it was the system's result that the black people mostly probably had no capital at all to start their own businesses, etc.).

So I think I understand what she was trying to say - that the southerners knew that black people were fine because they lived with them every day side by side. While others from the north might be paradoxically more prejudiced because they did not have any personal experience with them and might have been afraid of them as of unknown, different, strange, enigmatic people...

The impression I got from the survey was that it was a symbiotic relationship in the south, not always fraught with cruelty, inhuman treatment, etc. Also, I think it is fair to say that the white race at that time was undeniably more advanced technologically and intellectually.
But of course I agree with you, skiny, that slavery was and is unacceptable. And I think it was despicable that white people took advantage of their technological superiority and abused the black people the way they did.

All I am trying to say is that - no pun intended - it is not a completely black-and-white matter; it is more complex.
Look at Zimbabwe - the country fared much better with white people in charge; it prospered, etc. After they drove most white people away, some time after that the country was on the brink of famine IIRC... Once again, the problem I think was that white people, in general, abused their superiorty and were trampling on the natives so the natives were rightfully angered... These cases can be found all over the globe in other more subtle versions... We Czechs have to thank Germans for a lot from culture and technology and advancement in the last few centuries... But many Czechs refuse to recognise this because it came at a price - the Germans were oppressive in the border areas (I mean long before WWII) and, speaking in somewhat naive terms, were sometimes not behaving nicely... etc., etc.

 

[skiny]

I remember reading somewhere about a survey carried out still in the 20th century among very old African American people who actually experienced the era of slavery in the south; there were roughly 1,000 respondents in that survey, IIRC. A surprisingly huge percentage of them reminisced about the era of slavery as very good old times. They said their white masters took care of them, gave them work, housing, food, even some education, health care, etc. Also, black nannies were taking care of the white children, so the two races became interpersonally intertwined. The respondents went on to say that after slavery was abolished, they were on their own; I am paraphrasing but I recall the impression of something like being thrown out to the cold world without having the resources of the white masters behind them (of course it was the system's result that the black people mostly probably had no capital at all to start their own businesses, etc.).

So I think I understand what she was trying to say - that the southerners knew that black people were fine because they lived with them every day side by side. While others from the north might be paradoxically more prejudiced because they did not have any personal experience with them and might have been afraid of them as of unknown, different, strange, enigmatic people...

The impression I got from the survey was that it was a symbiotic relationship in the south, not always fraught with cruelty, inhuman treatment, etc. Also, I think it is fair to say that the white race at that time was undeniably more advanced technologically and intellectually.
But of course I agree with you, skiny, that slavery was and is unacceptable. And I think it was despicable that white people took advantage of their technological superiority and abused the black people the way they did.

All I am trying to say is that - no pun intended - it is not a completely black-and-white matter; it is more complex.
Look at Zimbabwe - the country fared much better with white people in charge; it prospered, etc. After they drove most white people away, some time after that the country was on the brink of famine IIRC... Once again, the problem I think was that white people, in general, abused their superiorty and were trampling on the natives so the natives were rightfully angered... These cases can be found all over the globe in other more subtle versions... We Czechs have to thank Germans for a lot from culture and technology and advancement in the last few centuries... But many Czechs refuse to recognise this because it came at a price - the Germans were oppressive in the border areas (I mean long before WWII) and, speaking in somewhat naive terms, were sometimes not behaving nicely... etc., etc.

You want to be careful what you take from surveys and interviews. Surveys are only as good as the questions they ask and the people who take them and interviews can be hand picked.

There's a phenomenon called Stockholm Syndrome where kidnap victims bond with their captors. It's actually quite common and many long term kidnap victims learn to care for their captors. They empathize with them and even defend them when they're eventually set free.

I'm quite sure there was a select group of relatively "nice" southerners who weren't considered cruel to the people they owned. Most of these people were either originally forcibly removed from their homelands and brought by the shipload or born into slavery. I guarantee you that for every old man or woman who considered these the good ole days there are thousands who didn't like being chained together and forced to work themselves literally to death. These people were beaten, raped and tortured for generations and they were denied any formal education and taught not to think for themselves. Yes, it's true when the slave trade was abolished most of them didn't have the life skills or the knowledge to walk off the plantations and create a healthy, productive new life for themselves but that's not because they weren't capable of it. They were conditioned to believe they were a less valuable, less intelligent, weaker form of human being and that attitude carried on long after the slave trade ended.

That attitude is called racism and it's like a cancer on society. It's sad to think almost a hundred years after freeing these people from slavery they were still fighting just to share a classroom with white students or use the same bathroom. The reluctance to allow this to change and the struggle it took to change it is a black mark that the south just has to live with. They can't defend it but they can move forward and make it right and the only way to do that is to raise their children with the knowledge that the colour of a person's skin means nothing.