Has anyone else had enough of this Paula Dean buisness?

[BWV Dreamin]

Will her restaraunt and son's restaraunt still be open? Hoping the lines will be a little shorter now......

 

[A_Princess'_Daddy]

Last time I checked, there are PLENTY of things that go on in EVERY neighborhood and social class that are totally unacceptable.

Huh? I'm not following your point, as I'm pretty sure that doesn't make using the "n" word acceptable...I learned in kindergarten that two wrongs don't make a right...

Yep, this is no different that Paula's remark about the black guy blending in with the black back drop. I guess maybe being irish, and pale, I should go look for someone to sue.

But seriously, I am not offended. I get it and I laugh at it. I even joke about how I got ripped off, I am Irish and I can't hold my liquor for anything.

If they create a hostile working environment for you by making fun of your Irish heritage, then sure, you are well within your rights to do so. Do you understand that is the point of the suit? People are not just randomly suing her for using bigoted language; it came out in a deposition about a broader hostile culture at the businesses that she owns.

I just don't get why people keep trying to justify her actions, but I think it speaks volumes...

 

[Buckalew11]

Inside Edition just did a telling report on Paula Deen with some video and footage of her and African Americans who are close to her-- 2 ladies who cook with her and have from the beginning, the lady who sang at her 2nd wedding and the wedding of her brother, her bodyguard and some other man who does video for her.

This painted a very different picture than we're hearing in the past week or so.

 

[mhsjax]

Huh? I'm not following your point, as I'm pretty sure that doesn't make using the "n" word acceptable...I learned in kindergarten that two wrongs don't make a right...



If they create a hostile working environment for you by making fun of your Irish heritage, then sure, you are well within your rights to do so. Do you understand that is the point of the suit? People are not just randomly suing her for using bigoted language; it came out in a deposition about a broader hostile culture at the businesses that she owns.

I just don't get why people keep trying to justify her actions, but I think it speaks volumes...

Did I say using the N word was acceptable? I don't think I did. YOu implied that because the word was used in the other posters neighborhood growing up, that it must have been thought of as acceptable. My point is lots of things go on that are unacceptable in all neighborhoods, that doesn't mean that they are acceptable.



Also, the man that was standing in front of the black back drop sure didn't seem to act like his environment was hostile? Did I miss something or are you assuming that he felt insulted or in a hostile environment?

I also think it speaks volumes when everyone is out to get her every little move. I am sure we all could be picked apart, and none of us would look good. Do I think some things she said were wrong? sure. Do I think we all have said and done things that were wrong? YOu bet. I can tell you that some are way too sensitive. I know I can joke around with friends that are of another race and they don't get upset and they do the same with me. Maybe this is the type of relationship she has with most of her employees, I don't know and neither do any of you.

Some of us maybe trying to justify her actions, but some of you have her found guilty of anything and everything at this point. What is the thing everyone loves to say. There are 3 side to every story, her side, the employees side and/or what the media is reporting and the truth is somewhere in the middle

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Tonight on the local news a candy company headquartered in my area is continuing their relationship with Paula Dean and a new candy bar they are in marketing together.

I am glad they didn't drop their relationship but wonder if candy is the best option for her with the Diabetes hush she had. They didn't state what kind though so it may be diabetic friendly!

 

[mhsjax]

You apparently didn't understand what I was saying, either.

OH I think I probably did.

 

[EnduringWone]

The vast, vast majority of racial discrimination in this country is against Blacks and Muslims. I’m sorry if you don’t like the truth.

You forgot women, thank you very much.

And until 911, I don't think there was vast discrimination against Muslims.

Any discrimination against any group no matter how small is a horrible thing. Black people are not the only people to have suffered on this earth.

Ask a Jewish person or someone that is gay.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

OH I think I probably did.

By agreeing with "So the only discrimination that can happen is against black people", you obviously didn't. I specifically pointed out in my comment that phorsenuf responded to that the Irish have been discriminated against:

They were persecuted because of the perception of being perpetually drunk, Catholic, and "takin' yer jobs!"

Heck, later on I even backtracked a bit about how bad the Irish were treated versus Africans, once I learned the Irish were sold into slavery in the United States (the public education system seemed to gloss over that bit in school, eh?). Although the Irish didn't have to fight for voting rights or desegregation in the 60's (again, I'm talking about the United States. The Irish Traveller discrimination in the UK is more finegrain).

My point was specifically about Irish reaction to jokes about pale skin. Now, if a pale skinned Irish person (I get my skin tone from my Ukrainian side) wants to reprimand me and say the jokes are demeaning, that's fine and dandy. That hasn't happened yet. If that's what either of you were inferring, you should have said that specifically. Saying that I think that only African-Americans can be discriminated against shows either a lack of reading comprehension or obstinateness.

 

[Nancyg56]

Heck, later on I even backtracked a bit about how bad the Irish were treated versus Africans, once I learned the Irish were sold into slavery in the United States (the public education system seemed to gloss over that bit in school, eh?). Although the Irish didn't have to fight for voting rights or desegregation in the 60's (again, I'm talking about the United States. The Irish Traveller discrimination in the UK is more finegrain).

.

The treatment of Irish immigrants in this country was part of a mindset of those people who were already here. There was a lot more to it than using some Irish as slaves, and as a woman whose father lost his own father because of the danger his job, the only job he could get because of his ethnicity, I made it my business to learn about it.

Now, things changed for Irish Americans a lot faster than they changed for African Americans, but that does not diminish the fact that there are some terms, some jokes, some comments that do cross a line. Any jokes that involve potatoes? You (in general "you") might want to rethink those. They are based in tragedy. I think that there is no reason to use "nicknames" when referring to any group of people because most of those terms were never meant to be friendly. They really were used to demean those groups, and
to justify any treatment that was thrust upon those people.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

The treatment of Irish immigrants in this country was part of a mindset of those people who were already here. There was a lot more to it than using some Irish as slaves, and as a woman whose father lost his own father because of the danger his job, the only job he could get because of his ethnicity, I made it my business to learn about it.

My great grandfather, who's parents emmigrated from Ireland in 1873, only a few years before he was born, was killed on the job in 1923. He was cutting up an empty acid tank (to use as scrap) with an acetylene torch when fumes caused an explosion.

 

[eliza61]

Sorry I just don't see a lot of "irish" discrimination specifically. I don't see Irish getting lynched, last summer there wasn't a judge refusing to marry couples because one of them was Irish, I haven't heard of all the segregated proms going on that exclude the Irish.

Now maybe I'm a lot more sensitive because my mom was the one that had German sheppards sicced on her for simply wanting the right to vote.

Now Irish may have been sold into slavery once they got here (and I question who many) but please don't insult me by even remotely comparing the two. First let's start with the fact as Flightless pointed out most Irish willingly Immigrated here.

African americans are the only people in this country who were legally labelled as 3/4 of a HUMAN BEING. Your children were not ripped from their mothers arms and sold often god knows where. Black slave children were used as bait for alligator trappers in Florida. Please, sorry I totally agree that the irish had it rough but sorry no other race of people, maybe the American Indian were brutalized, dehumanized and enslaved all legally as were the African americans. your people arrived here on the top of the boat, mine were stuff in the cargo of ships with not enough room the turn for a horrific journey often lying in their own filth.

It maybe "glossed" over as you say because in the grand scheme of things as far as the history of this country it was a very small period of time

So not the same.

 

[Nancyg56]

My great grandfather, who's parents emmigrated from Ireland in 1873, only a few years before he was born, was killed on the job in 1923. He was cutting up an empty acid tank (to use as scrap) with an acetylene torch when fumes caused an explosion.

The stories are telling. My Grandfather died when my Dad was two. He worked on the trolleys in Lawrence Ma., and was crushed between two of them. My Grandmother ran a boarding house. Right now we glorify firefighters and police officers, but we forget that there was a time when no one would take those jobs, so that is one reason there were so many Irish men in those professions.

In Windsor Locks Ct, there is a canal that was dug by hand by Irish immigrants, and if you check to see who built the initial railways, they were constructed by Chinese and Irish immigrants. It was interesting to me that when the Irish workers wanted a decent wage, the rail company hired Chinese workers, who took a lower wage.


There was always a group that could be exploited, and in order to justify the exploitation, they were degraded and demeaned so that the people who took advantage could feel better about it.

ETA- we are still finding that this exploitation of human workers continues. DH and I have a very small broadleaf tobacco farm. The work is back breaking . Literally! Anyway, we hire Jamaican, Mexican and Guatamalan workers during cutting and we always pay a fair wage. We are very small so we do not have any full time employees, so we have to rely on neighboring farms for supplemental help. Two years ago we hired 12 people who were FT on the neighbors farm, and the owner's Mother (she handled their payroll) wanted me to pay her directly. Nope. I manage my own payroll, and I have my own wage structure, which I discuss prior to hiring anyone. She was angry, but agree to back off. Turns out, she would take two dollars an hour from any worker she subcontracted out, so DH and I confronted them after we saw them collecting the money. Total denial but we know they did it.

We had to stop using a temp agency after we found out that they were not paying the workers. These workers were from Guatamala and spoke little English, if any, so they were vulnerable. The owner had also been taking transportation costs from these folks as well. We used the agency as protection for us, in order to ensure we were not hiring illegals. This was the second agency to bite the dust, so we gave up on that. The Jamaican workers come in through an agency, but it is heavily monitored, and these guys speak English, so at least there is no communication barrier if there are problems, but honestly, there are farms in our area that I would not let my dog onto, never mind a human being. DH has had to have a Come to Jesus meeting with more than one after he found out some of the boundaries that were crossed.

 

[Janepod]

Sorry I just don't see a lot of "irish" discrimination specifically. I don't see Irish getting lynched, last summer there wasn't a judge refusing to marry couples because one of them was Irish, I haven't heard of all the segregated proms going on that exclude the Irish.

Now maybe I'm a lot more sensitive because my mom was the one that had German sheppards sicced on her for simply wanting the right to vote.

Now Irish may have been sold into slavery once they got here (and I question who many) but please don't insult me by even remotely comparing the two. First let's start with the fact as Flightless pointed out most Irish willingly Immigrated here.

African americans are the only people in this country who were legally labelled as 3/4 of a HUMAN BEING. Your children were not ripped from their mothers arms and sold often god knows where. Black slave children were used as bait for alligator trappers in Florida. Please, sorry I totally agree that the irish had it rough but sorry no other race of people, maybe the American Indian were brutalized, dehumanized and enslaved all legally as were the African americans. your people arrived here on the top of the boat, mine were stuff in the cargo of ships with not enough room the turn for a horrific journey often lying in their own filth.

So not the same.

Agreed. My mother's family all came from Ireland in the mid-late 1800s and though the stories that have been passed down are shameful, they are nowhere near what African Americans had to endure. They'll be the first to tell you that.
They'll also tell you that the Irish became "white" and accepted by throwing African Americans under the bus. So I wouldn't talk too loud about how rough the Irish had it. Not to play Oppression Olympics, but we sure didn't have it the worst.

 

[Nancyg56]

Agreed. My mother's family all came from Ireland in the mid-late 1800s and though the stories that have been passed down are shameful, they are nowhere near what African Americans had to endure. They'll be the first to tell you that.
They'll also tell you that the Irish became "white" and accepted by throwing African Americans under the bus. So I wouldn't talk too loud about how rough the Irish had it. Not to play Oppression Olympics, but we sure didn't have it the worst.

Of course we cannot compare the oppression of Irish Americans to the oppression other groups of people experienced, and I am not trying to do so. I do think that, as a society, we incorporate the treatment of immigrants into the curriculum so that our children are not woefully ignorant of this aspect of our history. I hear names tossed around like they are endearments, and they are not, but unless people understand where those names originated, and what they mean, they will continue to use them willy nilly.

Now my Dad never talked about his parents or his grandparents and their history. I rather doubt his Mother told him much, that was still the time when children were "sheltered" from adult issues. That does not mean he had no concept of the names he was called as a child, and perhaps that is why he never used words like the one PD, used.

 

[Nancyg56]

Sorry I just don't see a lot of "irish" discrimination specifically. I don't see Irish getting lynched, last summer there wasn't a judge refusing to marry couples because one of them was Irish, I haven't heard of all the segregated proms going on that exclude the Irish.

Now maybe I'm a lot more sensitive because my mom was the one that had German sheppards sicced on her for simply wanting the right to vote.

Now Irish may have been sold into slavery once they got here (and I question who many) but please don't insult me by even remotely comparing the two. First let's start with the fact as Flightless pointed out most Irish willingly Immigrated here.

African americans are the only people in this country who were legally labelled as 3/4 of a HUMAN BEING. Your children were not ripped from their mothers arms and sold often god knows where. Black slave children were used as bait for alligator trappers in Florida. Please, sorry I totally agree that the irish had it rough but sorry no other race of people, maybe the American Indian were brutalized, dehumanized and enslaved all legally as were the African americans. your people arrived here on the top of the boat, mine were stuff in the cargo of ships with not enough room the turn for a horrific journey often lying in their own filth.

It maybe "glossed" over as you say because in the grand scheme of things as far as the history of this country it was a very small period of time

So not the same.

It is not the same, I absolutely agree with you. I have very strong feelings about how people in general are treated, and while I would never play the "my ancestors suffered more than your ancestor" game, I do believe that unless we bring discrimination of immigrant groups into the open, there will always be an opportunity to try to subjugate human beings. Ignorance does not protect our kids, and pretending that for the most part, everyone was treated equally should stop.

PD is no different than a lot of people, just read some of the FB posts supporting her. Just words? Just a fun wedding idea? Really? Woman who are called B**** as a joke? Irish called Mick or Italians Dagos? That is okay? Telling an employer that you got "jewed" at the market? And she did not even know where that came from? This is why I get so frustrated. It is not just about the N word, this is basic ignorance and for the life of me, I just cannot understand it. So if I offended you because I was discussing the issues other ethnic groups experienced, I was not comparing the two. I was simply trying to explain that many of us have no idea what the terms we use mean, and that a little bit if education wold go a long way to stop using offensive names.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I think everybody has gotten off topic. But whatever.

I don't think Paula Deen is a blatant racist.

I have lived with or near a racist my whole life. (My dad) He is a homophobe and a racist bigot.

He uses the N word all the time and he and I have verbal fights about it constantly. I told him it is not acceptable to use that word around me or my family but knowing how bad it bothers me he "slips" all the time, like he can't help himself.

It disgusts me. I have told him how ignorant it makes him look to be such an openly racist person. I told him he should at least pretend he is not racist like the rest of the world does but he doesn't care who knows he is racist.

When you see what a real racist looks like it makes other ppl seem like maybe they aren't very racist.

I think Paula Deen is paying a heavy price for being perceived as a racist. But it has caused her ardent fans to rally around her and show their support. Pre-sales on her upcoming book have pushed it to number 1 in pre-sales.

I think eventually it will pass and some other network may pick her up later, maybe not. I think she is rich enough now to last her the rest of her life no matter what happens.

Also it was the Ceasars Casino chain that had Paula Deen's Kitchen restaurants in 4 of their casinos in 4 different states. But those are the types of places that weren't really hers to begin with they just stuck her name on it and kicked her back a little money every year.

As for her saying the N word... I do not use that word and have never used it around any of my kids growing up. They also know it is not Ok for them to ever say that or anything like that. But if asked if I have ever uttered that word in my life I would also have to say yes.

I said it just a few months ago when I was telling someone about that pitiful excuse for a movie Django Unchained. I was telling a friend who is not from the US and has English as a second language. I told them the movie was disgusting and that they said the N word about 200 times and I can't imagine being an actor in that movie, white or black and having to hear that. They didn't know what I was talking about. "The N word" meant nothing to them so I told her exactly what word I was talking about. I said the word.

I have said it in the past in similar situations at least once or twice in my life.

But for someone who is racist they use it because that is how they feel about black ppl. They believe they are superior to them. Most ppl do not think or feel that way. I don't.

My children know what racism is. They know they have family members that say the N word. My ex husband says it in front of my kids. He never did that when I was married to him but my kids told me NOW he and his wife (the step mom) both say it.

My DD13 told me at the beginning of last school year that a really smart, cute boy in her class asked her if she would be his girlfriend and she said she "had to" tell him no. I asked her why and she told me "because he is black and pawpaw and daddy would disown me if I had a black boyfriend" I felt so sick inside. She really liked the boy. I told her she can't live her life in fear of what others will say about her but she is not willing to chance her father and grandfather's disgust with her if she were to do that.

My husband's sister was married to a black man and has 4 half black kids and yet knowing that, my dad still said the N word in front of my husband at dinner one night. I finally had to tell my dad if he says the N word in front of my husband or kids one more time his visitation with anybody in my family was going to come to a screeching halt. And he knew I meant it.

I also have to agree with a few previous posters when they say you can't really compare the bad treatment that immigrants faced to slavery and the bad treatment that black ppl have faced in this country. It was less than 50 years ago black ppl were still being hung from trees for no reason at all. That is not ancient history that they should "get over". That is pretty damn recent and real. I can't imagine how hateful and angry I would feel if I were living in a country that did that to my ppl. I would be racist against white ppl too. And a lot of them are. very racist against white ppl. But I understand why.

I haven't read the Paula Deen charges or transcript. But I have seen excerpts of it and seen what everyone else is saying about what she did and said and I am not sure she deserves what she is getting.

I am one who has to agree that there are plenty of ppl like rappers and comedians that should be getting their contracts revoked right now because they say it too. I don't buy this crap that it is ok for black ppl to say it but it is not ok for white ppl to say it. If it is a horrible offensive word then NOBODY should be saying it.

And I also agree with ppl who are saying how many OF YOU have gone your whole life and never said a racial or offensive thing, even in private? If she had denied all the charges she wouldn't be in this position right now. If she had lied and said none of it were true nobody would have been the wiser. Most ppl would lie to cover their butt. I probably would too. but she didn't.

But it really doesn't matter how any of us feel about it. What has happened has happened and she is paying a heavy price for it. Her fans are showing her support and her haters are criticizing her.

I don't feel disgusted by her like I do my dad. So I am using that as a gauge for how I feel about it.

 

[Nancyg56]

I think everybody has gotten off topic. But whatever.

I don't think Paula Deen is a blatant racist.

I think we have expanded the topic, but whatever.

I am curious. If you believe she was not blatant in her racism, does that make it more acceptable? For me, there is not much gray, wither you are racist or you are not. Either you are a bigot or you are not. Kind of like being sort of pregnant. You either are or you are not.

 

[FireDancer]

For instance, Firestarter made a comment about being a "dago pollack". Perhaps that is not offensive to that person, but what about other people? Is it okay for him to call names because he is not offended? Dago is another word that was not meant to be "cute". It was a very derogatory way of referring to someone, and was used to hurt a group of people, but maybe knowing how and why it was used would change Firestarter's opinion. I don't know.

I know the history of Dago. Same goes with all the Italian and Polish slurs. I just don't care because I choose not to give words power. Words are just words and I still abide by the "sticks & stones" principle, if I don't let words hurt me they won't so I choose not to. I find it quite simple really. I find all these ban the <whatever>-word campaigns to be laughable. Actions, on the other hand, can hurt people.

As others have touched on we love to forget a lot of the sad history of this country and concentrate only on the things we celebrate. With very few exceptions almost every group has been treated like crap at one time or another. Some of it is in the past, some in the present, and some will be in the future. Italians, Irish, Hispanics, the Japanese (people love to forget about our internment camps), and just about every other race or nationality had their time in the barrel so to speak. Some had it worse than others and some had their time in the barrel last longer but it isn't a <male body part> measuring contest. The worst one doesn't win. If you were beaten or killed because you happen to be Italian in the 1920's (and it became much more common in the aftermath of the Sacco and Vanzetti trials) it was very little comfort for someone to say buck up mister, someone who is <insert whatever> has it much worse. Almost everyone here had ancestors who were treated poorly. It doesn't matter if one was worse than the other. That is how our country was and in some ways still is.

One set of my great grandparents were born in Sicily and immigrated here. My great grandma lived until I was 20 and we were very close. I heard the stories about how she and my great grandpa were treated and even my grandpa because he was the child of immigrants. It was terrible and my great grandpa was worked to death but it is what it is. I can't change the past nor will I dwell on it.

I genuinely don't care what you religions is, what your race is, what you nationality is, where you were born, or where you parents were born. I don't. I have friends who are just about every race and religion. Some born in other countries, some who's parents were born in other countries. As long as you are a good person none of that matters. I spend pretty much none of my life worrying about any of those things either.

 

[Buckalew11]

I think Paula Deen told the truth under oath because that's who she is...someone who tells the truth and lays it all out there. I think she knew that her intent is not hate and she is quite the open book and she really "is what I is." I do not think she is a racist, I do not think that at all. I know plenty of people who are racist and let me tell you, a person who is a racist would not have a black bodyguard, treat those cooks like girlfriends and on and on.
I know people who would not have sat down at my dining room table on Thanksgiving because I had a black man here celebrating with our family. I know people filled with hate about blacks & Jews. That's what is inside their hearts.

Paula Deen's joking around and being super silly (kooky as Gumbo4x4 puts it, lol) is part of who she is. I saw a couple episodes of Paula's Party on FN and it was really more than I could take. I enjoyed her years ago on her regular show but I have not watched her in years. I do not believe that woman has a hate filled bone in her body--unless all of this makes her hate for being twisted into a racist she-devil.

 

[Lemonademouth]

I didn't read the thread, but saw the title, and wanted to say this- I feel that someone who starts a thread like this wants to talk about it more. Starting a thread about not talking about something? That works. I however am tired of hearing about it. It is everywhere I look, Facebook, news, the dis... IMHO there are much more pressing matters going on that at least the news can report on.