[mickey100]

Originally Posted by JP

I agree. She's 66, maybe she should just retire and consider moving to the villages!

I think some of us would prefer she move somewhere else.

[mickey100]

Originally Posted by mac9

But her brother's "plantation" wedding is not so far into the past. She defines the waiters that she saw in the other restaurant as "fine, middle-aged gentlemen" which, to me, indicates that they are fine because they"know their place." How could she possibly know anything about them by just seeing them in their place of employment? And she excuses her use of the "N" word many years ago by saying that she had been held up in the bank. A thug is a thug is a thug no matter what their skin color, yet she felt the need to define them in that manner.
I am not a young person any longer and certainly knew my parents feelings very quickly when it came to the races. Yet I was able to reject their feelings on this matter when, one Sunday, a black family joined our church and everyone was up in arms about it. The attitude just never seemed very "christian" to me even as as a youngster.
And, no, I don't tell racial or sexist jokes about anyone as it is too easy to turn the tables and have things become ugly very fast.

Well said.

[tucson]

I want to know why after all the years Lisa Jackson (btw, a white woman) who was a Mgr. for Paula Deen, decided to sue her now? Hmmmm.... I'm also wondering if the comments she made were so horrible, (if she did make them to her black employees) why didn't they come out and sue her instead of the white woman mgr.??? I smell a conspiracy here between alot of people that worked for PD. "Those without sin, cast the first stone"

[CFrance]

To all the people wondering why it's okay for blacks to use the N word but not okay for whites to use it... I can call my brother a useless, lazy jerk, but YOU better not call my brother that. I'm sure there's a name for that condition, but I can't come up with it. Family loyalty comes to mind, or blood being thicker than water.

(And my brother was not a useless, lazy jerk.)

[tucson]

When my husband was a chef at a very well known hotel , there were 2 black cooks there (who were friends) & always conversing back & forth w/each other and constantly would make comments like, you're a "field-ni--er" and " you're a "house ni--er". No one in 20+ yrs of their employment ever filed any lawsuits, (btw, it was a union hotel) !! It's ok to say anything to your own race, nationality,etc, etc. But , it's NOT ok for someone who the remarks are not even directed to, to run to a lawyer w/the motive to make $$$$$ ????

[redwitch]

For the supporters of Ms. Deen, take the time to read her deposition. Her words are not pretty when read and, as has been said, she is clueless as to what she is saying, which is really sad. For the detractors, read her deposition and pity the fact she really does not understand how ugly those words were and are. I've known many people like her, including my former mother-in-law (for whom the best thing I could say is she raised a wonderful son).

I don't understand bigotry, stereotyping. As I said, I've seen it and I've seen the ugliness caused by it. I still have occasional nightmares from seeing the results of a lynching when I was around 7.

My father was a Southerner and, even worse, a hillbilly to the core (Harlan County, KY). He joined the Army underage, under-educated, bigoted as any person could get. While in the Army, he got his Ph.D., died as a full bird. He quickly learned his beliefs were dead wrong. I'm not convinced that his core ever really believed that fact (it is hard to ever leave your childhood beliefs totally behind) but there's no question he worked hard to have those beliefs stop with him.

He worked very hard to make sure his children did not have those prejudices. We were taught that any word that denigrated another was not acceptable. We were taught to judge a man by his deeds, not the color of his skin. I don't think this was always easy for him but he felt it was the right thing to do.

There is no way he would have ever used the words Paula Deen did in his home or in public. He would not have wanted a plantation-style wedding for me. He would have been thrilled that our best man was Scotty (a tall, incredibly dark-skinned man who had all of the virtues my father admired). He would have welcomed Harvey, our groomsman (a very short Puerto Rican), into his home. He would have thought Sherry, my bridesmaid (a tiny Japanese girl), was stunning. Strangely, I never thought there was anything unusual about the choices my husband and I made for those we wanted to actively participate in our wedding. Sadly, his mother did and commented quite vocally about those choices (she was Polish from a small town in Pennsylvania). His mother is a Paula Deen -- people should know their place and stay in it but never would that be said in public. UGH

[casita37]

Did anyone watch Paula on Today, this morning? You had to feel a little sorry for her....kinda, but she denied ever, EVER, using "that" word except that one time 30 years ago in the bank. She said she was not raised to be racial or prejudiced. So, basically, she took the one thing that people have used to defend her and tossed that out the window. Matt tried to question her about having said she used the word and now saying she had never used it (1 time only). He didn't get a real straight answer, just an avow that she NEVER used it, so there goes the "at least she told the truth" theory.

Bless her heart, at the end she even said "I is what I is". Good grief!! Someone get her a better PR firm....LOL

I think she's probably toast. Oh well, she can write a book about the experience and make the talk show circuit. She'll be fine, but a lot of employees will suffer. That's a shame.

[coralway]

Originally Posted by tucson

When my husband was a chef at a very well known hotel , there were 2 black cooks there (who were friends) & always conversing back & forth w/each other and constantly would make comments like, you're a "field-ni--er" and " you're a "house ni--er". No one in 20+ yrs of their employment ever filed any lawsuits, (btw, it was a union hotel) !! It's ok to say anything to your own race, nationality,etc, etc. But , it's NOT ok for someone who the remarks are not even directed to, to run to a lawyer w/the motive to make $$$$$ ????

Interesting story - but what does it have to do with what Deen said?

[ilovetv]

The bottom line is Deen is a media product and she sells her brand.

The media are now cashing in on her by continuing to milk this cow dry. We would not even know about this story if that were not the situation.

[blueash]

Originally Posted by DianeM

Let's be real here. We're all from an era when those words were acceptable. She is is a product of her time and public humiliation because of the past is absurd.

I cannot judge your upbringing, but in my home there was absolutely no question that the holding of bigoted thoughts or the use of any language which was derogotory toward another race, religion, or nationality was completely unacceptable. Many people, including many posters on this thread, who had more exposure to bigots than did I have managed to overcome their upbringing and see those beliefs as abhorent. If Ms Deen made these statements 30 years ago, that would be 1983. She would have been in her mid-30's and you can be quite sure that all Americans knew that the use of the "N" word in 1983 would be extremely offensive to those who didn't share the same bigoted beliefs.

[John_W]

Originally Posted by casita37

Did anyone watch Paula on Today, this morning? You had to feel a little sorry for her....kinda, but she denied ever, EVER, using "that" word except that one time 30 years ago in the bank. She said she was not raised to be racial or prejudiced...

When I saw her face on the Today show, it reminded me so much of Jimmy Swaggart and those crocodile tears.







;

[ilovetv]

If this Deen woman is such a repugnant racist, why are y'all watching her now that this is known? The media people who created her and the competitors who are now milking this story to death by having the audience glued to "the unfolding DRAMA" are laughing all the way to the bank!

Is it because Matt Lauer and the other talking heads didn't have anything else of substance to talk about? Or is it because their other stuff was just of too little interest to viewers like us?

[nitehawk]

Originally Posted by redwitch

For the supporters of Ms. Deen, take the time to read her deposition. Her words are not pretty when read and, as has been said, she is clueless as to what she is saying, which is really sad. For the detractors, read her deposition and pity the fact she really does not understand how ugly those words were and are. I've known many people like her, including my former mother-in-law (for whom the best thing I could say is she raised a wonderful son).

I don't understand bigotry, stereotyping. As I said, I've seen it and I've seen the ugliness caused by it. I still have occasional nightmares from seeing the results of a lynching when I was around 7.

My father was a Southerner and, even worse, a hillbilly to the core (Harlan County, KY). He joined the Army underage, under-educated, bigoted as any person could get. While in the Army, he got his Ph.D., died as a full bird. He quickly learned his beliefs were dead wrong. I'm not convinced that his core ever really believed that fact (it is hard to ever leave your childhood beliefs totally behind) but there's no question he worked hard to have those beliefs stop with him.

He worked very hard to make sure his children did not have those prejudices. We were taught that any word that denigrated another was not acceptable. We were taught to judge a man by his deeds, not the color of his skin. I don't think this was always easy for him but he felt it was the right thing to do.

There is no way he would have ever used the words Paula Deen did in his home or in public. He would not have wanted a plantation-style wedding for me. He would have been thrilled that our best man was Scotty (a tall, incredibly dark-skinned man who had all of the virtues my father admired). He would have welcomed Harvey, our groomsman (a very short Puerto Rican), into his home. He would have thought Sherry, my bridesmaid (a tiny Japanese girl), was stunning. Strangely, I never thought there was anything unusual about the choices my husband and I made for those we wanted to actively participate in our wedding. Sadly, his mother did and commented quite vocally about those choices (she was Polish from a small town in Pennsylvania). His mother is a Paula Deen -- people should know their place and stay in it but never would that be said in public. UGH

You seem to have lived a very exciting life - you should really write a book about your experiences. Did you see the lynching (at the age of 7 ) or just the results of it ? I have some close friend from the rural area of Kentucky and would never think of calling them "hillbills" Urban Dictionary: hillbilly
Urban Dictionary: hillbilly
Often used as an insult and racial slur against White folks who live in the country
But sometimes we all make mistakes about being politically correct.
Would I be correct if I stopped your services because you called someone else a "H-------"

[lpkshop]

She was a disgrace...I love those apologies that start out with..IF I OFFENDED ANYONE..
Really ..another star power person who thought she was above it all.

[gocubsgo]

" I is what I is" ??? I see Hooked on Phonics worked for her!