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Good point about the bad behavior and CRIMES of sports figures and entertainers...I always wonder how some of these people can be looked upon as role models for our children when many lack morals and have no obvious education outside of sports.
A black friend explained it to me this way. They said - it is not so much that these athletes (and I am referring to the "bad boys" now) are upheld as role models for children b/c of their athletic prowess. They receive the adulation b/c they are making tons of money. I was told that they symbolize overcoming white oppression by excelling in a field where white folks are often now a minority - and where white folks have not been able to exclude black folks.
So the black community stands behind the athletes (and celebrities) b/c they have accumulated wealth and many times, the $$ is coming out of white people's pockets.
Now, I was rather stunned b/c as a white person (and Southerner, may I add, since that seems to automatically mean I am racist these days, lol) . . . I had honestly never even THOUGHT about black folks sitting around spending that much time gleefully smirking about white people paying money to further the careers of black people (i.e., buying tickets to concerts, comedy acts, movies, and sporting events).
To me, if someone is talented, who cares what their race is? But that is not how at least some in the black community see it.
I do not mean to suggest that all white people are a monolith any more than I mean to suggest all minorities are a monolith so please, no flaming on that!
However, my friend's explanation does seem to fit the reaction I see in the black community, in general, with supporting "their own" regardless of what crimes (or unsavory habits) they may be engaging in.
Last edited by brokensky; 07-02-2013 at 07:19 AM..
Too many people are focusing on Deen's use of the N word to prejudge this controversy. I acknowledged in an earlier post that I felt that her use of it after she had been the victim of an armed robbery could probably be excused (not justified) because of the stress she went through. Nor, would I punish Deen for being a part of a culture where her friends and family made routine use of racial expletives.
The part of this story that is getting lost is the actions of her brother while acting as a principal of a restaurant that Deen maintained a 50% ownership interest in. There is lots of testimony that Deen's brother frequently used the N word at word, that he behaved in a discriminatory way towards both black customers and employees, and that he showed pornography at work to women employees.
For those who don't know it, Paula can't make a legal defense out of the idea that "the business was operated by her brother". If she is a co-owner of the business she has both legal and moral obligations to step up to the plate. That's the real problem here and I wish more people would acknowledge it.
All of this is dealt with in Paula Dean's deposition in the case.
I have family in Savannah. I have heard for probably - 8 or so years - that Bubba is an albatross around Paula's neck.
That is where Paula made her mistake . . . trying to cover Bubba's arse by making sure he had a job and income. If he had not been involved in any way in her corporation (ownership) . . . I venture to say, none of this would have happened. Being a good sister is what got her in this legal mess, as I have heard that in the kitchen at Bubba's restaurant, there ARE pejorative terms thrown around AMONGST THE STAFF and that Bubba has made his share of racist comments and jokes, too, in presence of staff.
The whole thing with black celebs throwing their money around and "prevailing" over the white establishment is right here in this song, "*****s in Paris." (I first saw the title using the N word so don't know if that has been "sanitized" or what, lol. I mention this b/c it would make a difference to me to know if Jay-Z and Kanye purposely used the N word in the original title - as that is rather inflammatory, imo).
I think this attitude in the black community (at least with some segment of the black community who are perpetuating this divisiveness and hating on the white community as "oppressors") is why we are seeing such things as the Paula Deen Hatemongering. Because she is Southern (and has made a lot of money) . . . she is a natural target to "take down."
Plus, there are angry black folks out there who feel that the "real food" of the South is Soul Food. These are often the same folks who want "reparations" as "payment" for slavery. They feel their economic status today has been lowered b/c white people used slaves "to build this country." And they believe that Paula's popularity is at least partially b/c she has "used" the recipes and traditions of the black community as a way to climb the "celebrity chef" ladder. In other words, they feel she is co-opting black history and heritage . . . and I suspect they feel if a Southern chef is to be celebrated, it should be a black Southern chef dishing up those soul food recipes.
I am posting this song b/c if you read the lyrics, and then read the "meaning" of the lyrics (the coded language and slang makes it difficult for people over 40 to understand fully what is being conveyed) . . . you get a picture of what these entertainers are perpetuating through their music.
There is a lot of hating going on out there, but it is coded and people are hiding behind terminology (racism and bigotry) and pointing fingers at shadows that have somehow become personified through Paula Deen.
Because of soundbytes, the internet and twitter, people are basically shallow when it comes to analyzing "the news." We post things on FB that are inaccurate. We read a tweet and get all agitated (and assume whatever is being said is fact). How many of you have read an actual copy of the letter that Jackson's attorney first wrote to Deen's corporation, demanding $1.25 M or they would "take down" Deen's business? How many of you have actually read, line by line, (no summaries!) the actual deposition?
As a former journalist and newspaper editor, I can tell ya . . . a job is being done on Deen and it is shameful. I am not saying she has handled it well - I think her whole corporation has handled it very poorly. Jackson's attorney has been very aggressive in saying "settle now" -- it will be cheaper than seeing your business ruined and we are going to make sure it is ruined if you don't comply.
Please note: I am NOT condoning harassment, sexism, racism, or any type of inequality in the workplace, so please don't go there!!! The discussion in the media and on the net has focused on the N word, not on allegations about the corporation, itself.
Take some time to watch the vid, read what the lyrics mean . . . and come to your own conclusions about race relations in this country -- and why there are those in the black community that feel it is fine to call each other the N word . . . to them, it is a badge of honor against white oppression and how they have "beaten the system." At least, that is the conclusion I have come to. YMMV, of course.
**Note the references to sports
Edited to add: as far as the song . . . I think it is rather brilliant, from an artistic point of view.
Well, it appears that b/c all the links have a version of the N word in them, they are being censored by C-D software, so the links won't pull up. You will just have to do a search for the lyrics and their meaning on your own, if you are so inclined. Sorry.
You figured it out like I did. At first, I was just going by the media accounts that focus on her use of the N word.
The real issue here is Paula's 50% ownership interest in a restaurant where the managing owner seems engaged in serious violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and other misconduct. Some, undoubtedly, will try to excuse Paula's behavior here by saying "she's not responsible for what her brother does".
The fact is that all businesses are artificial entities. They can only act or function through their agents and employees. The law generally makes the owner of a business vicariously liable for the acts of its agents and employees. Paula is liable for what her brother did as long as she maintains this ownership interest in the restaurant.
The other issue is that Paula can profess ignorance of her brother's mismanagement all she wants too. Was she really that ignorant though? These kinds of allegations have a way of getting out. Rather than being totally ignorant about what was going on what I think is more likely is that Paula took a "hands off" attitude because she didn't want to interfere with her brother. (See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil) You cannot operate a business that way in today's world. If you do, you are pursuing a suicidal course.
In Paula's own deposition she either conceded or was made aware of the fact that numerous employees had asserted her brother had committed a number of acts which would be violations of Title VII as well as state laws. Its not just one angry dissident employee. Its a group of employees who have testified in a similar fashion.
I wish more people would address the real issues here instead of just focusing on the use of some racial expletives brought about because of a stressful situation.
Apparently after Bubba physically assaulted one of the kitchen workers Paula Deen invited the worker to her home to "massage" him and make him feel better about the situation (read: not make waves).
She knew what her brother was doing in the restaurant and refused to address it. She could have given Ms. Jackson the transfer she requested, but instead forced her to stay in her current position or quit. All this talk about Paula not being aware of the toxic environment at her brothers restaurant doesn't stand up when you read the complaints.
Originally Posted by in_newengland I saw her on tv making rude remarks to blacks like--Why don't you stand over there? We can't see you against that blackboard?
Is that childish and rude? Wouldn't the black person feel kind of embarrassed?
I think my other problem with her is her horrible fattening unhealthy recipes and how she got diabetes from her own cooking yet hid it from the public. And then that voice. It all adds up to someone whose time has come to step down and let someone else do the job.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rainroosty
I'm curious. Can you please tell us all about this television program that you say Paula Deen said that to
"blacks"? I'm amazed....that's hard for me to believe and so I'd like to see for myself.
Oh, by the way....nobody can get diabetes from their cooking. I should know, I'm diabetic. So fear not your cooking!
As someone said, that kind of cooking can make it worse.
I saw her say that about the black person not standing beside the chalkboard just recently during all of this controversy and it was on a clip from some show. Some show that I don't watch but it had a couple of interviewers, one of those interview shows--a man and a woman who were interviewing her. She was sitting on their right and she was doing most of the talking. She said a few other strange things too and the man and the woman just sat there with this look on their faces, not knowing what to say.
Apparently after Bubba physically assaulted one of the kitchen workers Paula Deen invited the worker to her home to "massage" him and make him feel better about the situation (read: not make waves).
She knew what her brother was doing in the restaurant and refused to address it. She could have given Ms. Jackson the transfer she requested, but instead forced her to stay in her current position or quit. All this talk about Paula not being aware of the toxic environment at her brothers restaurant doesn't stand up when you read the complaints.
It appears she DID address that situation--she perhaps didn't do it very well. She should have had an HR system in place(and maybe there is one) with professionals handling all personnel issues. However, the person you mention isn't filing a lawsuit, is he? This is just more secondhand hearsay from Jackson that was brought up to intimidate Deen into a settlement with Jackson, is it not? Correct me if I am wrong.
Someone once asked Willie Sutton why he robbed banks. He replied, "Because that's where they keep the money."
Why is Paula being sued? See above.
I'm not a fan; don't eat her cooking; don't even say y'all. I don't say the word in question either. I just think her critics should leave her recipes out of it - it weakens the relevant point. That is all.
... This is just more secondhand hearsay from Jackson that was brought up to intimidate Deen into a settlement with Jackson, is it not? Correct me if I am wrong.
Settlement? It's a little late for that now, isn't it? That's what Deen's legal team should have pressed for early on, as Jackson's asking for a paltry (to Deen) $1.2 million. Again, I ask, where's her team?
PD never should have gone on record and, after this broke, she never should have made one pathetic public apology after another in which she appeared to be off her rocker (She could siimply have issued a statement apologizing, then moving on---you know, like everyone else in the public eye does and gets away with).
People keep getting their panties in a knot over this, but it really is not about the N-word at all. Many celebrities have used the word, apologized and moved on, with no lasting harm to their careers. There is no witch hunt - this is all about Paula Deen. She damaged her brand (which was built mainly around her "niceness"), exhibited shockingly poor business management practices (no your brother should not be allowed to look at porn in front of employees) and little self-awareness and had numbers that were already beginning to decline. This also isn't her first misstep (see the diabetes "secret" from a few years ago.) Advertisers and networks decided the cost/benefit ratio was too skewed and dropped her - there are far less risky rising stars to tie their brands to. Paula Deen created a perfect storm of disaster around herself and seems shocked that there are consequences for that.
People keep bringing up Alec Baldwin and his recent slur-laced Twitter rant as an example of hypocrisy. It's just not. Alec Baldwin has built his career - or his "brand" - around being a good actor, not on being a nice guy. He's ALWAYS been a dick. People expect it from him. He gets away with it because he's a decent actor and nobody goes to his movies because they think he'd be fun to have a beer with. He's never pretended to be anything but a dick. And here's the other thing - he's a dick who knows how to apologize in an appropriate manner. Paula Deen has built her entire brand around being someone you would want to spend time with, on being a fun and nice person who also knows how to cook delicious things. She's not supposed to be someone who sees nothing wrong with racial jokes and pornography in the workplace. She's not supposed to be someone who doesn't realize that these things are not acceptable.
What it comes down to is that Paula Deen built her empire around an image that she deliberately cultivated, but she failed to maintain that image. Thus her empire is crumbling. The advice of a good PR person would have probably saved her, but she apparently wasn't interested.
People keep getting their panties in a knot over this, but it really is not about the N-word at all. Many celebrities have used the word, apologized and moved on, with no lasting harm to their careers. There is no witch hunt - this is all about Paula Deen. She damaged her brand (which was built mainly around her "niceness"), exhibited shockingly poor business management practices (no your brother should not be allowed to look at porn in front of employees) and little self-awareness and had numbers that were already beginning to decline. This also isn't her first misstep (see the diabetes "secret" from a few years ago.) Advertisers and networks decided the cost/benefit ratio was too skewed and dropped her - there are far less risky rising stars to tie their brands to. Paula Deen created a perfect storm of disaster around herself and seems shocked that there are consequences for that.
Good point - and I would go further in saying, it's not really about randomly using racial slurs, or even about just Paula Deen. Really, the big issue is how her company treats her employees, and by extension, general working conditions in the restaurant business. Unfortunately, Paula Deen's staff practices aren't uncommon in the restaurant business. Wage theft, discrimination in staff hiring (whites in the front line, where they have more access to income from gratuities vs. people of color in the back), hostile work environment, harassment, etc., are all commonplace in restaurants.
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