<p>The plaintiff is white, did not personally hear the use of the word, and the context is very interesting. According to historical reports and the court transcripts, she used the actual word in the context of describing a man who held her up with a gun. Now, she may likely have had weird ideas about race (but if her actions helped a lot of people, then so what?), but seeing this thread parallel with the Trayvon Martin thread is interesting. It was ok for Trayvon to call Zimmerman a “cracker” but not for Paula to describe the man who held her up with a gun as the “n” word? </p>
<p>When I was growing up, the N word was sometimes used by black fathers to talk about behavior that they wouldn’t tolerate from their children, because that word had nothing to do with them. In other words to separate certain behavior from the personhood of their children (sons, actually).</p>
<p>Yes, I think at this point, our country needs to have a conversation about race and the history of race and to allow people to have changed.</p>
<p>I am troubled by not allowing people to have grown and changed.</p>
<p>I’m not saying I want to have dinner with Paula Deen. I’m just saying that she has grown and changed and this punishment we mete out in the media is our current form of judgementalism frequently associated with overly judgemental religious groups.</p>
<p>People make mistakes and grow. Disallowing this and refusing to acknowledge this is not going to help us as we go forward as a multi racial nation. </p>
<p>Cartera is, I think, coming close to what we can see in the south. (Not always, but it’s there.) I love the culture and people. Lived in somewhat rural VA. But the “getting along” part can clearly mask the assumptions (sometimes, on both sides,) that things are not truly equal. </p>
<p>One interesting comment a Georgian made to me, a Yankee, when we were in college, was that racial tensions may be apparent in the south, but exist equally in the north- northerners just present differently. Every time we have an AA thread, I’m pretty knocked by what I think is subtle racism behind many observations and claims. Not exclusively from people in or from the south.</p>
<p>As a northerner married to a southerner, I can tell you that the cities in the north are wayyy more segregated. I’ve said this before on CC.</p>
<p>But, look at the gay marriage issue. Many people who were at one time opposed are now in favor. Will we now someday go back and beat people up for having been opposed to it when if they hadn’t changed their mind things would not be moving forward?</p>
<p>I think it’s really important to be careful not to judge people who have apologized and shown in their actions that they have changed from their old, misguided and, received, views.</p>
<p>“Sorry mini, but a number of White, Liberals have said and done a variety of awful things and the traditional, liberal media have given them a pass.”</p>
<p>And…</p>
<p>(No one held a gun to her head and made her talk about grandpa…)</p>
<p>I hope Paula Deen grows from the experience. As for “Paula Deen”, well, she died.</p>
<p>As did Ollie North. It’s a silly argument. The corporate heads of these many corporations are not liberals - they want to sell stuff. Food Network sells advertising so they can sell stuff. “Paula Deen”, being dead, is no longer available to sell stuff. That’s all this is about. Don’t make it any more than it is.</p>
<p>I’m sure Paula Deen mourns her dead grandpa. And has done many nice things. Doesn’t have anything necessarily to do with the deceased, who committed suicide.</p>
<p>In a year all this will be forgotten and “Paula Deen” will be back is she still wants to be. Her core audience and buyers of her products do not feel the same level of theatrical outrage as many in the media and elsewhere. Just like Liberty University is stronger than ever despite many questionable statements and positions by its leadership. Or she can just focus on her restaurants and be very comfortable.</p>
<p>Whether it’s an overabundance of butter or the teaching of creationist theory, both cater to a specific niche market and the things that many in this country perceive as negatives, others celebrate as positives.</p>
<p>The worst thing about this whole Paula Deen debacle is that she has been turned into some sort of cultural martyr. I do not like her, her persona, or her recipes. In the big scheme of things I could care less about what happens to her.
however— she has given the golden wonderfulness that is butter a bad name and that is UNFORGIVABLE.</p>