Ouch! Deen's dismissal

[babylonsister]

[orpupilofnature57]

1. Antebellum isn't an era, it's a frontal lobe issue .

Good ridden to bad rubbish .

[msanthrope]

6. So stealing that. nt

[Iggo]

7. Score yourself five bonus points.

[babylonsister]

11. Haha! DUzy!!

I live outside of Savannah and have heard some horror stories about her. She's not well loved, at least by some people I know, even here.

[Lilyeye]

2. I've seen/heard Dems complaining too, but I agree with the overall point.

[progressoid]

3. Heh...I was with a group of 8 people yesterday.

The two that were the only apologists for Deen were also the most conservative.

[thelordofhell]

4. They saw how Paula treated the staff of her show...........

The racism was just the icing on the cake.............

[Salviati]

8. Buttercream icing I presume...

[malaise]

5. Damn - what a line

Most of you mainline butter with big gulp straws

[freshwest]

15. Yup, I laughed out loud at that one. Really, that poster said it all great.

[HockeyMom]

9. I have watched her

"Little bit of butter". HUH????? "Some sugar". WHAT???? I do like when she cooks with her son, Bobby, and he modifies her recipes more in line with reality. lol I watched her for a laugh, not for cooking tips.

[BellaKos]

10. Well, y'all

My brother who lives in Savannah would tell you that most people there don't frequent her establishment and that the long line of supporters in front of her restaurant that the New York Times depicted in the picture were tourists.

People I know who watch the Food Network would tell you that there is segment of the population who are known as "Foodies," who seem obsessed with all things "food." Yes, they may be fearless in their use of butter (just as Julia Childs was). And yes, many are probably overweight.

Food Network executives would tell you that Paula Deen fans, as well as most people who watch their network, could be characterized as self-proclaimed "Foodies."

Anyone from Georgia would tell you that Paula Deen's Southern persona is completely fake and fools only Yankees.

Any woman Deen's age would tell you that Deen grew up being victimized by sexism and therefore has an ingrained, reflexive acquisence to the dominant culture that surrounds her. And given that she grew up in the South, she, herself, was diminished, disrepected, and treated as a child for decades during her life.

Anyone with experience in the business world would tell you that you don't create a fifteen million dollar empire by being nice.

Any child would tell you that to think that Paula Deen resembles the persona that she has created for TV means that you're incredibly naive.

And I must tell you that the display of self-righteousness, judgmentalism, and condemnation exhibited around here at DU is very much akin to what people accuse rednecks of, isn't it? And the intollerance and tyranny of political correctness is contrary to the principles of a free society.

[planetc]

14. Yes, I thought she was being condemned for using butter, not the n word

I agree with much of what you say, especially:

"And I must tell you that the display of self-righteousness, judgmentalism, and condemnation exhibited around here at DU is very much akin to what people accuse rednecks of, isn't it? And the intollerance and tyranny of political correctness is contrary to the principles of a free society."

I definitely felt that people were delighted to find out that she was a racist**, too, so they could throw her under the bus for overindulging in butter.

** How much of a racist she is is totally unclear to me. She is accused, in a case as yet unheard in court, of using the n word, and her brother or she and her brother, of treating African American employees differently from white ones. The legal system will settle this case. Ms Deen's main strategic error seems to have been that she didn't lie in her deposition. She just about admitted using the word, on at least a few occasions. But I believe racism is a sin, not a crime, as the present case demonstrates. You can harbor all the racist thoughts you want, but until you go out and shoot Medgar Evers, you haven't committed a crime. So Deen is somewhat sinful as to watching her language and perhaps policing her thoughts. It is unclear at the moment how many of her other actions fall outside the law or are discriminatory.

But as is clear from the deluge of comments on this and other boards, of equal or greater sinfulness is her reliance on butter. Heavy cream. Sour cream. Sugar. The evil her cooking has done seems to be beyond question, and beyond salvation. It's as though she's being held directly responsible for a third of the population being obese. Never mind that all good cooks use butter to bake, and that no one at Food Network, including Deen, holds people's noses while pouring pound cake down their throats, in the view of most commenters, Deen is uniquely guilty of making people fat, and giving them diabetes.

And I wonder why she is singled out in this regard. You really can't arrest people for using butter in their baking. You can't arrest people for opening restaurants or selling cookbooks. And few of the stone-throwing commenters seem ever to have watched her show. Is it just that she's a convenient target? Or that dashing off a comment on a celebrity is easier than finding out something about nutrition or the causes of obesity and diabetes?

[bluestate10]

17. Racism is a moral shortcoming and financial crime.

Racists cost companies untold hundreds of millions of dollars quarterly as they spew their poison of hate and racial favoritism. A similar dynamic applies to sexists. Companies are well advised to focus on and eliminate racism and sexism and the people that utilize one or both.

[marybourg]

16. "political correctness"

Gave yourself away there. We libr'ls don't consider avoiding racial slurs to be "political correctness". We consider it to be appropriate and respectful behavior.

[DainBramaged]

20. Know what 'raspberries' sounds like?

Imagine that sound in your head right now........

[Lucky Luciano]

21. Paula Deem is NOT a foodie.

Anthony Bourdain is a foodie. Foodies like go to restaurants like:

Daniel (NYC)
French Laundry (ca wine country)
Per Se (NYC)
Soto (NYC)
Robataya (NYC)

There are really a lot of amazing restaurants out there cooking very delicate dishes with unique tastes.

Deen's dishes are ordinary unsophisticated calorie bombs.

[Major Nikon]

22. Tolerance does not require one to tolerate intolerance

Any claim to the contrary is ridiculous.

[noiretextatique]

25. what happened to personal responsibility

she use the n word in her restaurant, arrogantly refused to settle with the person who sued her for created a hostile work environment, and issued a ridiculously non-apology that really shows she still doesn't take responsibility for her actions. she simply reaped what SHE sowed.

[Skittles]

26. she is a disgusting phony

she has never fooled me for one second

[Brickbat]

34. Get me rewrite.

Also, "tyranny of political correctness." LMAO.

[rhett o rick]

12. Too many big words for the intended audience. But I liked it.

Esp. the blood pressure machine committing techno-seppuku.

[nyquil_man]

13. She was fired because her brand was rapidly losing its luster.

I seriously doubt that she's drawing the kind of numbers she was drawing at the height of her fame.

This n-word controversy has been floating around for at least a year. That she finally admitted it simply gave the Food Network the excuse it had been looking for to drop her.

[ErikJ]

18. Who is this from? The company itself?

[DainBramaged]

19. Has to be one of ours, proudly I might add...

[sulphurdunn]

23. My wife,

who is a tree hugging, hippie, civil rights marching, feminist, white southern liberal. Says Deen wasn't fired for what she said years ago but because she said it years ago with a southern accent and then apologized for it with one.

[BellaKos]

24. Back again with a few random thoughts

The current political polarization in this country is dangerous to the proper workings of the Republic. The results of which were demonstrated just last week with the defeat of the Farm Bill. The reason it was defeated was because of a cadre of Far Right Congressmen who speak for their ignorant, brainwashed constituents. And yes, I feel justified in condemning those Yahoos for their ignorance, emotionalism, judgmental attitudes, hypocrisy, intolerance, racism, sexism, and their willingness to be manipulated by Far Right commentators, such as Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and so on.

So, I came to my refuge in the face of this madness, namely Democratic Underground, only to find the same kind of emotional reflexiveness being demonstrated here.

I must object. I must point out that those of us who consider ourselves to be enlightened must not engage in a reflexive emotionalism of the same kind and in the same manner as our political opponents, lest we be justifiably called, hypocrites.

Let's look at what we know about Paula Deen.
Ummmm
Not much. We do not know her. We're not very familiar with the case in question. We have not read much of her deposition. We certainly have no sense of its context. We don't know of the private conversations of Food Network executives and the reasons behind her firing.

The outburst of condemnation by us "enlightened" folks seems a reckless indulgence where people have delighted in tearing down a celebrity. And why? Because she's fat? Because she's white? Because she's Southern? Because she's rich? Because she cooks with butter? Because she was honest in admitting to using the n-word in the past?

Raise your hand if you can honestly say that you have never, ever in your whole life said anything derogatory about any racial group? Or any member of the opposite sex?

Oh, I see. There's not one here who is completely pure on that score.

Truth is: the legal system will confront the alleged injustices.

And, I mean, who cares? Really. Who cares? The Food Network has fired her. I'm sure she will loose business over this tempest. She is being punished in the only way that matters to her, namely, financially.

Meanwhile, members of DU have exposed themselves as being guilty of the same kind of judgmental attitude and intolerance as that they so often condemn in other people.

We can't move forward as long as we are as guilty as those whom we so eagerly condemn.

[Sheldon Cooper]

29. Oh for god sake.

Last edited Mon Jun 24, 2013, 03:01 PM - Edit history (1)

Read the deposition. We're not talking about a Southern woman who said the n-word once, 40 years ago. We're talking about recent allegations of a repeated pattern of racial bigotry by her and her brother, some of which she has actually admitted to, if you read the deposition.

So you can condescend to us who have judged and condemned her, I don't give a damn.

PS - using the words "politically correct" is a dead giveaway, you may want to watch that if you're going to continue visiting your 'refuge'.

ETA this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023073598 Did you see this one? Still think we're being so mean for beating up on poor little ol' Paula? Maybe you could ask Hollis Johnson how he feels about her.

[Zoeisright]

32. Completely, absolutely 100% wrong.

Here's a clue for you, dear: standing up against racism and bigotry is NOT intolerance. We don't have to be tolerant to jackasses who try to denigrate and hurt an entire class of people with their filthy bigotry. That is being MORAL. I am fucking sick to DEATH of that ignorant argument.

I'll tell you who cares: anyone who is furious about the murder, slavery, abuse, rape, degradation, and pure terror inflicted upon an entire CLASS of people by white overlords. If you think this is a "tempest in a teapot" you are fucking delusional AND ignorant.

And anyone, ANYONE, in the public eye, who is dumb enough to be as blatantly racist as that stupid prick Deen was deserves exactly what she gets.

[BellaKos]

35. "Here's a clue for you, dear ..."

Really? A clue for me? Hmmm. How arrogant and judgmental you sound, dear.
Let me give you a clue.
I probably know more about racism in the South than you since I grew up in Georgia and actually remember what it was like in the 1950s and 1960s. You can't say the same.
Meanwhile ... another clue.
MY POINT was (to those who are so consumed with making certain that all people, everywhere, behave according to the high standards glorified in their imaginations) is that neither you nor I know the particulars of the case against Deen. And I, for one, shall refrain from the current hysterical vilification of her, mainly for three reasons:
1. I don't know a thing about it, other than what's been reported from secondhand sources.
2. I don't care enough about her or her case to read the damn deposition.
3. I abhor self-righteousness and judgmentalism among the Left as much as I do among Christian Fundies. Both segments of the American public are hypocritical.

[riverwalker]

27. it was the "Sambo Burger"

that was the true revealer. She was actually going to make this on her show, and producers had to convince her not to.
She can't claim ignorance on this, only callous, hateful disregard for the feelings of others.

[Puzzledtraveller]

28. there was a chain of waffle house style eateries named Sambo's

I recall having eaten there as a child in the 70's. I was watching The Jerk this weekend with my girlfriend and I saw one in the back ground in a scene. I had completely forgot about them until I saw that.

[appleannie1]

30. I watch FOOD Network all the time. Her phony sweetness grated on my nerves so I avoided her show.

I am hoping that Ina, the Barefoot Contessa is the next one they get intelligent about.

[WovenGems]

31. Did you see

the folks gathered in front of one of her stores showing support? A NASCAR crowd if I ever saw one.

[ellenfl]

33. lol! eom