Does it matter if white people forgive or think Paula Deen should be forgiven for her actions?

[calimary]

14. Yep. Read it all. Slowly making my way through the deposition, too.

Hey, I might be inclined to shrug off the whole "it was just ONE WORD, 152-bajillion years ago..." if that was all it was.

But SHIT! First thing that came to mind was - "Dear GOD I'd NEVER be able to work at that place for five minutes with that Neanderthal running things the way he is!" Then it went to "if MY daughter were working there, I'd be going off like Mount Vesuvius!" And you better believe I'd be talking to lawyers at this point. Especially considering that this manager tried repeatedly to get some sort of relief, she brought it to the attention of SO many people up the corporate ladder, including Paula Deen. And nobody did squat! Probably afraid to rock the boat with the boss's brother. And you know what? I DON'T CARE!!! I don't care if it's Barack Obama's brother! I wouldn't care if it was Prince Harry's brother! Would NOT matter. There is simply no excuse for behavior like that. And if some of those waitresses were under age and this schmuck was watching porn IN the workplace, and according to the employees, well within their view too, MAN, are you looking at Liabilities On Parade.

And Paula Deen was warned. It was in the report of the consultant she hired to assess why the Uncle Bubba restaurant was failing. She commissioned it and paid for it and it was handed to her personally, and when she saw Point One was getting rid of her brother she refused to take action. THAT tells me she's a goner, and deserves to be. Family is family, but SHEESH!!! You don't subject your other employees to that kind of treatment or behavior in the workplace.

The buck stops with her. That's HER name and her reputation at the top of the masthead. They don't call it the Joe Blow Enterprises or the Susie Homemaker Family of Companies. It's Paula Deen's. She's the CEO, she's at the top of the ziggurat, and the buck stops with her. I was having this argument with a friend the other night, "...but, but, but, that's the Southern culture, that's just what a lot of them are like..." And I'd always come back to - "um, so, it's okay then? So that makes it okay? So that means it can't or mustn't be changed? So we turn a blind eye then and just allow it to continue? So that means we do nothing? Or would YOU be okay with YOUR daughter working there?"

I'm sorry. Culture Schmulture. I don't give a rat's ass. It is HORRIBLE, inexcusable, and indefensible, and it needs to change. And I'm sorry, but this is the 21st Century, and you do NOT degrade your employees and/or repeatedly and consistently act in a disgusting, sexist, racist, vulgar manner like that in a professional workplace. Whoever still tries to excuse it or insists that this is just how it's always been and you can't change it can just go jump in the lake as far as I'm concerned. It NEEDS to be changed. It is absolutely unsustainable in this day and age. As a parent, I learned that you do NOT reinforce or reward bad behavior. You check, correct, and work on discouraging that bad behavior so it goes away or changes. But the last thing you do is just let it be and thereby give it tacit approval. And this is all that Paula Deen's done - NOTHING. So that sends a signal that somehow this behavior of her brother's is and has been acceptable. AND IT'S NOT!!!!!!!!

When I started looking into the details, I was appalled. And I thought - "Paula, BE GONE!!!!!!" YES it's Paula's brother, not Paula herself. Except that because she's the ultimate authority in that corporate structure and it's ultimately about her and her brand, and she was warned and deliberately did nothing, it actually does become about Paula herself. And I'm afraid I just don't have a lot of patience or sympathy when the damage is self-inflicted.