Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

JLarson

macrumors newbie
Feb 5, 2013
23
0
Reading a few articles on it, it sounds like it was roughly 30 years ago in a private conversation. But it was in talking to somebody about it in 2007 that prompted this lawsuit. It was the deposition in that lawsuit that caught Food Network's attention. But some questions remain:

Why rehash something that happened 30 years ago?

Why wait 6 years before filing a suit regarding it?

The statement, as I read it, concerned wedding planning and having a "southern plantation style" wedding, fitting with that time (you can figure out the rest from there). Also, my understanding is that this has to do with racial discrimination. What and where is the relation between her comments and the suit?

If this happened 30 years ago, and Deen has indeed apologized and atoned for her words, why bring it up now to the point that her contract doesn't get renewed? (She didn't get fired; Food Network opted to not renew her contract at the end of this month.)

So many missing pieces here that some of this makes absolutely no sense. Food Network is obviously being PC about it, but let's face it: Would someone like Sherman Helmsley get treated the same way (sacked from a network) from all the remarks he said on The Jeffersons? What about Carroll O'Connor? Would Archie Bunker be too much for a network to get past, or would everything he did on In the Heat of the Night make up for it?

As for the "y'all" thing.. You should have seen Down Home with the Neely's. They used it just as much as Deen.

Speaking of Deen, this makes you wonder about Bobby Deen's contract, since Food Network owns the Cooking Channel, where Bobby stars in Not my Momma's Meals.

Finally, look at where she was born and raised, as well as the time she was raised. Then ask the common sense question: Did you really not expect this? Really? If I got called that by kids in southern Oklahoma in 1983 when I was 9, what makes you think that that isn't going to be in someone's head let alone used during the time she was growing up? Believe it or not, but there is still a lot of pent up anger about everything from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights era down there that hasn't been dealt with. People say that they are over it, but here again, some of it shows its ugly head.

I digressed; back to Deen. A hell of a lot worse has happened to other people on broadcast TV, and have gotten away with it. To bring up something like this and make a lawsuit out of it is really petty. And again, this brings up the double standard with the N-Word that needs to be addressed in US society.

Full Disclosure: I'm a Black guy, and have been on the receiving end of that word many a day, and still hear my relatives use it, much to my dismay. Luckily, I've taken the high road and avoided all conversation about it outside of telling them that it's wrong and not to use it in front of my wife or children (wife is White; children are mixed). I can't control my relatives, but I can control what goes into my children's ears and vocabulary, and that word (among others) will never be one of them that slips through.

BL.

if you look at her PR responses, you'll realize how
fake and static they are. She could have handled the mess
better but it all looks so damn scripted
 

ritmomundo

macrumors 68020
Jan 12, 2011
2,021
543
Los Angeles, CA
I heard about this recently, but didn't know many details. So, let me get this straight. The chick (caucasian, nonetheless) suing Paula Deen was offended by something she had said 30 years ago (specifically, the N-word)? So now she's lost her job, her book deal, and Walmart/Target are pulling all of her products? The double standard absolutely blows my mind.

Here are a few lyrics from JayZ's new song "Holy Grail" that was released 2 days ago:
You're still alive
Still that n****
N****s you survived
You still getting bigger n****
Living the life
Vanilla wafers
In a villa
Illest n**** alive
Michael Jackson, Thriller

Is it not racism in itself if African Americans are allowed to use the N-word freely, but other ethnicities are punished for it?
 
Last edited:

kendall69

macrumors regular
Sep 1, 2011
112
6
Double Standard

Seriously THIRTY YEARS AGO, are you kidding me? Yet Blacks can use cracker, N word, C word etc. etc, etc. and no one ever say one word. OH and they used these words YESTERDAY not thirty years ago. Well we allow to be whipped my the PC police then we deserve it.

Can someone please send me the Whitie guide to allowed English so I don't get in trouble.
 

BornAgainMac

macrumors 604
Feb 4, 2004
7,275
5,212
Florida Resident
Why is it OK for one race to say it but not another? Word's are offensive no matter the skin color of the person saying it.

Unless you are being sarcastic and I missed it.

I see examples of it all the time with no punishment. I think it is how you say it. When I hear the word used it translates to bro or friend.
 

renewed

macrumors 68040
Mar 24, 2009
3,068
7
Bemalte Blumen duften nicht.
No, because as a Whitie you are THE MAN and therefore are subject to rules that others don't have to follow.

Throw in some double standards and the ideology that whatever benefits them is the rule at that time and bingo.

Example: Deon Cole's new show " Deon Cole's Black Box". Could you imagine the outcry if we had "Paula Deen's White Box"? Or if we had White History Month. National Association of the Advancement of White People? White Entertainment Television?

I digress.
 
Last edited:

Mebsat

macrumors regular
May 19, 2003
215
367
Florida
So...

If Paula Deen has been fired for saying the "N-word" 30 years ago,
can we not deduce what the other Food Network/Cooking Channel chefs have never said if they are still on the air?

I guess I am supposed to believe:

Rachel Ray has NEVER said the "N-word" in her entire life.
NEVER. NOT EVEN ONCE.

Perhaps we need to ask for an affidavit from Ray that says this (or I don't think I'll be able to watch her crappy show either).

Is this not the logical conclusion?
Shouldn't each one of these celebrity chefs now have to document their racial sensitivity bona fides with a public declaration?

Seems fair to me. Prove you're not a racist like old Paula.

Bourdain? Fieri? Flay?
Step on up.
 

GermanyChris

macrumors 601
Jul 3, 2011
4,185
5
Here
If Paula Deen has been fired for saying the "N-word" 30 years ago,
can we not deduce what the other Food Network/Cooking Channel chefs have never said if they are still on the air?

I guess I am supposed to believe:

Rachel Ray has NEVER said the "N-word" in her entire life.
NEVER. NOT EVEN ONCE.

Perhaps we need to ask for an affidavit from Ray that says this (or I don't think I'll be able to watch her crappy show either).

Is this not the logical conclusion?
Shouldn't each one of these celebrity chefs now have to document their racial sensitivity bona fides with a public declaration?

Seems fair to me. Prove you're not a racist like old Paula.

Bourdain? Fieri? Flay?
Step on up.

Or perhaps this is tolerable excuse to do something they wanted to do (network).

Perhaps there is more to the story than we're being told.

Things are rarely as they appear to be especially when actions are not proportionate and there is a lot of money involved
 

bradl

macrumors 603
Jun 16, 2008
5,916
17,395
if you look at her PR responses, you'll realize how
fake and static they are. She could have handled the mess
better but it all looks so damn scripted

The mess isn't the problem. It is the fact that someone is suing her for something in testimony 6 years ago about something she said 30 years ago is the problem. Culturally, we were no where as PC as we are now, and a lot of things said back then were normal. No need to take something said back then and try them now under today's standards it were dead, buried, and gone back then.

BL.
 

OneMike

macrumors 603
Oct 19, 2005
5,813
1,795
I heard about this recently, but didn't know many details. So, let me get this straight. The chick (caucasian, nonetheless) suing Paula Deen was offended by something she had said 30 years ago (specifically, the N-word)? So now she's lost her job, her book deal, and Walmart/Target are pulling all of her products? The double standard absolutely blows my mind.

Here are a few lyrics from JayZ's new song "Holy Grail" that was released 2 days ago:
You're still alive
Still that n****
N****s you survived
You still getting bigger n****
Living the life
Vanilla wafers
In a villa
Illest n**** alive
Michael Jackson, Thriller

Is it not racism in itself if African Americans are allowed to use the N-word freely, but other ethnicities are punished for it?

Not that I agree with either usage, but **gga and **gger are not used in the same context.
 

AppleCruncher

macrumors regular
Jun 17, 2013
108
0
bradl, I think yours is an extremely reasonable position -- although I cringe at the idea that you still hear that word in this day and age.

Are you kidding me? It didn't go anywhere. Listen to the music, head into a large city, watch TV....they call each other it all the time.
 

benthewraith

macrumors 68040
May 27, 2006
3,140
143
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Paula Deen allegedly asked black staffers to dress like Aunt Jemima

Looks like Paula Deen might be in some more trouble.

Yahoo said:
The Paula Deen racism scandal just got reignited thanks to a blockbuster New York Times story Thursday that claims the former Food Network star asked black employees to dress like Aunt Jemima.
The profile of Deen's cook Dora Charles overflows with allegations of racist behavior. Deen allegedly paid black employees less than white ones and used racial slurs.
But it is Deen's idea of Confederate-tinged dinner theater that may be the most unseemly element of the story. Charles tells the Times that she refused Deen's requests to ring a dinner bell in front of her Savannah, Ga. restaurant The Lady and Sons and, in the words of the paper, holler for "people to come and get it."
Also read: Paula Deen's Multimillion-Dollar Disaster: What's the Cost of the N-Word?
"I said, 'I'm not ringing no bell,'" Charles told the paper. "That's a symbol to me of what we used to do back in the day."
Deen finally found an African-American employee willing to perform this throwback to plantation life in Charles' friend and colleague Ineata Jones, who the Times reports is nicknamed Jellyroll. The paper says that postcards of Jones ringing a dinner bell are for sale at her stores (pictured left).
Jones drew the line at dressing like Aunt Jemima, the Quaker Oats spokeswoman with origins in minstrel shows.
See video: Paula Deen: 5 Golden, Butter-Drenched Moments
"Jellyroll didn't want to hear that," Charles said. "She didn't want to do that."
A spokeswoman for Deen did not respond to TheWrap's request for comment, but did deny the allegations to the New York Times.
Charles, who claims she was not adequately compensated for her role developing Deen's Southern-style cooking, has filed complaints with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Also read: Paula Deen Can Save Her Career: A Recipe for Redemption
The article seems likely to tarnish Deen's already damaged reputation following her admission last month that she had used the N-word. The chef was forced to open up about her use of slurs during a deposition related to allegations of racism and sexual harassment brought against Deen by a former employee, Lisa T. Jackson.
In the wake of Deen's admission, the celebrity chef was dropped by Food Network and dumped by retailers like Walmart and Target and the drug maker Novo Nordisk, with whom she had endorsement deals.

Here's the photo:
UseWCV8.jpg


Source: http://tv.yahoo.com/photos/paula-deen-allegedly-asked-black-staffers-dress-aunt-photo-143022739.html
 
Last edited:

vrDrew

macrumors 65816
Jan 31, 2010
1,376
13,412
Midlife, Midwest
Looks like Paula Deen might be in some more trouble.

The Confederate-themed dinner theater was tasteless. But what really disgusts me is what Deen was paying a woman who was critical to her success:

For 22 years, Mrs. Charles was the queen of the Deen kitchens. She helped open the Lady & Sons, the restaurant here that made Ms. Deen’s career. She developed recipes, trained other cooks and made sure everything down to the collard greens tasted right.
....
The money was not great. Mrs. Charles spent years making less than $10 an hour, even after Ms. Deen became a Food Network star.
Emphasis mine.

To pay someone who'd helped you make it to the top with near-minimum wages is - frankly - disgusting. And a shining example of what is sick about this country and the so-called free-market "business people" who think they've got all the answers. Paula Deen ought to rot in jail.
 

ritmomundo

macrumors 68020
Jan 12, 2011
2,021
543
Los Angeles, CA
The Confederate-themed dinner theater was tasteless. But what really disgusts me is what Deen was paying a woman who was critical to her success:

Emphasis mine.

To pay someone who'd helped you make it to the top with near-minimum wages is - frankly - disgusting. And a shining example of what is sick about this country and the so-called free-market "business people" who think they've got all the answers. Paula Deen ought to rot in jail.

$10/hour is close to minimum wage now, but back then, it could have been much closer to $3-4. That's not bad for a ninth grade dropout. However, once Paula Deen was "raking it in" with Food Network, she should have increased Charles' pay accordingly. I was not expecting to read that she's living in a trailer home with rotting floors.... That's sad.

However, jumping on the racism bandwagon now, after all these years, seems like an afterthought, and just makes this woman seem bitter. Why not say something earlier?
 

bradl

macrumors 603
Jun 16, 2008
5,916
17,395
$10/hour is close to minimum wage now, but back then, it could have been much closer to $3-4. That's not bad for a ninth grade dropout. However, once Paula Deen was "raking it in" with Food Network, she should have increased Charles' pay accordingly. I was not expecting to read that she's living in a trailer home with rotting floors.... That's sad.

I agree; that is very sad.

However, jumping on the racism bandwagon now, after all these years, seems like an afterthought, and just makes this woman seem bitter. Why not say something earlier?

That's the unanswered question here. If it was that bad and she used language like that back then, why not say or do something about it back then? I understand all about the fear of losing one's job, but when it comes to language like that, what is more important: a job, or your pride and self-esteem?

This could have been handled better and a lot earlier than now, as now it makes her seem out to get Deen.

BL.
 

muuhamed

macrumors member
Feb 13, 2013
41
0
Emphasis mine.

To pay someone who'd helped you make it to the top with near-minimum wages is - frankly - disgusting. And a shining example of what is sick about this country and the so-called free-market "business people" who think they've got all the answers. Paula Deen ought to rot in jail.

Frankly, Paula Deen did nothing wrong, seeing as she was employing her. The "disgusting" part is this "soul sister" working for more than 20 years for $10. Nobody had her chained to that job, nobody forced her to come; if the $10 weren't enough why didn't she quit and look for a better job? Better yet, why didn't she open up her own restaurant and create competition? Why is it better to whine and moan than to have an entrepreneurial spirit and to better provide financially for your family?

The real disgusting part is this "soul sister" feeling like she's entitled to something she's not. She would be rotting in the streets if it weren't for Paula Deen. What a country ain't it?

----------

$10/hour is close to minimum wage now, but back then, it could have been much closer to $3-4. That's not bad for a ninth grade dropout. However, once Paula Deen was "raking it in" with Food Network, she should have increased Charles' pay accordingly. I was not expecting to read that she's living in a trailer home with rotting floors.... That's sad.

However, jumping on the racism bandwagon now, after all these years, seems like an afterthought, and just makes this woman seem bitter. Why not say something earlier?

$10 is more than minimum wage, and it's not a live-able wage, it's minimum, meaning it's not meant for people to live of that wage, hence the name.

And about her rotting floors and trailer home, again, how the hell is Paula Deen responsible for this "soul sister's" filth? Rotting floors? Really? Has she heard of a mop and Pine-Sol? I'm just in awe...
 

rdowns

macrumors Penryn
Jul 11, 2003
27,397
12,520
Frankly, Paula Deen did nothing wrong, seeing as she was employing her. The "disgusting" part is this "soul sister" working for more than 20 years for $10. Nobody had her chained to that job, nobody forced her to come; if the $10 weren't enough why didn't she quit and look for a better job? Better yet, why didn't she open up her own restaurant and create competition? Why is it better to whine and moan than to have an entrepreneurial spirit and to better provide financially for your family?

The real disgusting part is this "soul sister" feeling like she's entitled to something she's not. She would be rotting in the streets if it weren't for Paula Deen. What a country ain't it?

----------



$10 is more than minimum wage, and it's not a live-able wage, it's minimum, meaning it's not meant for people to live of that wage, hence the name.

And about her rotting floors and trailer home, again, how the hell is Paula Deen responsible for this "soul sister's" filth? Rotting floors? Really? Has she heard of a mop and Pine-Sol? I'm just in awe...


"Soul sister"? WTF, racist post is racist.
 

AppleCruncher

macrumors regular
Jun 17, 2013
108
0
However, jumping on the racism bandwagon now, after all these years, seems like an afterthought, and just makes this woman seem bitter. Why not say something earlier?

Because it's news now and she sees an opportunity to rip some money from someone.
 

APlotdevice

macrumors 68040
Sep 3, 2011
3,145
3,861
Seriously THIRTY YEARS AGO, are you kidding me? Yet Blacks can use cracker, N word, C word etc. etc, etc. and no one ever say one word. OH and they used these words YESTERDAY not thirty years ago. Well we allow to be whipped my the PC police then we deserve it.

Can someone please send me the Whitie guide to allowed English so I don't get in trouble.

It's not the words themselves that are offensive. It's the implications. White people who use them are considered racist because white racists have and continue to use them. Now if you're black then you're probably not going to use these words in a racist context towards other black people.
 
Last edited:
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.