Paula Deen - PC garbage or a true issue?

[Labtec600]

I know nothing about Paula Deen, nor do I care. However, recently she is facing a HUGE backlash because she admitted under oath to using the N word - it was about 30 some odd years ago that she said it. The fallout has been she is losing all of her endorsements, the cooking channel has dropped her show, and it's become a huge issue.

My question - is this a giant knee jerk reaction? She admitted to saying the N word - that is it. Is it really reasonable to believe that nobody in their entire lives has ever said a racial slur?

To continue off on this - if even uttering the N word in a private setting (she said it to her husband) is such a huge issue, should record labels or movies from now on ban all usage of the word?

 

[timtofly]

My thought is they were already looking for an excuse to drop her, and they settled on this one.

 

[_random_]

She's admitted to using it on other occasions, and apparently her black employees had a pretty lousy time under her. She also incorporated a celebration of black slavery into a wedding party, which is goddamn repungant. If it was one isolated incident under high stress in the 80s, then whatever. But from what I know it wasn't, she is indeed a racist sack of poop, and I've got no sympathy for her.

 

[JollyRoger]

Is it PC garbage or a true issue to complain about the free market deciding?

 

[Ajidica]

She also incorporated a celebration of black slavery into a wedding party

I don't remember reading about this. You have any information on this?

 

[_random_]

Check out Item #2.

 

[Patroklos]

You realize the source for that quote is the people sueing her for money with no corroboration or proof right?

There is nothing wrong with having a plantation style wedding which in Savannah pretty much means in a a building. I just had mine in Charleston and since my wife is from Chicago we intentionally made it as low country southern as possible for their enjoyment and to show off the culture. It's no different than having a Texas ranch wedding or New England sea side chapel wedding, unless you think the word plantation = slaves or something? To me it pretty much mean concert of carnival venue, though I also got my weekly coop veggies from one. Before you ask they were picked by hippies not slaves

 

[ParkCungHee]

There is nothing wrong with having a plantation style wedding which in Savannah pretty much means in a a building...It's no different than having a Texas ranch wedding or New England sea side chapel wedding, unless you think the word plantation = slaves or something?

While the technical definition of a plantation as a social category is fuzzy, the common English definition does include "resident laborers." Sharecroppers, for example.

 

[Murky]

In some circles discrimination and prejudices having become an unspoken cultural norm. If you're not one of them you can expect to be talked bad about and treated like crap. This typically takes place in only private, with like company, where people aren't offended by racial slurs.

It may sound really weird but discrimination takes many forms. For instance, someone I work with seems to dislike me because of food allergies. I can't eat the same things so I'm "different."

 

[Tee Kay]

For a country that prides itself on free speech and such the United States sure has a lot of taboos.

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

Her interview seemed really fake, lots of crying.

 

[Snorrius]

To continue off on this - if even uttering the N word in a private setting (she said it to her husband) is such a huge issue, should record labels or movies from now on ban all usage of the word?

Surely it is not an issue which is evident for any mentally healthy person. But PC should not be regarded as something which is really about something it claim to be. It is just a set of rules which marks you as being "good" or "bad" - or in more direct terms "friend" or "enemy". There is a gray zone which a wise person can navigate through to express unorthodox views but one should stay on the safe side if not sure what he is doing and why.

It is also not an unique Western phenomenon. In the West one have to be very careful to say facts which may be considered as "racist". In the Middle East one is asking for trouble saying anything good about Jews. In Russia one have to carefully select words to support LGBT so not be considered gay himself which makes him an outcast.

PC does not make sense if we buy what it sells at the face value. We should cosider it as what is it: a set of rules to filter out absolute crazies, a certain kind of discourse game and a tool of propaganda.

 

[Left]

For a country that prides itself on free speech and such the United States sure has a lot of taboos.

Free speech doesn't mean you can be an idiot without repercussions.

Paula Deen's recipes are straight garbage.

 

[fret]

It is also not an unique Western phenomenon. In the West one have to be very careful to say facts which may be considered as "racist". In the Middle East one is asking for trouble saying anything good about Jews. In Russia one have to carefully select words to support LGBT so not be considered gay himself which makes him an outcast.

What a curious comparison. In the west you avoid being ostracized by avoiding saying something derogatory... in the middle east you avoid being ostracized by avoiding saying something complimentary.

 

[Snorrius]

What a curious comparison. In the west you avoid being ostracized by avoiding saying something derogatory... in the middle east you avoid being ostracized by avoiding saying something complimentary.

Not really. For example, if one will state that white men are generally more clever than, say, black people - it may be regarded as racist (even if one will provide a research for it). Now, please note, I am not saying I support this view - it is just an example (I know the rules ).

If one says in Arabic country that Israel is more sucessful state in terms of, say, democracy or military than its Arabic neighbours the similar consequences may follow.

It is not about derogatory or complimentary. It is about talking about taboo topics.

 

[AlpsStranger]

For a country that prides itself on free speech and such the United States sure has a lot of taboos.

Easy answer: We don't pride ourselves on free speech. I know we're supposed to, and a kook like me actually does sometimes, but it's not true at all culturally.

PC does not make sense if we buy what it sells at the face value. We should cosider it as what is it: a set of rules to filter out absolute crazies, a certain kind of discourse game and a tool of propaganda.

I'll make it even simpler for you: Every culture has a religion. Absolutely. Every. Culture. We're transitioning from Christianity to Political Correctness because, again, we will always have a religion.

 

[fret]

(even if one will provide a research for it).... (I know the rules ).

If one did provide research it would be a lesson in cherry picking. The rules are you pluck an amazon jungle baby at 1 day old and place it in a middle class family with a doctor and an accountant for parents, chances are the amazon baby will do pretty damn well at college and in life.

Anyway, enough of that.

If one says in Arabic country that Israel is more sucessful state in terms of, say, democracy or military than its Arabic neighbours the similar consequences may follow.

It is not about derogatory or complimentary. It is about talking about taboo topics.

Perhaps my use of the words complimentary/derogatory was a bad choice.

Just replace them with dry 'positive' and 'negative', the point remains, and worryingly, is probably valid.

 

[illram]

You realize the source for that quote is the people sueing her for money with no corroboration or proof right?

I believe it's from a deposition which you can view online. I.e. sworn testimony from Deen herself. A quick google search found one copy from CNN. It's a federal case so if you have a PACER account you can peruse the whole case yourself.

 

[Perfection]

The bigger question is, why does anyone give a crap about Paula Deen, anyways?

 

[AlpsStranger]

The bigger question is, why does anyone give a crap about Paula Deen, anyways?

I certainly don't, but I do dislike PC witch hunts.