# Guys, I have some rather disturbing news about Paula Deen... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585 "2013-06-21T20:29:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Troutsqueezer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Troutsqueezer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troutsqueezer)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/101 "2013-06-24T15:28:52Z")
I’m sorry… who is Paula Deen? And why should I give a crap about what her opinions are? Wait… doesn’t she cook food or something? Oh… well then, maybe I should give a crap about what she thinks of black people. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/102 "2013-06-24T15:39:20Z")
I was talking to Eric Snowden earlier this morning (as I’m sure Homeland Security knows) and he said if you think what she said in court was bad you should listen to her phone calls. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/103 "2013-06-26T14:01:35Z")
Did anybody see her interview on The Today Show this morning? I did not, but I love the description on Today’s FB feed. **Bolding mine.** > [@](#): > > In an emotional interview, her first since she admitted having used racial epithets, Paula Deen tearfully told TODAY’s Matt Lauer Wednesday that she is not a racist; that as a businesswoman, she does not think her firing from Food Network was the right decision, and that **she was unsure whether the N-word was offensive to black people** : [Paula Deen: I would not have fired me](http://on.today.com/11HBDt5) Lengthy for some tastes, but my favorite reply to her is this [Open Letter by Michael Twitty](http://afroculinaria.com/2013/06/25/an-open-letter-to-paula-deen/), one of the few openly gay black Jewish food historians and slavery reenactors you’re ever likely to meet. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/104 "2013-06-26T14:26:42Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Lengthy for some tastes, but my favorite reply to her is this [Open Letter by Michael Twitty](http://afroculinaria.com/2013/06/25/an-open-letter-to-paula-deen/), one of the few openly gay black Jewish food historians and slavery reenactors you’re ever likely to meet. Read it. Liked it. Thanks for the link. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/105 "2013-06-26T14:37:36Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I don’t understand how some people can make such a stupid mistake, especially if they are celebrities used to talking to people. How hard would it have been for Paula to simply say “Yes I’ve used that word but it was a long time ago. I grew up in a time and place where that word was normal. The world’s changed and I’ve changed and so I don’t use it anymore.” It takes 5 seconds to come up with a bland, generic answer that won’t get you in trouble. That’s why I’m less forgiving when people do something like this, I tend to think this is how they are thinking all the time. And with the allegations of that weird slavery-themed wedding, I think that’s closer to the truth than some terrible apology In the interests of fighting ignorance, the wedding was not slavery themed. Deen references going to a restaurant where the servers were predominantly middle aged black men and they were wearing white shirts, and bow ties and thinking the waiters at her brother’s wedding should dress similarly. This reminded her of a man in a Shirley Temple movie and she was not sure if the man was depicting a slave. The man she refers to was probably Bill “Bojangles” Robinson who starred with Temple in “The Little Colonel”. The movie takes place in the 1870s and Robinson plays a rich man’s butler who dresses in black tie, with black tails. She wanted the servers to dress like old timey butlers. [Here](http://theredlist.fr/media/database/muses/icon/cinematic_women/1930/shirley-temple/009-shirley-temple-theredlist.jpg)is the outfit he wore. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/106 "2013-06-26T14:49:57Z")
> [@Troutsqueezer](#): > > I’m sorry… who is Paula Deen? A butter sculpture brought to life by a malevolent fairy. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/107 "2013-06-26T15:10:07Z")
I can’t tell what is real and what isn’t about this story - is it literally true that the person she called a n\*gger tried to rob her at gunpoint? Or is that hyperbole? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/108 "2013-06-26T15:32:17Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > … > Lengthy for some tastes, but my favorite reply to her is this [Open Letter by Michael Twitty](http://afroculinaria.com/2013/06/25/an-open-letter-to-paula-deen/), one of the few openly gay black Jewish food historians and slavery reenactors you’re ever likely to meet. Thanks for the link. Well-written and thoughtful. I was especially pleased to see the friendly comments. I wonder if Ms. Dean will take up his challenge. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/109 "2013-06-26T15:44:44Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Did anybody see her interview on The Today Show this morning? I did not, but I love the description on Today’s FB feed. **Bolding mine.** > > Lengthy for some tastes, but my favorite reply to her is this [Open Letter by Michael Twitty](http://afroculinaria.com/2013/06/25/an-open-letter-to-paula-deen/), one of the few openly gay black Jewish food historians and slavery reenactors you’re ever likely to meet. > [@Gagundathar](#): > > Thanks for the link. Well-written and thoughtful. I was especially pleased to see the friendly comments. > > I wonder if Ms. Dean will take up his challenge. I live about 20 minutes away from Stagville and am thinking about buying tickets to this dinner. If Paula shows up I’ll let y’all know 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/110 "2013-06-26T16:45:13Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > A butter sculpture brought to life by a malevolent fairy. I spend so damned much time on SDMB looking for the “Like” button. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/111 "2013-06-26T16:46:13Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I can’t tell what is real and what isn’t about this story - is it literally true that the person she called a n\*gger tried to rob her at gunpoint? That’s what she said in the deposition. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/112 "2013-06-26T16:54:31Z")
Thanks, but I shouldn’t have asked. The question “does someone who robs you deserve to be called a n\*gger” is not one I want to consider. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/113 "2013-06-26T16:55:22Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I can’t tell what is real and what isn’t about this story - is it literally true that the person she called a n\*gger tried to rob her at gunpoint? The lawsuit says she used the word frequently in front of the staff of the restaurant she co-owns. In the deposition she said she’d used the word once\* regarding someone who had mugged her\* (one suspects she was reaching for the most innocuous possible instance). So its true, but its not the source of the accusations that are causing her current woes. \*On TV she said it was only that once, when she was under oath giving her deposition she admitted that wasn’t the only time. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/114 "2013-06-26T17:06:57Z")
> [@Troutsqueezer](#): > > I’m sorry… who is Paula Deen? And why should I give a crap about what her opinions are? Wait… doesn’t she cook food or something? Oh… well then, maybe I should give a crap about what she thinks of black people. How to Serve Negroes by Paula Deen ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/115 "2013-06-26T17:33:06Z")
From a NY Times Opinion piece by Frank Bruni - > [@](#): > > A fresh illustration of this traveled through cyberspace on Monday, a video that shows Deen at The New York Times last October, being interviewed onstage by my colleague Kim Severson. The subject of race comes up. > > “I feel like the South is almost less prejudiced,” Deen says, “because black folks played such an integral part in our lives. They were like our family.” > > That statement alone is awkward — she’s referring to servants, presumably — but she doesn’t stop there. Motioning to the inky backdrop behind her and Severson, she notes that her beloved driver, bodyguard and assistant, Hollis Johnson, is as “black as that board.” > > “Come out here, Hollis,” she adds, looking offstage and directing the audience’s attention there. “We can’t see you standing against that dark board.” Good lord, can we be done now? :smack::mad: ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/116 "2013-06-26T18:06:48Z")
> [@enomaj](#): > > How to Serve Negroes by Paula Deen Well, apparently her go-to answer would be “sauteed in butter”. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/117 "2013-06-26T18:49:04Z")
> [@enomaj](#): > > How to Serve Negroes by Paula Deen In Southern Georgia… Negros serve you! ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/118 "2013-06-26T19:56:03Z")
> [@enomaj](#): > > How to Serve Negroes by Paula Deen Its a COOKBOOK! She shouldn’t have left it on that podium. ---
**Author:** ![limegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@limegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/limegreen)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/119 "2013-06-27T17:34:36Z")
My mother, bless her heart, will turn 101 this summer. And in the '70s, her go-to phrase was ‘nigras’ and then ‘darkies’. She was born in 1912, mind you. Her grandfather would have fought in the Civil War, if he’d been American. None of the generation my age would think of using any of the n-words. I hope kids these days grow up not caring so much about race. Of course, there’s the whole LBGT/nerd-jock-geek worlds to get hung up on. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/120 "2013-06-27T18:08:46Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > “I feel like the South is almost less prejudiced,” Deen says, “because black folks played such an integral part in our lives. They were like our family.” I was expecting the next line to be “It’s like they think they’re people.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585.md?page=7)