# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/121 "2013-06-27T19:53:17Z")
Her endorsement and her products have now been dropped by Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, Caesar’s Entertainment, and Novo Nordisk(?), among others, leaving me to wonder “Sheezus Mareezus, how the hell many deals did she have?” I’m expecting Quaker State Motor Oil, Sotheby’s, Madame Tussauds, al-Qaeda, The Harry Truman Presidential Library, the Greatest Ball of Twine in Minnesota, and The Bunny Ranch to announce they’ve dropped her next. Great decision on the part of Wal-Mart: they don’t want to be associated with anybody who isn’t all classy and shit. (Her product line will likely be replaced by Mama June and Honey Boo-Boo’s edible cosmetics- first up, Butter Sketty Lip Gloss.) I’m also guessing that her products are either losing money or at least not making much and they’re taking advantage of the scandal to get out of the contract. If she was making them significant sums she could probably barbecue a baby seal over a flaming cross and they’d keep her on, citing “We disagree with what she said but we proudly believe in the First Amendment”. Likewise if their numbers suffer they’ll do what A&E did with Dog the Bounty Hunter and decide a few months and a renegotiation for a lesser amount later that a lesson has been learned and it’s time to forgive. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/122 "2013-06-27T20:05:44Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Her endorsement and her products have now been dropped by…Novo Nordisk(?) Healthcare/pharmaceutical company, specializing in diabetes drugs. Deen’s announcement in 2012 that she had diabetes (and, in fact, had been diagnosed with the disease 3 years earlier) came in tandem with the announcement of her deal to be a spokesperson for them. That was, in itself, another situation for which she’d been criticized, for only disclosing that she suffered from a disease which is often incompatible with her recipes, when she started profiting from being a known diabetic. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/123 "2013-06-28T00:23:43Z")
her cookbook is now selling like hotcakes. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/124 "2013-06-28T00:44:51Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > That was, in itself, another situation for which she’d been criticized, for only disclosing that she suffered from a disease which is often incompatible with her recipes, when she started profiting from being a known diabetic. Sweeeeetttt. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/125 "2013-06-28T01:06:16Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Sweeeeetttt. Got it. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/127 "2013-06-28T01:32:16Z")
There’s all kinds of racism. Dean probably only thinks of racism as hating other races. She doesn’t hate blacks. Rather, she thinks of them as lower-class people. She can be friends with them, but she thinks of them as lower than her. She reminds me of many old people I come across. They often insert race where it’s totally irrelevant. They’ll say things like “I hired a black guy to paint my house”. To them, race is a critically important character trait. They would never consider themselves racist, yet they always categorize people based on their race. And it’s not really limited to race. They’re just as likely to say they hired a queer or a protestant or something else totally irrelevant. They don’t see people as people. They see people as representing a certain stereotype. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@Tequila\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Party)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/128 "2013-06-28T02:03:01Z")
> [@ZOMBIEVAMPER](#): > > yyou know what,maybe if she agrees to fry up a big batch of fried chicken and invite some of those pissed off people over for some chow,maybe they could discuss that hurtful word she used 30 years ago and relize it is not the end of the world.so get over it people and quit ragging on her,make sure you have some watermelon on hand for desert.thats sure to make them happy… Did you actually read any of the things that she actually _admitted_ to, or are you just going off what you heard from bits and pieces? Because she’s done a hell of a lot more than just say a bad word when she was younger. Hell, if you look up thread, you’ll even see it. Poor racist. People just aren’t giving her a fair shake. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/129 "2013-06-28T02:10:27Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > There’s all kinds of racism. Dean probably only thinks of racism as hating other races. She doesn’t hate blacks. Rather, she thinks of them as lower-class people. She can be friends with them, but she thinks of them as lower than her. > > She reminds me of many old people I come across. They often insert race where it’s totally irrelevant. They’ll say things like “I hired a black guy to paint my house”. To them, race is a critically important character trait. They would never consider themselves racist, yet they always categorize people based on their race. > > And it’s not really limited to race. They’re just as likely to say they hired a queer or a protestant or something else totally irrelevant. They don’t see people as people. They see people as representing a certain stereotype. I hear this all the time and it’s not just from older people. A few years ago a friend of mine told me about this “really hot, black girl” he met. I asked him why she couldn’t be described as just a hot girl and not a hot, black girl. He thought about it for a minute and said, “I guess I never really think about it like that.” He’s a really nice guy but I think his parents and where he grew up have influenced him. I had a similar upbringing but I’m a little older than him and have had longer to think about things like that. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/130 "2013-06-28T03:48:36Z")
I’m surprised at Oprah’s silence, seeing as each has been on the other’s show multiple times. One word from Oprah could go a long way to get Deen back in sponsor’s good graces or chased out of town with dogs. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/131 "2013-06-28T09:53:17Z")
Deen is Oprah’s Columbian butter supplier. Oprah knows to lay low on this one. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/132 "2013-06-28T14:48:01Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > her cookbook is now selling like hotcakes. Or hoecakes, as the case may be. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/133 "2013-06-28T16:58:30Z")
Paula is the sort of generally nice old lady who still needs to be reminded that they’re called Brazil nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/134 "2013-06-28T18:14:48Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > There’s all kinds of racism. Dean probably only thinks of racism as hating other races. She doesn’t hate blacks. Rather, she thinks of them as lower-class people. She can be friends with them, but she thinks of them as lower than her. > > She reminds me of many old people I come across. They often insert race where it’s totally irrelevant. They’ll say things like “I hired a black guy to paint my house”. To them, race is a critically important character trait. They would never consider themselves racist, yet they always categorize people based on their race. > > And it’s not really limited to race. They’re just as likely to say they hired a queer or a protestant or something else totally irrelevant. They don’t see people as people. They see people as representing a certain stereotype. It’s particularly galling when they use the unnecessary adjective in a lower voice while speaking, such as “My nephew is dating a black woman,” or “A Hispanic family just moved in next door,” and yet will swear that they aren’t racist. ---
**Author:** ![split\_p\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/135 "2013-06-29T04:13:37Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > Are you saying that all white people hate black people even now? I know some white people who still have racist views, but I would not say that is the norm nowadays. Perhaps things are a lot worse where you are than they are where I live, but I grew up in Detroit, so I think I’ve seen a decent representation of modern racial tension. No, I wouldn’t go as far to say all white people, just the overwhelming majority. It’s a well known fact that the US hates black people. In fact, we all knew that Paula Deen was racist, but she was on the air for that whole time. Guess what, I didn’t watch her because of that. She just oozed old-school racism, but they put her on the air anyway. So now it comes out she called us niggers in the past, and didn’t apologize correctly. Now she has to go? Why not leave her on the air, and let the viewers decide? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/136 "2013-06-29T12:37:52Z")
> [@split\_p\_j](#): > > No, I wouldn’t go as far to say all white people, just the overwhelming majority. It’s a well known fact that the US hates black people. Sigh. :rolleyes: :dubious: :mad: ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/137 "2013-06-29T12:39:42Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Sigh. :rolleyes: :dubious: :mad: I agree. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@Tequila\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Party)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/138 "2013-06-29T13:26:40Z")
I never watched her show, so no, I had no idea she was racist. No one sent me a memo. All right, next supposition to shoot down? ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/139 "2013-06-29T14:46:19Z")
I see that Ballantine Books has [canceled the publication of Deen’s forthcoming book](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/29/business/media/publisher-drops-book-deal-with-tv-chef-paula-deen.html). Yet [Anne Perry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Perry) remains on their roster. Thoughts? UT~ ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/140 "2013-06-29T15:43:51Z")
> [@UntouchedTakeaway](#): > > I see that Ballantine Books has [canceled the publication of Deen’s forthcoming book](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/29/business/media/publisher-drops-book-deal-with-tv-chef-paula-deen.html). > > Yet [Anne Perry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Perry) remains on their roster. > > Thoughts? > > UT~ Obviously, her publisher is not worried about its label being tarnished by their association. If there was good reason to believe that Anne Perry had recently committed a murder, however, I’m not thinking Ballatine Books would have the same attitude. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/141 "2013-06-29T16:39:17Z")
Too much food spoils the chef. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585.md?page=8)