# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/142 "2013-06-29T16:49:31Z")
I thought it was nice that Paula sent huge gift baskets to all of her colored friends - of course, now that her baked goods are off the shelf, she simply filled the baskets with the brand new [Watermelon Flavored Oreos](http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=watermelon+oreos&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=25752939317&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1693854063637944441&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_57ze2farsm_e). She knows how those darkies like watermelon! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/143 "2013-06-29T19:24:51Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I’ve never said or used the word nigger in an insulting way, ever. Never in a joke. Never as a pejorative. The only time I’ve ever availed myself to use the word is to discuss the word itself, like I am doing now. I’ve never even said it jokingly like, “what’s up my nigga!?” > > Frankly I find it disturbing and shocking that so many people here feel like everyone is secretly using the word nigger in jokes or insults behind black peoples’ backs. I did a reading of Huckleberry Finn. Am I a racist? ---
**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:** [July 1, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/144 "2013-07-01T22:03:32Z")
Really? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/145 "2013-07-02T16:55:37Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > I thought it was nice that Paula sent huge gift baskets to all of her colored friends - of course, now that her baked goods are off the shelf, she simply filled the baskets with the brand new [Watermelon Flavored Oreos](http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=watermelon+oreos&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=25752939317&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1693854063637944441&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_57ze2farsm_e). She knows how those darkies like watermelon! They make _watermelon oreos_??? Eeeeew! ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/146 "2013-07-02T17:24:18Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I did a reading of Huckleberry Finn. Am I a racist? If you didn’t understand that Twain’s use of the word and in fact the entire story was intended to show the ignorance and hypocrisy of southern white racism then probably. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/147 "2013-07-02T17:27:18Z")
> [@enomaj](#): > > How to Serve Negroes by Paula Deen Ah, it’s about tennis. Frankly I haven’t paid much attention to the issue because I previously never knew anything about her other than there was some recent issue about butter. Now when I see her, which is far too often if you ask me, she’s babbling about with some new, incoherent apology. I’m amazed anyone paid attention to someone like her in the first place and will be glad when the news goes back to Egypt, the EU, whatever. I’ve had my fill of Paula Deen. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/148 "2013-07-02T17:35:30Z")
> [@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. And it’s a well-known fact that whenever anyone quotes something as a “well-known fact”, the supposed “fact” is almost certainly wrong. I am sorry for you if you truly believe this. But you might consider that the scope of your experience does not extrapolate to cover the opinions of “the overwhelming majority of white people” in the US. Also, people are more complicated than that, and what you are reading as hate might be something else. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/149 "2013-07-02T18:07:08Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > And it’s a well-known fact that whenever anyone quotes something as a “well-known fact”, the supposed “fact” is almost certainly wrong. > > I am sorry for you if you truly believe this. But you might consider that the scope of your experience does not extrapolate to cover the opinions of “the overwhelming majority of white people” in the US. Also, people are more complicated than that, and what you are reading as hate might be something else. > Roddy I think it’s pretty clear that black people in the United States get the short end of the stick in a lot of ways. Whether this is the same as “the US hates black people” is a question of semantics, but a minority of white Americans actually being racist doesn’t preclude it. While I suspect a minority of white Americans are actively and actually racist, I don’t think a huge number feel there’s anything to be gained from putting their energy towards changing the status quo. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/150 "2013-07-02T18:26:01Z")
> [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](#): > > I think it’s pretty clear that black people in the United States get the short end of the stick in a lot of ways. Whether this is the same as “the US hates black people” is a question of semantics, but a minority of white Americans actually being racist doesn’t preclude it. > > While I suspect a minority of white Americans are actively and actually racist, I don’t think a huge number feel there’s anything to be gained from putting their energy towards changing the status quo. Nothing that you said contradicts anything that I said (if you thought it did). I expect there is a whole range of attitudes, from active hate to passive indifference to active goodwill. Yours is a much more nuanced approach, and much more likely to be true, than **split p&j** ’s attitude that the majority of white people in the US hate black people. I don’t think calling it a question of semantics does justice to the complexity of the issue. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/151 "2013-07-02T21:27:34Z")
> [@Troppus](#): > > If you didn’t understand that Twain’s use of the word and in fact the entire story was intended to show the ignorance and hypocrisy of southern white racism then probably. See, read one of the best known books in American lit, one that contains & frequently uses the word “Nigger” - and you are called a racist. Sad. Of course, you are also wrong. In HF Twain was _extremely_ careful to get the dialect and manner of speaking correct. Altho you may be correct as to one of the theme’s of the book, the characters used the word “Nigger” as that is what actual people from that area and socio-economic level would have used. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/152 "2013-07-02T23:13:06Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > They make _watermelon oreos_??? Eeeeew! To be fair, they’re watermelon _flavored_. There’s no actual watermelon in the creme, just some chemicals. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NIKI50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/958977/32.png) [@NIKI50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NIKI50)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/153 "2013-07-03T03:14:30Z")
I didn’t see this posted yet…[https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=499117980165843&set=o.20534666726&type=1&ref=nf](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=499117980165843&set=o.20534666726&type=1&ref=nf) If you’ve followed chefs histories and know Food Networks history I wonder what is really being covered for. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/154 "2013-07-04T17:21:27Z")
Look at FN’s 4th programming: nothing. They usually do a whole day of grilling, parties and the like, all taped a few months before. My guess is that Deen was too big a part of that and they just scrapped the whole day. For that matter, I’m sure Deen was part of this season’s Food Network Star. Thay can’t reshoot it, so I wonder if they will just skip that week? ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/155 "2013-07-04T17:40:25Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > See, read one of the best known books in American lit, one that contains & frequently uses the word “Nigger” - and you are called a racist. Sad. > > Of course, you are also wrong. In HF Twain was _extremely_ careful to get the dialect and manner of speaking correct. Altho you may be correct as to one of the theme’s of the book, the characters used the word “Nigger” as that is what actual people from that area and socio-economic level would have used. Yes, but the mistake is in assuming the book reflects historical accuracy across the US rather than realizing that the story presents a satirical view of folks who were already backwards and behind the times at the point the book was written. That bears rephrasing: Twain’s uppity white characters were already far behind the rest of the country with regards to manners, perceptions, and attitudes towards free blacks. His story should have behooved such people to realize the ignorance and prejudice they perpetuated and remedy their ways. Much like the kids portrayed in Fast Times at Ridgemont High reflected only a handful of privileged, slacker Valley kids rather than the entire feel of teens across the nation. No one watches that film and assumes that every public high school teen is a horny, privileged Valley-talking slacker with no aspirations or goals beyond getting high or getting laid. But somehow modern readers of Twain assume his story is a history book rather than a satire of a narrow portion of the population he was familiar with and a little embarrassed of. Kind of like how Appalachian Studies majors are proud of Appalachian wisdom, music, and folk stories but ashamed of MTV’s Buckwild. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/156 "2013-07-04T19:58:14Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Look at FN’s 4th programming: nothing. They usually do a whole day of grilling, parties and the like, all taped a few months before. My guess is that Deen was too big a part of that and they just scrapped the whole day. For that matter, I’m sure Deen was part of this season’s Food Network Star. Thay can’t reshoot it, so I wonder if they will just skip that week? She was scheduled to appear on Fox’s MasterChef too…I wonder what will become of that? There are usually multiple competitions per episode, so it might be possible to cut her appearance if they have enough extra filler material. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/157 "2013-07-04T22:56:10Z")
I think she was already on. At least I remember one woman with a southern accent gushing over her, calling her “her idol.” I don’t remember what they had her cooking or judging. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/158 "2013-07-04T23:31:39Z")
I think that was last season…then again, I haven’t been paying very close attention to this season. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/159 "2013-07-05T03:57:07Z")
Ah. You’re probably right. (My memory has become worn and tattered.) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/160 "2014-04-04T14:24:10Z")
Continuing to prove what a classy lady she is, the restaurant she co-owns with her brother, Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House, [closed, without bothering to tell the employees](http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/04/04/paula-deen-shutters-uncle-bubbas-without-bothering-to-tell-her-employees/?tid=hp_mm&hpid=z3). ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585/161 "2014-04-04T14:35:50Z")
In her defence, that’s exactly how it is for most restaurant closings. The owners don’t want a breath of it to get out, (every restaurant will know in a day or two!) And you can’t undo the effect of the whole town being convinced you’re about to close up. Suddenly your suppliers want to be paid on delivery, for example. Employees start looking for a new gig. And often they are hanging by a thread, waiting for a sale to close or the other shoe to fall. If you might be saved, come the end of the run, by a last minute loan from friend or family, informing the staff, before it’s a done deal, is really shooting yourself in the foot. Sometimes restaurants close up silently because owners want a little time before facing the investors, to get some ducks in a row, as it were. Give your employees lead time, and that evaporates. (I’ve gone in for my shift to find the doors locked, the appliances gone, and the owners phone disconnected!) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-i-have-some-rather-disturbing-news-about-paula-deen/661585.md?page=9)