So a 66 year old woman, born in the south, has used the word “nigger” at some point in her life? I’m astounded. This is absurdity. There are real problems in the world and this isn’t one of them. Christ, if she had killed someone 30 years ago, she would probably be out on parole. The use of a racial slur is enough to get her thrown off Food TV?
Nobody in my grade school will ever make it big unless they simply tell unbelievable lies if they are questioned about it in the future.
You don’t say.
Also, your grade school sounds like it was really shitty.
I think it’s quite sad that we give a “pass” to people born in the south on rude behavior. It’s absolutely chilling - for sure - I just don’t get it. Does your geographic location mean that you are exempt from basic, rudimentary decorum? The message that gets across is “we can’t expect too much out of you guys anyway.” To me, that’s just a slap in the face. I am from New York, almost as Yankee as can be, and here I am going to bat for a region of the country that considered my “people”, at one point or another, as property.
That aside, it’s easy to make this whole fiasco about an old white woman that “didn’t know any better” and that once upon a crime hurled a racial slur. It is NOT about the slur, itself. No, it’s more about the attitude that followed. She just seemed absolutely oblivious to the harm her words caused. To add, she didn’t lose her sponsors because she called someone a “nigger”, though that played a small part in it. She lost her sponsors because THEY didn’t want to lose any money over further promotion of Deen. It was all about the “green stuff”, the loot, whatever you want to call it. I also think it’s terrible that people think it’s “no big deal” when a person uses a racial slur. Have we become that draconian? I mean, really? Because something is an “everyday” occurrence does it make it right? You would still wince at having heard someone call a gay-man a “fag”, right? But, however, calling a black man or woman a “nigger”, what’s the hoopla about, right?
Everything in your link are allegations. The only thing she admitted was using the slur once.
I envy those of you that grew up in a magical land without racial prejudice. In my childhood, nearly every white person used that word as a matter of course in private discussions.
If in the year 2013, a 70 year old man talked to me in private about how “niggers are running wild” or talk about “fag marriage”? I would smile and let it go, but not think less of him. If the same man used that word to a black man to scold him, I would speak up and defend the black man.
If a 20 year old, in a private conversation, used the word “nigger” or “fag” I would think less of him, but not speak up unless it was directed at someone.
In 1973 or 1983, or hell, in 2003 those words didn’t have the same strong negative connotation they do now. I can’t expect everyone to keep up with the latest PC jargon.
I love this rewrite of history. What I find particularly amusing is the subset of people who argue in other contexts that you just can’t tell when someone is being racist unless they use a word like nigger. Now, point to someone using the word nigger and suddenly, why, “nigger” isn’t such a bad word after all. You’re being so PC!
As for hearing the word nigger in every day conversation, just because you grew up with it (where’d you grow up, by the way?) doesn’t mean everyone did. I’m 42 years old, grew up in SE Ohio, and I have never heard any of my blood relatives ever use the word. My former MIL used it around me and I stopped associating with her sorry, stupid ass.
WTF???
Therein lies the problem, it shouldn’t matter whether or not a person was describing a person or “thin air” with the word “nigger.” I would think, as a learned person, your knee-jerk reaction would be to call a person out on using the word - PERIOD- especially a seventy year old man who, in my estimate, should know better anyway. I think we cut way too much slack for any of these three combinations of people: old people/people from the south/“sheltered” young people.
So, you wouldn’t think less of the older person for using the word “nigger”, presumably because he is old, but you would in fact look down upon a 20 year old for using the same word? I “get” what you are saying but that doesn’t mean I “understand” or “agree” with it.
You do understand that not speaking up is also a sly way of supporting a bad habit, don’t you? You would be better off calling someone out and risk being told to “mind your business” or something a bit more colorful than that, as opposed to keeping your trap shut and appearing every bit the bigot those people were. I don’t know, pal, 1983 wasn’t all that long ago. Calling someone a “fag” or a “nigger” has never been cause for a bro-mance. It has ALWAYS been seen as a negative thing, even when Jim Crow was painting the town red. This isn’t coming from a place of hate but it’s very easy when you are apart of the “majority” group to make light of very serious issues.
Bullshit. My dad is in his late 70’s and he has never called someone a fag or used the n word. I am sick and fucking tired of having all old people tarred as nothing more than secret racists who ought to be excused for shitty behavior. If some piece of shit called my daughter’s sweet Haitian babysitter the n word I would banish that person from my life forever.
I am horrified that you think otherwise.
WTF is with some of you people?
Welcome to the new history. Revisionism is fun. Like cholera.
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she told some off colored jokes
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At least she’s not prejudice. :smack:
Rewriting history is the last defense of the racist in today’s world. Let us all have a moment of silence for those bygone, imaginary days in which everyone could call a nigger a nigger and a faggot a faggot, and the queers and darkies didn’t mind at all. Why, they considered it practically a term of affection!
:rolleyes:
I grew up in the same place as jsgoddess at more or less the same time and had the exact same experience as her, FWIW. I stand by my statement that if your childhood was full of people running around calling each other niggers, then you had shitty, racist friends, and you should be ashamed of that behavior, not tooting it proudly in the manner one would a particularly offensive fart.
Later in private, the sporadically principled jtgain and the World’s Greatest Klan Grampa share a chuckle over the bug-eyed expression on that faggot nigger’s face while enjoying a fresh tray of Paula Deen’s mayonnaise-cream popsicles.
Really? Who is “blaming a victim”? I think that if the US Government had to send troops down just to monitor the schools being de-segregrated, its fair to assume that racist views were pretty darn prevalent. Racist or supporters for Jim Crow were opressive against everyone that tried to change their way of life. I think it’s odd that you can achknowledge that she is being misrepresented by the media, and not be at all suspicious or just maybe a little doubtful of the image they are providing for the public. Also, while I can see SOME connection to the OJ fiasco, that involved a murder and subsequent trial. We are talking a racial slur Paula admitted to saying 30 years ago. If you are willing to accept the media’s unfair reporting and preference for the most sensational news they can provide sole for entertainment, sales and ratings, without regard or being held responsible for damage done, then very well. I personally believe that they should provide accurate information so I can make an educated decision.
I’m 48, grew up in Maryland, and some of my older family members did. Or *pickaninny *or coon.
Granted, I was *born *in Alabama, and the family was from Alabama, Georgia and Virginia. Some of the older relatives did and some didn’t.
It wasn’t wonderful, but I couldn’t write off family members for it. I was a kid. You were an adult, presumably, by the time you had a MIL. As a child, could you have disowned a great aunt or uncle?
Nigger used to make it on broadcast TV, too. All in the Family said it. SNL used it. Both were for purposes of making the point that the word was racist, but it wasn’t like saying *cunt *or something, like it is now. The word has become too powerful. Words were made for us, not us for words.
How does a child disown anyone?
As for the word “nigger,” white people seem to want to act like the word wasn’t that big a deal because there wasn’t this huge uproar every time it was used. But a lack of huge uproar doesn’t mean the word wasn’t a big deal; it means that the people who would have complained were powerless.
It’s as if a white man walked up to a black slave in 1840 in Louisiana and punched him in the face and, when the slave didn’t punch him back, claimed that the slave didn’t mind being punched in the face.
Lacking the power to create change doesn’t mean we’re not offended or hurt or demeaned. It means we lack power.
I grew up IN MISSISSIPPI, 30 years ago as a matter of fact. The same time ol’ Paula was letting it fly. No one in my family used that word. Or fag. You grew up around racist pieces of shit, sorry. The white people you knew? They suck.
Then you are an asshole. Not as big of one as someone who wouldn’t defend a back person being called racial slurs (although, forgive me, but I wonder whether or not someone of your low character would actually speak up. I suspect you would find something very pressing to stare at on the wall) but still an asshole. 70 year old people have seen the world change, and either chosen to change along with it (assuming they were racist sexist pieces of shit in the first place. Not all were, of course) or they have chosen to stay assholes. People who choose to be assholes don’t deserve respect.
Well, again, you’re an asshole. And probably pretty racist, but definitely an asshole.
Hey- newsflash. It wasn’t ok in 1973 OR 1983 to call people niggers or fags. It really wasn’t in 2003 either. You are just a racist asshole, and you associate with other racist assholes, so you probably didn’t know. But all of us in non-asshole land? We knew. It was obvious. Maybe quit attending so many Klan meetings? Just a thought.
I love when white people explain how the word nigger isn’t offensive. Oh wait, no, not love, that other thing. HATE. I hate when white people explain how the word nigger isn’t offensive.
Where was the history re-write? And who said you needed more than a racial slur to determine if someone was racist? What was said was as time has past, the word has become more and more taboo. Just because YOU grew up not hearing a word or raised to not say a word, doesn’t mean everyone was. Just because you were born in an era post civil rights in a region where (I assume) there was less racial discrimination doesn’t mean everyone did. Some people born and raised to believe thats blacks were inferior and then have other beliefs pushed on them (justifiable and right beliefs, yes, but other’s beliefs all the same) may just take a little more time to come around than someone born in a different region, in a different time and with different beliefs.
I whole heartedly believe that Paula holds prejudiced views, but if a 30 year old racial slur and 5 year old brief reminising of a old south themed restaurant is all you got, then I don’t really see anything more than a woman that’s a product of the time and place she was raised. Doesn’t mean that the allegations made against her brother are true and doesn’t mean the media should be able to report this one sided crap that makes her look like a raging, discriminatory employer that runs around saying the n-word, making the “blacker” folks work the kitchen and paying the black servers at her antebellum south wedding in beer.
I disagree only that I expect people to keep up with modern PC jargon. Paula knew enough not to use the word any longer. It’s not fair to measure something that was said 30 years ago by today’s PC standards.