Merged Paula Deen: Use the N word, get the axe

[Zelenius]

I always thought her preference for using mini burning crosses instead of candles on birthday cake a tad bit suspicious.

 

[paiute]

I used that word recently. I was singing a song by Ice Cube.

This just in - Ice Cube fired for using the N-word by his studio, which is run by L-words. His agent was heard dropping the F-word, among others. He is quoted as saying. "G-word M-word W-word I-word H-word."

 

[smartcooky]

In other words, I don't think she has any solid ground to plead "the old days" in any kind of casual dismissal of her use of that word.

You must be kidding yourself if you think the "old attitudes" in the South just vanished in a puff of smoke on July 2nd 1964. Those attitudes prevailed long after that date, and to some extent still prevail to this day.


In any case, this whole story for me rates as a big, fat who cares!!

 

[Piggy]

It's 2013 and Paula Deen is only 66 years old. By the time she was 20 years old, the military had been integrated, school segregation was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (meaning there's every chance that she went to school with black people), the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had been passed, and the Jim Crow laws had been overturned/determined unconstitutional.

In other words, I don't think she has any solid ground to plead "the old days" in any kind of casual dismissal of her use of that word.

Obviously, you didn't grow up around here.

I did.

Both black and white people used that word all through my growing up.

It seems to me that the tide only turned during the OJ trial, when the defense managed to introduce the notion of "the N-word" into the national conscience.

Here we had a trial at which jurors were given descriptions and photographs of a brutal murder… and yet they (knowingly) referred to a mere word with an oblique reference, indicating that merely hearing this word was an offense so grievous that it was utterly intolerable, far worse than seeing photos of a brutal murder scene.

We've all been had.

It's just a word.

 

[fuelair]

To quote comedian Jessica Williams, Paula Deen's recipes are causing far more harm to black people than her words.

Who is by no means the only jokester pointing that out - one of Maher's guests tonight (the food book gentleman) said the same......

 

[fuelair]

So she has racist tendencies. Fine. But can she cook? It's that latter bit that should determine whether she is employable on a cooking show.

So what's next? Do I get to fire someone because I don't care for their opinion on Obamacare? Poor, or even offensive opinions shouldn't be the basis for firing someone.

If the guy who drives the school bus is a Creationist, or thinks reptilians have taken over the major corporations, should I push to have him fired?

Racists: Mock them, pity them, debate them. But fire them? Now who's discriminating?

That also came up on the Maher show tonight and by the end of that discussion it seemed to be more or less decided that that specific word was an Unforgiveable (TM) word - and pretty much the only one.

 

[marplots]

That also came up on the Maher show tonight and by the end of that discussion it seemed to be more or less decided that that specific word was an Unforgiveable (TM) word - and pretty much the only one.

Just to be clear, the N-word is ******, right?

ETA: Wondered what the auto-censor would do. Now I know.

 

[Brian-M]

The Food Network did issue a statement on the matter early on, saying the channel “does not tolerate any form of discrimination and is a strong proponent of diversity and inclusion. We will continue to monitor the situation.”

They don't tolerate any form of discrimination? I think they're lying.

Obviously they're discriminating against people who use racist terms. Plus I suspect that their human resources department discriminates in favor of applicants who are better qualified for the job.

Just to be clear, the N-word is ******, right?

Nigerian?

 

[Damien Evans]

Just a topic Americans totally get their knickers twisted about.

Do you really think it would be any different if an Australian employer was caught calling their Aboriginal employee a boong?

I submit that it would not, nor should it be.

 

[Babbylonian]

Obviously, you didn't grow up around here.

I did.

Both black and white people used that word all through my growing up.

It seems to me that the tide only turned during the OJ trial, when the defense managed to introduce the notion of "the N-word" into the national conscience.

My point wasn't that the entire culture of the US (particularly the South) had changed. My point was more that an intelligent, sensitive person could have no doubt about what racism was and that it was becoming unacceptable.

We've all been had.

It's just a word.

Yeah, yeah. That's a ******** argument and I suspect you know it. It's about the attitudes, thoughts, and beliefs represented by the word. It's only "just a word" when it's stripped completely of context...like any word.

Personally, I don't care if someone was even a terrible racist years ago as long as they've "seen the light" now. That, however, does not make racial slurs used in the past at all defensible.

 

[bigred]

Should I have?

only if you're white.

This just in - Ice Cube fired for using the N-word by his studio, which is run by L-words. His agent was heard dropping the F-word, among others. He is quoted as saying. "G-word M-word W-word I-word H-word."

word!



Where's Barbara Billingsley when you need her? Cut me some slack jack!

Now make way - Oz got nothin on this for being all-powerful:
http://www.break.com/picture/ugc/jesse-jackson-race-card-433276

lmao @ the absurdity of people having a stroke if you so much as say THIS particular word and ONLY this one. But the other ones (just as "nasty") are no big.

 

[Frozenwolf150]

Wow. That's some cooking.

I've never seen the show and didn't know she was black, which makes this even stranger.

Paula Deen is the other one. Though the video proves my earlier point. Serving that kind of food to her show's guest (who happens to be black) is tantamount to assault with a deadly weapon.

 

[Travis]

My dad is about as non-racist as you will ever find. But he also used that word a lot growing up. In fact he wasn't aware there was another word to use when referring to black people until he was in high school. In his household, with his parents, that was the only word to use when referring to a person with dark skin. He is pretty open about how it took him awhile to retrain himself to not use the word.

Of course my dad would never make a hamburger sandwich with donuts either.

 

[alfaniner]

I personally found it childish to hear news reporters refer constantly to the "n-word".

That said, I'll kinda miss Ms. Deen mispronouncing "chipotlay", "marscapone", "vinagerette", and "confectionate sugar", and all in one show.

 

[fuelair]

They don't tolerate any form of discrimination? I think they're lying.

Obviously they're discriminating against people who use racist terms. Plus I suspect that their human resources department discriminates in favor of applicants who are better qualified for the job.




Nigerian?

If I remember Blazing Saddles correctly, it was "nit" .

 

[Noztradamus]

Do you really think it would be any different if an Australian employer was caught calling their Aboriginal employee a boong?

I submit that it would not, nor should it be.

That you didn't euphemise it to "the b-word" sorta makes the point.

 

[h.g.Whiz]

I used that word recently. I was singing a song by Ice Cube.

Ninja PLEASE!

 

[Aepervius]

What is with her face? Every time I see her photograph, including on the cover of her own magazine (which presumably meant they'd allow multiple shoots until they get it right), she has a horrible fixed mouth-only smile and staring dead eyes. She can't fake a real-looking smile? She's either been overly-botoxed around the eyes or is a rampantly deranged lunatic. Or both.

So I am not the only one thinking of the clown killer from "IT" every time I see her photo ?

I swear to you I am not joking , IT was the first things I thought of. Ok maybe it is a sign of insanity whatever, but her eyes really feel dead and forced.

 

[Aepervius]

My dad is about as non-racist as you will ever find. But he also used that word a lot growing up. In fact he wasn't aware there was another word to use when referring to black people until he was in high school. In his household, with his parents, that was the only word to use when referring to a person with dark skin. He is pretty open about how it took him awhile to retrain himself to not use the word.

Of course my dad would never make a hamburger sandwich with donuts either.

I used that wotrd a lot in my youth, without ever refering skin color.

We had a sweets called ******-head (tête de négres). It was a black extern chocolat humongus thing with soft creamy meringy sugary things inside. It is only much later when people looked at me bizarely and explained me what the word ALSO meant that I stopped using it.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whippet_(biscuit)

 

[Piggy]

My point wasn't that the entire culture of the US (particularly the South) had changed. My point was more that an intelligent, sensitive person could have no doubt about what racism was and that it was becoming unacceptable.

True. My niece and nephew would be horrified if they were transported back to my time in the '70s.

Yeah, yeah. That's a ******** argument and I suspect you know it. It's about the attitudes, thoughts, and beliefs represented by the word. It's only "just a word" when it's stripped completely of context...like any word.

Personally, I don't care if someone was even a terrible racist years ago as long as they've "seen the light" now. That, however, does not make racial slurs used in the past at all defensible.

No, it's not a bogus argument. Words have the power we give them. I always told my students that I wanted them to have more power over words than words have over them.

And when we come to think that the mere speaking of a word has some sort of juju that's so powerful it can't be done in a court of law, where the details of a brutal murder are being discussed and photographs of that murder are being displayed, then we've assigned it magical powers.

Which, of course, is exactly what the OJ defense team wanted.

For further discussion on both sides, btw, I highly recommend this film.