Paula Dean Fired By Food Network Over Racial Slur

I read in today's newspaper that the P Deen empire will lose some 80% of her business from the loss of all her contracts.

Here is another bigot/racist that is offering support for the evil Paula Deen.

In fact this racist if saying what I been saying that "he's more troubled by racial disparities in jobs, lending, health care, business opportunities and the criminal justice system."

That's what makes your sudden devotion to her so peculiar, particularly since you are unacquainted with what she actually said in her recent sworn deposition for a lawsuit, and what that has revealed about her, and the workplace conditions she maintained in her 2 restaurants.

You've latched onto your own simplistic, and somewhat distorted, version of why Deen suddenly became persona non grata with her corporate business associates, and you have no apparent ability to absorb any factual information which might help to correct your distorted views. In fact, you've been working so hard to block out additional information, or even to apply logic and common sense, one must wonder why a more complete understanding would be so disruptive and threatening to you. Perhaps you are simply too limited to understand the issues beyond the simplistic level, and you can't admit that, even to yourself.

If you had bothered to read Deen's sworn deposition, you would know that her business associates are not just reacting to her use of the "N-word" 30 years ago. In her deposition, Deen admitted to maintaining current workplace conditions in which racially and sexually inappropriate and offensive behavior toward employees was acceptable and ongoing. At that workplace, she also enjoys derogatory and demeaning jokes about blacks, Jews, and gays, because, in her view, that's what "all jokes" are about.

Whether you consider such workplace behavior on her part as evidence of bigotry and prejudice is unimportant. Her corporate business associates found these revelations to be so disturbing that they no longer wished to be associated with her brand or the promotion or distribution of her products.
So, one by one, they have dropped her like a hot potato, in the interests of their own business.

So, what Deen is going through, with the loss of all these business contracts, is a direct result of her own behavior--her behavior as an employer in her restaurants, and her behavior in trying to explain and deal with the racial controversy as it unfolded around her.

All of that is apparently too complicated for you to understand.

In your simplistic, and distorted, version, it's still all about Deen using the "N-word" 30 years ago. If that truly was the only issue, Deen's business empire would be in good shape right now. Her main problems are the current conditions in her restaurant workplaces--conditions that include the current use of racial/ethnic/gender/sexual orientation slurs and similarly derogatory jokes targeting such groups, and the fact that Deen has found such conditions for her employees acceptable.

In her ill-advised "apology" videos, that Deen herself put forth in her own defense, her tearful statements were not accompanied by any real awareness of what she had done wrong, or what was wrong in the current atmosphere in her restaurant workplaces. Without that awareness, her apologies and contrition were meaningless, and it was simply a display of groveling self-pity. Her failure to understand, and take responsibility for, her own behaviors regarding her workplaces, simply tarnished her image more, and, again, this was her own doing. So, more of her business contracts began dropping like dead flies at her feet.

Paula Dean has tarnished and tainted and damaged her own brand and image--and she has done it herself through her own actions. And, since her business success depended on the health and viability of that brand and image, since her entire empire rested on it, her latest self-inflicted wound has been deep and substantial.

It also cannot be ignored that her current controversy comes on the heels of her prior concealment of her own diabetes 2 medical problems, and her decision to reveal the condition only after she inked a lucrative deal to hawk a diabetes drug for a pharmaceutical company. That helped to tag "Paula the deceitful hypocrite" onto her brand and image, and contributed to cracking the foundation on which it rested.

Nor can it be ignored that the product she has always peddled--mainly Southern "comfort foods" that contained unhealthful amounts of high sugar/high fats, contributors to the type of diabetes to which she fell victim-- has always been controversial and subject to considerable vocal criticism. Her whole empire was built on promoting and extolling foods that contribute to poor health. So, the basic value and premise of her product has been questionable and suspect from the start.

All of that is too complicated for you to understand.

That's because your simplistic and distorted view of the situation fails to see that Deen has never been "defenseless prey"--she is fully responsible for her own actions, and statements, and their consequences. Her entire business rests on her brand, image, and reputation, and she's the one who trashed that image and reputation, starting with her diabetes concealment/drug endorsement controversy, and continuing in her sworn statements about her workplace conditions, and continuing in her clueless self-pitying videos and Today show interview.

And the woman could afford top-notch legal, PR, and crisis management help, to assist her in dealing with her own self-created mess.

And, rather than being "a pack of jackals attacking a defenseless prey," her corporate business partners have behaved in quite the opposite manner--they've backed away from her, because they can smell the toxic fumes she's emitting, and they don't want to be poisoned by consuming what she offers right now. They haven't really attacked her, they've just severed ties with her, for their own long-term business interests.

You are committed to maintaining a rather paranoid conspiratorial view of Deen's dilemma, which is fixated on seeing her as the helpless, and essentially blameless, victim of various murky conspiracies--the "PC police", "the movement", "liberals", "the mob", "a pack of jackals"--malevolent forces who have been lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce on, and ruin, this woman, for no apparent reason, other than their delight in destroying someone.

You clearly identify with Deen in seeing her as the innocent victim of unjustified attacks by others--that's why you keep dredging up all the past unsavory names and accusations that other posters have leveled at you on A2K. What you and Deen do have in common is your absolute cluelessness about why you elicit those negative reactions from others, and your consequent inability to consider your own behaviors in terms of their negative impact on others. So neither of you can recognize the validity of other people's reactions to you, nor can either of you appreciate the degree of offensiveness in the things you say. Neither of you are innocent victims, both of you trash your own reputations through your own statements, and your own values that are expressed through such statements. And people are entitled to react negatively to both of you when they find such things offensive.

So your remarks in this thread are little more than an attempt to defend yourself. You have no more interest in Paula Deen now than you did before this controversy, when you admit you were barely aware of her existence. That's why you don't bother to acquaint yourself with her actual deposition, and you lightly dismiss her enjoyment of derogatory and demeaning jokes about blacks, Jews,. gays, etc in the workplace., and you absurdly say that she can't be a racist because she voted for Obama--you don't want to look at the reality of her behaviors that are causing people to react to her in a certain way--you have no need to look at such things because your comments are really defenses of yourself.

If Paula Deen wants to rehabilitate herself, and clean up her act, she'll be able to recoup some of her losses because she has always had a fan base which has remained loyal to her. She's obviously got to craft a somewhat different image for herself, but she's done that before too, by shifting to some healthier versions of the type of cooking she promotes--and her new cookbook had been intended to move her image in that direction. Like any good business woman, she knows she's got to move with the trends.

What Deen fails to see is that prejudice and bigotry, even when casually expressed, in slurs or derogatory and demeaning jokes about certain groups, is no longer culturally acceptable, not just because it's "not PC" or it's in "bad taste", but because it's hurtful, and harmful, and keeps divisiveness and discrimination alive and well. Paula has to realize what's wrong with those derogatory jokes she enjoys, and why they aren't harmless. If she really believes she's not bigoted, then she should make sure she's not promoting bigotry, even casually, in her workplace, or in own attitudes. And, when she's able to do those things, she'll be able to make a comeback of sorts, and retain her niche appeal, and regain some marketing platforms for her wares.

You also need to see that prejudice and bigotry, even when casually expressed, in slurs or derogatory and demeaning jokes about certain groups, is no longer culturally acceptable, not just because it's "not PC" or it's in "bad taste", but because it's hurtful, and harmful, and keeps divisiveness and discrimination alive and well--and you've got to stop defending it, if you truly believe you're not a bigot or prejudiced person. And, even more importantly, you've got to stop negatively characterizing and negatively stereotyping entire groups in your posts at A2K--as you have done with Muslim-Americans, women, gays, and, at times, young black males, in your various posts on this site. And no, I'm not going to dig up examples of that, which you would only deny anyway, nor am I interested in listening to you rationalize such bigoted views.

You're not the innocent defenseless prey of a pack of jackals, and neither is Paula Deen--but both of you are responsible for your own behaviors and the sort of reactions you elicit and provoke from others. Right now, the consequences to Paula, of her own behaviors, are hitting her in the pocketbook. The consequences to you, of your own statements at A2K are that you often become the object of derision and ridicule, you get called a lot of unpleasant names, your opinions are often disregarded or easily dismissed, and you are generally not regarded with much respect. If any of that bothers you, you have no one but yourself to blame.

I have more considerably more faith that the light will dawn on Deen than it will dawn on you. I believe that she probably does have a good heart, but I'm not so sure about you. You harbor too much hostility to really have a good heart.

And, I have no doubt that you'll fail to comprehend this post, and you'll go on repeating that simplistic nonsense, gnawing on that same bone, and using Paula Deen as an excuse to defend yourself and your own boorish behavior, becoming more and more histrionic in the process...

I bet that is turning you on that this woman is being destroy.

There no need to talk about Hawkeye being involved with S&M sexual games when we have the real hard core sadists on this website such as yourself.

Rather long and winded, but you are spot on!

Yes indeed what added information as not one of her current or former employees had gone on the record other then the woman trying to win a few millions of dollar lawsuit that she was a racist in any way. Many however had gone on the record supporting her.

We have stories that are from second or even third places sources but other then that you are sadly lacking in any proof the lady is a bigot. The excuse for this lack is that all the poor blacks are too fearful of this old white woman and her brother to come forward!!!!!!!!!!!

A bigot that went out of her way to support Obama first run at the presidential
but logic and common sense is never high on your list when you smell the blood of someone that had been non-PC even thirty years ago.



You mean like a cartoon showing all the buyers of her books line up in KKK outfits?

Let's just put it this way; you'll never win in a court of law. Your arguments are without legal merit or precedence.

Your arguments are based on ignorance and bigotry.

Who need a court of law all we need is the charge and the fact that thirty years ago the woman used the n word toward a gunman who had held her at gun point.

Nothing more is needed to hang an old southern white woman.

You still don't "get it." It's not 30 years ago, you ******* dummy! Don't you know how to read?

TNCFS

As I said, at the end of my last post...

And, I have no doubt that you'll fail to comprehend this post, and you'll go on repeating that simplistic nonsense, gnawing on that same bone, and using Paula Deen as an excuse to defend yourself and your own boorish behavior, becoming more and more histrionic in the process...

And you've just proved I was right. You're very predictable in your obtuseness.

You can't even realize that people are reacting to Deen's own statements--statements she made in a sworn deposition--and what she revealed in those statements, both about her own attitudes and the conditions in her workplace.

You've got to believe this is all a baseless witch-hunt in which Deen is an innocent victim, because that ties in with your generally paranoid views, as well as your over-identification with Deen, and your view of yourself as the innocent victim of attacks and smears. Sorry, BillRM, she's not an innocent victim and neither are you, and there is quite good foundation and reason for the negative reactions you both elicit from others.

You'll probably go on repeating the same nonsensical things, post after post, after post, for the next 100 pages of this thread, because that's your usual obsessive pattern, with your rhetoric becoming increasingly more exaggerated and histrionic along the way. Forgive me if I stop reading it, I've already caught your act, and even watching you make a fool of yourself has grown quite tiresome...

http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/28/opinion/obeidallah-deen-forgiveness/index.html

yep

given the popular support she has been shown she has a huge opportunity to come back even bigger than she was. she has hired a good crisis management team and finally seems ready to listen. I would have taken my money and retired, but PD seams to have decided to fall on her sword and get reborn.

I certainly believe Deen could have had a change of heart. While some believe the South is full of unrepentant racists, the reality is much more nuanced and while change could certainly be faster it is happening. That said, Dean is accused of not enforcing workplace standards against sexual and racial harassment. That appears to be ongoing regardless of her personal conduct. Her post testimony damage control has been awful. If the workplace at her restaurants does not meet legal standards, she needs to fix that instead of playing the victim.

The issue isn't about what Ms. Deen said 30 years ago - it's about what she has done/not done in the past few years. She has not denied any of it.

Yea, .

Let's leave it at that! He's a comedian who by his personal observations thinks he's some know-it-all about minority discrimination in this country. Nothing is further from the truth; he's full of bull ****, because he can't see how hateful P Deen has been in the way she treated blacks until recent times.

It's not for him or me to forgive Deen; it's the people who were insulted and treated badly.

He can't even get that right!

He's full of bull ****.

The word here that is key is accused and by a woman who is trying to gain millions.

I'll wait and see; your observations are never that reliable.

all she needs to do is point out that restaurants tend to be rough, and pledge to be the model pc workplace going forwards. the brother has to go though. the main thing she needs to watch for is admission of past wrongs, because current and former employee liability is huge.

playing the victim almost always works, and should work here. she has a golden opportunity to attack corporate culture, to be the defender of the common man against forces which care nothing for justice or truth, which will play right into her personal strengths. getting attacked by the corporate lynch mob and surviving on the backs of the little people who believe in her could be damned inspirational.

That you have the audacity to use the words "justice and truth" in your opinion results in an oxymoron - by a moron. Give it up! Everybody already sees you as a loser, a bigot, and somebody who condones sexual harassment.

Your posts only reinforces your ignorance.