Butter, Sugar, and Racism: Why I Have No Respect for Paula Deen

By Amy Wagner on June 20, 2013

By now, almost everyone in America has heard of Paula Deen, star of the popular Food Network shows Paula’s Home Cooking and Paula’s Best Dishes. I must confess that I was never her biggest fan; I like an indulgent meal as much as the next person, but seemingly every one of her recipes tend to be loaded with a bit too much butter for my liking. (However, I am a fan of the many Paula Deen memes related to butter that have surfaced on the Internet as a result.)

Recent news involving Paula Deen’s racism, however, has made me lose all respect for her. Lisa Jackson, a former employee of Paula Deen Enterprises, has come forward with several allegations of workplace discrimination, powerfully rooted in race and gender. During a deposition for the case that was held on May 17th, Deen freely admitted to using the N-word as well as making other racist jokes. Also expressed was a fervent wish to plan a “really Southern plantation wedding” with strong echoes of the antebellum South for her brother, Earl “Bubba” Hiers, with African-American waiters in the role of slaves. This idea was not executed because of Deen’s fear that the “media” would contort the story. As  James Poniewozik wryly writes for Time magazine’s entertainment blog, “Those media! Always turning folks’ innocent plantation-slave parties into something racist!”

Photo courtesy of wpbblogcafe.wpbradio.com

As of June 20, 2013, the allegations of Jackson’s lawsuit are in the process of being litigated. However, Deen seems to see nothing wrong with her oppressive, racist comments. She nonchalantly stated that “of course” she used the N-word – on multiple occasions, to be exact. When asked by her lawyer about telling racial jokes, she firmly stated that “it’s just what they are, they’re jokes.” To her, they might be jokes. But are they “just jokes” to the to the races and ethnicities whose lived experiences and identities that she is turning into an insensitive one-liner? Certainly not. The glib manner in which Deen handled the deposition is a shining example that she simply does not care. It does not matter to her that she is not only insulting entire races and religions, including African-American and Jewish individuals. The meaning of the term “oppression” has also apparently slipped by her, or she would not be casually stating exactly how much she and her brother would love to plan a wedding that represents a “certain era in America,” an era in which the boundaries were clearly drawn and certain races served others. Granted, Deen only reminisced about Civil War-era America in the context of a wedding; she did not say anything about wanting to go back in time or wishing that the past was today’s reality, but she might as well have.

Throughout the course of the deposition, Deen goes on to defend her use of the N-word, stating that “my children and my brother object to that word being used in any cruel or mean behavior. As well as I do.” And thus, Paula Deen, America’s favorite Southern cook, completely and utterly misses the point. It is obvious that Deen does not realize to what extent she is condoning racism and oppression. It even seems as though she thinks she has done nothing wrong. Her blase manner when being questioned about her racist comments and language speaks volumes more than do her actual words. She acts as though using such derogatory language in everyday conversation is completely acceptable, that using the N-word in casual conversation somehow escapes being “cruel or mean.”

It is my opinion that we, as Americans, should make a big deal about this. We should let Paula Deen know that her actions and language will not be tolerated, and that actions have consequences. We need to show her that because of what she has done, we will not sit around and continue to watch her television shows, use her cookware, buy her furniture, or eat her newly unveiled line of food products. It is 2013, not 1853. It is time to tell Paula Deen that her brand of butter-slathered racism is not welcome.

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