FSTDT Forums
Community => Society and History => Topic started by: ironbite on June 21, 2013, 07:12:36 pm
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Paula Deen has been....FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRED! (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/21/paula-deen-fired-food-network-cancels-show-after-racism-scandal_n_3480517.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003)/Vince McMahon
SAVANNAH, Ga. -- The Food Network said Friday it's dumping Paula Deen, barely an hour after the celebrity cook posted the first of two videotaped apologies online begging forgiveness from fans and critics troubled by her admission to having used racial slurs in the past.
The 66-year-old Savannah kitchen celebrity has been swamped in controversy since court documents filed this week revealed Deen told an attorney questioning her under oath last month that she has used the N-word. "Yes, of course," Deen said, though she added, "It's been a very long time."
The Food Network, which made Deen a star with "Paula's Home Cooking" in 2002 and later "Paula's Home Cooking" in 2008, weighed in with a terse statement Friday afternoon.
"Food Network will not renew Paula Deen's contract when it expires at the end of this month," the statement said. Network representatives declined further comment. A representative for Deen did not immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment on the decision.
Essentially because Mrs. Butter admitted to being a right old southern lady had had dropped a few n-bombs in her day, the cooking channel has decided she's too damn toxic to even be around food. Which, admittedly, I'm gonna miss her on the show. The thing is...will they be showing reruns of her show or are they pulling a Chris Benoit and saying she never existed? Because Paula Deen's been a mainstay on Food Network for a long time.
Also, no that's not a typo. They really did have two "Paula's Home Cooking" shows. Both were very very different in format.
Ironbite-I will miss Paula's Party though.
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Not that I condone using racial slurs, but how was this even an issue? Did she drop the n-bomb in public a long time ago and people only recently found out about it?
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Uh...
While I'm glad that her absolutely delicious butter-filled monstrosities of cooking are going to be taken off the air where they can do less damage...
...I find the reason for her being fired a bit... fucktarded. Something happened in the past. Something which she doesn't do anymore. Something which is no longer an issue and is not even relevant to her job.
If we had to fire any notable tv personality based off of an embarrassing factoid about their past, I don't think there'd be any TV personalities left.
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No butter jokes? I am disappoint.
(http://img.fark.net/images/cache/850/h/hA/hAf2owR_Jd0_08GIZM-uF5ZfKRU.jpg?t=reIRkZ1Hwo1E81Oqcp8cww&f=1372046400)
Better Butter.
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Would've been nice to mention the bigger scandal than the whole "oh I used to use the n-word" thing.
Namely when, for her husband's birthday, she tried to hire black waiters and dress them up as slaves >_>
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I'm conflicted. On the one hand, if you're a racist fuckwit you can go right to hell and I agree that decent people should shun you. On the other hand, racist fuckwits cook no worse than decent people. I guess, in a way, cooking shows are not just about cooking.
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Deen is currently being sued by a former black female manager of the restaurant she co-owns with her brother. The suit alleges that the workplace was hostile and that Deen used the n-word, along with her brother and other managers. The suit was not filed until after the plaintiff left for w/e reason that has not yet been reported by the press. The incident describing Deen saying it would be a great oh so typical Southern wedding if a bunch of little n-words were dressed up in white shirts, black shorts and bowties is one of the allegations of hostile environment brought up in the suit, as well.
Personally, I am hoping - this is such a backhanded thing, too - that this whole flap is over exaggerations or out-of-context jokes, being used for monetary gain and/or sour grapes by the plaintiff. Deen is extremely successful and a multimillionaire on paper at least. It also makes very little sense for a supposed racist fuckwit to have a black female in senior management, huh? :o
As far as Deen's admission to actually using the n-word, it was in context with having been one of several bank employees robbed and terrorized at gunpoint back in the eighties. Ummmm, when I got a 9mm shoved in my face 2 blocks from my house back in ATL, I freaked out and uttered that word, too, after the guy ran off with my purse. Not condoning my use of it, but I was traumatized and angry and scared to the point that I was yelling and crying. It was maybe the third time in my 53 years that I ever uttered that word.
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Yeah, something about this doesn't pass the smell test.
... maybe this means Chef Irvine will get a proper show again, though...
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More things that smell "off" about this. Deen is a registered Democrat who endorsed Obama and had Michelle Obama on her show as a guest, where she praised the First Lady for promoting healthy eating habits, and also proceeded to tempt and tease Obama into eating some of her usual over-the-top deliciously unhealthy Southern dishes. That was done for fun, too. Obama did not appear to be offended, either. I used to live in Georgia, and Savannah does have a reputation for being a small but sophisticated city full of artists and writers. No doubt there are plenty of old money, Southern country club-type racist assholes there, but I just don't see it in Deen. Don't let that sugary drawling accent of hers condemn her before the law suit is finished in court.
As to the quote about dressing n-words in white shirts, shorts and bow ties? Sounds like an example of sarcastic humor to me. White Southerners make fun of rich, racist Southerners all the time. We imitate their blind-stupid, high and mighty egotistical bullshit. Was Deen channeling a Southern Belle bridezilla type persona, and trying to tease her brother in re his fiancé? Did she use the n-word, or the slightly toned down variation, a deliberate mispronunciation of "Negro" often used by old bigots in public, "neegra" or "nigra"? My own grandma used to pull that crap - was embarrassing as hell.
Deen also got slammed for an out-take video of her jokingly performing a fellatio-like act while eating a chocolate éclair. Because chocolate=sex trope. I saw it. It's a riot. She's an adult, the video set crew are adults...it was a risqué, goofy joke amongst adults at work, but the way some in the press state it, the insinuation is that she was being obscene and is a horrible person. W/E. That out-take along with a bunch more of Deen being risqué and using four letter words when she made mistakes on camera became a ridiculously huge lawsuit between her and a big promoter of a celebrity chef's tour event. The promoter requested a video blooper/out-takes segment for using as a comedic intro of Deen to the audience of event attendees before Deen was to come on stage and begin her live cooking demos/lectures. He said the bloopers provided were not "family friendly" and inappropriate. But instead of returning the blooper segment to Deen in exchange for something more family friendly, the promoter cancelled Deen's down payment check, kept the video for use in suing her. In the meanwhile, Deen sued him for her contract signing payment.
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Deen is currently being sued by a former black female manager of the restaurant she co-owns with her brother. The suit alleges that the workplace was hostile and that Deen used the n-word, along with her brother and other managers. The suit was not filed until after the plaintiff left for w/e reason that has not yet been reported by the press. The incident describing Deen saying it would be a great oh so typical Southern wedding if a bunch of little n-words were dressed up in white shirts, black shorts and bowties is one of the allegations of hostile environment brought up in the suit, as well.
Personally, I am hoping - this is such a backhanded thing, too - that this whole flap is over exaggerations or out-of-context jokes, being used for monetary gain and/or sour grapes by the plaintiff. Deen is extremely successful and a multimillionaire on paper at least. It also makes very little sense for a supposed racist fuckwit to have a black female in senior management, huh? :o
As far as Deen's admission to actually using the n-word, it was in context with having been one of several bank employees robbed and terrorized at gunpoint back in the eighties. Ummmm, when I got a 9mm shoved in my face 2 blocks from my house back in ATL, I freaked out and uttered that word, too, after the guy ran off with my purse. Not condoning my use of it, but I was traumatized and angry and scared to the point that I was yelling and crying. It was maybe the third time in my 53 years that I ever uttered that word.
Here's an article that may help you...
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-57391572-10391698/paula-deen-brother-are-targets-of-a-sexual-harassment-lawsuit/
(from article)
Jackson, who is white, was hired at the restaurant in February 2005 and within months was promoted to general manager with a mandate from Deen to turn it into a success.
I'll post a few more articles:
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/20/paula_deens_racism_isnt_shocking_at_all/
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/20/paula-deen-s-apology-for-using-the-n-word-is-ridiculous.html
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/06/21/paula_dean_apology_celebrity_chef_begs_for_forgiveness_for_using_racial.html
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Jackson has been incorrectly reported as being black by other sources. Really annoying how often misinformation gets spread like wildfire on the web these days. Thanks for finding this older article. Strange how it did not blow up all over the place back then.
The lawsuit still has a lot of very stinky aspects. The restaurant in question has been operating for a long time. The plaintiff worked there for over 5 years. Is there evidence that she filed complaints with government authorities over these allegations? That is what normally happens, then a lawsuit will follow any convictions or rulings against the offending business/owners at a later date. The plaintiff's statements are very alarming and extreme in re Deen's brother, Hiers, to the effect that he was running a tortuously terrible workplace. There is not much mention of Deen's misbehavior in this article. All we're seeing is a litigation filed in 2012. Which is seeking unspecified damages. Which is what a litigation attorney suggests to get a quick, quiet settlement out of the defendant so as to avoid bad publicity.
A coworker and myself were both briefly harassed by a co-owner/manager of the last restaurant I worked at back in ATL. He was summarily fired by the main owner within two days of us informing about it, his investment was reimbursed to him to literally divest him and legally bar him from ever returning to the building, and to avoid litigation by him in future.
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Would've been nice to mention the bigger scandal than the whole "oh I used to use the n-word" thing.
Namely when, for her husband's birthday, she tried to hire black waiters and dress them up as slaves >_>
I read about that. Who does something like that?
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Yeah this is more than just dropping the N-bomb--she wanted a group of black men dressed in white to tap dance "Shirley Temple style" for her at a "Southern plantation wedding." They fired her? GOOD.
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http://www.scribd.com/doc/148832518/Paula-Deen-Deposition-Testimony (http://www.scribd.com/doc/148832518/Paula-Deen-Deposition-Testimony)
This is the actual court deposition from which quotes are being booted about in the press. Jackson's quotes, not Deen's. Deen is then interrogated and responds. Do you want to read her side of it or not? If so, use the link and scroll to page 17 of 26 (the blue font indicates online page breaks).
The reason I am going out on a limb with this story is that it is causing a similar web storm as the one when the late, unlamentable teahadi, Andrew Breitbart, libeled an innocent Dept of Agriculture employee, Shirley Sherrod, as a racist. The woman was basically web-lynched, and lost her job because the Secretary of Agriculture panicked at all the awful political fallout he perceived coming out of her alleged racist statements.
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Regardless if Deen is found innocent or not, the fact remains she's tainted goods as far as Food Network is concerned.
Ironbite-.....did I really just type that?
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Yeah, I don't think Deen is racist, but she should have known better.
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My eyes are spinning they're rolling so hard over this.
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http://www.scribd.com/doc/148832518/Paula-Deen-Deposition-Testimony (http://www.scribd.com/doc/148832518/Paula-Deen-Deposition-Testimony)
This is the actual court deposition from which quotes are being booted about in the press. Jackson's quotes, not Deen's. Deen is then interrogated and responds. Do you want to read her side of it or not? If so, use the link and scroll to page 17 of 26 (the blue font indicates online page breaks).
The reason I am going out on a limb with this story is that it is causing a similar web storm as the one when the late, unlamentable teahadi, Andrew Breitbart, libeled an innocent Dept of Agriculture employee, Shirley Sherrod, as a racist. The woman was basically web-lynched, and lost her job because the Secretary of Agriculture panicked at all the awful political fallout he perceived coming out of her alleged racist statements.
Although in this case Paula Deen admitted both to having used the racial slur before as well as planning the plantation wedding. I doubt there's anything she can say to make this okay now.
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http://www.scribd.com/doc/148832518/Paula-Deen-Deposition-Testimony (http://www.scribd.com/doc/148832518/Paula-Deen-Deposition-Testimony)
This is the actual court deposition from which quotes are being booted about in the press. Jackson's quotes, not Deen's. Deen is then interrogated and responds. Do you want to read her side of it or not? If so, use the link and scroll to page 17 of 26 (the blue font indicates online page breaks).
The reason I am going out on a limb with this story is that it is causing a similar web storm as the one when the late, unlamentable teahadi, Andrew Breitbart, libeled an innocent Dept of Agriculture employee, Shirley Sherrod, as a racist. The woman was basically web-lynched, and lost her job because the Secretary of Agriculture panicked at all the awful political fallout he perceived coming out of her alleged racist statements.
Although in this case Paula Deen admitted both to having used the racial slur before as well as planning the plantation wedding. I doubt there's anything she can say to make this okay now.
So just because she said nigger at some point in time, she automatically deserves to lose her entire career, regardless of actual intent or context? Don't you think that's just a tad extreme?
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http://www.scribd.com/doc/148832518/Paula-Deen-Deposition-Testimony (http://www.scribd.com/doc/148832518/Paula-Deen-Deposition-Testimony)
This is the actual court deposition from which quotes are being booted about in the press. Jackson's quotes, not Deen's. Deen is then interrogated and responds. Do you want to read her side of it or not? If so, use the link and scroll to page 17 of 26 (the blue font indicates online page breaks).
The reason I am going out on a limb with this story is that it is causing a similar web storm as the one when the late, unlamentable teahadi, Andrew Breitbart, libeled an innocent Dept of Agriculture employee, Shirley Sherrod, as a racist. The woman was basically web-lynched, and lost her job because the Secretary of Agriculture panicked at all the awful political fallout he perceived coming out of her alleged racist statements.
Although in this case Paula Deen admitted both to having used the racial slur before as well as planning the plantation wedding. I doubt there's anything she can say to make this okay now.
So just because she said nigger at some point in time, she automatically deserves to lose her entire career, regardless of actual intent or context? Don't you think that's just a tad extreme?
Pretty sure it's not just her saying the n-word, but as far as Paula Deen's career goes?
(http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2011/9/17/e084da36-49f6-485b-91e3-fa9331e39b91.jpg)
She can go sit in the shame corner with Mel Gibson and Michael Richards.
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Pretty sure it's not just her saying the n-word, but as far as Paula Deen's career goes?
She can go sit in the shame corner with Mel Gibson and Michael Richards.
I believe Mellen already explained why it would be wise to hold off on the lynching mob.
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Pretty sure it's not just her saying the n-word, but as far as Paula Deen's career goes?
She can go sit in the shame corner with Mel Gibson and Michael Richards.
I believe Mellen already explained why it would be wise to hold off on the lynching mob.
I never asked for a lynching, but I'm not shedding any tears over her losing her show because she fucked up.
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Have you read the sworn deposition? Plantation theme weddings are common in the South at historic mansions and such. In fact, it is a major aspect of the wedding industry in the South. Deen's sworn testimony did not suggest anything in the derogatory manner as she is accused of by Jackson. Jackson did not file her lawsuit until after Deen settled out of court on a different dispute with a chef's tour promoter. Jackson has not yet filed complaints with the appropriate state or federal agencies in re the horrendous, abusive, hostile workplace and owner harassment allegations in this suit. Why?
Jackson is seeking in excess of 1 million dollars in damages.
Jackson did not even claim that Deen used the n-word in her sworn deposition - the n-word is not attributed to Deen in Jackson's sworn testimony under oath in front of the judge. But her lawyers added it in a second version, amended complaint, under point number 61 - and not even as a sworn affidavit. All of that is pointed out by the defense team within the legal court proceeding record I linked to. Jackson has not accused Deen of saying the n-word while under oath. That says a lot. But it isn't exciting and inflammatory and does not help sell ads on news sites, apparently. After re-reading articles at major news sites in light of having read the deposition, I have a very sour regard for the state of journalistic ethics in this country. I had hoped that a lesson was learned in the Shirley Sherrod case. Maybe a lesson was learned, but not the one I have in mind. They did learn that being first, fast and furious with a hot button story makes money. So what if an innocent person's reputation - as is in fact the case with Sherrod, and may well prove the case with Deen - is ruined in that process.
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Have you read the sworn deposition? Plantation theme weddings are common in the South at historic mansions and such. In fact, it is a major aspect of the wedding industry in the South.
And you're saying it's common to want to dress black men and women like Civil War-era slaves for a wedding? I somehow doubt that...
So yeah, even if not all of these allegations are true, the stuff she's admitted to and issued a comedic apology for (starring some black guy she trotted out to prove she's not racist) is bad enough. Innocent? Hardly. And unless she's being taken horribly out of context like Shirley Sherrod I don't even think those are in the same ballpark. So long, Paula.
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Are you also appalled by the fact that historical re-enactment societies conduct Civil War battle enactments? And that actual real live Black people participate, because they are history buffs and enthusiasts, too? That is what these Plantation enactment weddings are like. Even the guests must wear historically accurate attire, at the better done ones. They are not glorifying slavery, they are preserving history, and often raising money to preserve historic places and buildings as an additional aspect of the wedding experience. Since a huge swath of the South was burned down during Sherman's very necessary march to end the Civil War, few of these places are left in a lot of states. In Atlanta, for example, one - 1 - pre-war home was left standing, Wren's Nest, at Sherman's specific orders.
If we sweep history under the rug because it offends our sensibilities, then as the saying goes, perhaps we doom ourselves to repeat it, especially the bad parts. If we are unable to forgive the use of an offensive word under any circumstance and to the point that the offender must be essentially banned from society, then clearly, the Civil War never ended. Paula Deen admitted under oath that she utter that forbidden word, thirty years ago, when she worked at a bank that was robbed at gunpoint. If she experienced the kind of terror and outrage that I did when I was robbed at gunpoint, then I wish you would let her off the noose about it. I only meant it as the most hateful thing I could think of to say at THAT MAN, the man who violated my safety with a weapon for no good reason. I hated THAT MAN, the one who just robbed me and terrorized me. I also immediately felt guilty about saying that word. It is a hateful and fateful and powerful word when said in anger and with loathing, even if only meant for a single individual.
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There's a huge difference between a re-enactment and a wedding. A wedding is indeed glorifying it.
Just because plantation-themed weddings are common does not mean that they are excusable. Quite frankly, I'm pretty horrified that they are common. Then again, rampant racism is ALSO common in these exact same cultures that seem to be obsessed with plantation-era America. It's a very strong correlation.
And every time someone blames it on JUST her saying the n-word at some point in the past, I have to think that they either don't know all of the facts, or they're intentionally missing the point if they DO know all of the facts, which is disingenuous and an insult to everyone's intelligence, including their own.
I don't give a shit what she did when the POTUS visited her show. That doesn't mean she's not racist, anymore than saying "I have black friends" means you aren't racist.
So can we please stop the Paula Deen apologetics?
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Okay, then I qualify as a racist under those stipulations, because I have uttered the n-word before, okay?
And just for the sake of record, Rabbit, at least I have actually been inside the office of the Southern Poverty Law Center, back when I gave a sworn affidavit of record in re being attacked by skinheads for being a lesbian. So, yeah, I have experienced both ends of human hate and irrationality.
The lawsuit is continuing. Hopefully the press will be monitoring, all of it, and not just reiterating Jackson's side of the story.
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Are you also appalled by the fact that historical re-enactment societies conduct Civil War battle enactments? And that actual real live Black people participate, because they are history buffs and enthusiasts, too?.
Yes that totally sounds like the same thing, having black people dress as slaves and serving white guests at a wedding. Paula Deen: History buff.
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There's a huge difference between a re-enactment and a wedding. A wedding is indeed glorifying it.
Just because plantation-themed weddings are common does not mean that they are excusable. Quite frankly, I'm pretty horrified that they are common. Then again, rampant racism is ALSO common in these exact same cultures that seem to be obsessed with plantation-era America. It's a very strong correlation.
And every time someone blames it on JUST her saying the n-word at some point in the past, I have to think that they either don't know all of the facts, or they're intentionally missing the point if they DO know all of the facts, which is disingenuous and an insult to everyone's intelligence, including their own.
I don't give a shit what she did when the POTUS visited her show. That doesn't mean she's not racist, anymore than saying "I have black friends" means you aren't racist.
So can we please stop the Paula Deen apologetics?
This. All of it. Thank you.
As for the black friends, seriously did anyone see her apology where she brought out some black guy and told him to come closer because he was blending in with the blackboard in the background?
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And just for the sake of record, Rabbit, at least I have actually been inside the office of the Southern Poverty Law Center, back when I gave a sworn affidavit of record in re being attacked by skinheads for being a lesbian. So, yeah, I have experienced both ends of human hate and irrationality.
Thank you for the non sequitur?
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Okay, then I qualify as a racist under those stipulations, because I have uttered the n-word before, okay?
Oh for fuck's sake, stop with the red herrings.
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mellon I think what you're failing to understand is this. Food Network does not want the kind of bad publicity harboring anyone who casually uses a racist term and plans a birthday party that'd be appropriate 200 years ago. It doesn't matter how much the bitch is suing for. All that matters is Paula Deen, under fucking oath, admitted to using the n-word.
Ironbite-seriously think about this from Food Network's side for a moment.
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Yes, let's all have the moral direction of a panicky board of directors.
Think for a second folks, she's 66, born in 1947, grew up white in the south in a time where the KKK could openly walk on washington and be widely supported. If she said she hadn't she would have been lying. The rest of it... well, welcome to old southern people. I say this as someone who had to deal with his own ass of a grandfather who came from largely the same background before moving to NY around 50 years ago. You'd be fucking amazed at what people don't realize is wrong until you forcibly point it out to them. I still can't find quite the right words for my grandfather coming around to my fiancee enough to tell her his jokes about the i-talians.
Of course, it's worth noting, just because it's common in the south doesn't make it any less horrible or stupid. Yes, let's celebrate the wonderful history of plantations! This is a brilliant idea, sure not to offend any one or make you look bad. To old southerners at least. Everyone else... some may just shake their head, others will act like you just shook a baby.
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It's not even the "n-word" that I'm angry with her about. It's the fact that everyone keeps focusing on it while neglecting to mention the fucking plantation party thing, and focusing on the damn n-word when people are talking about the DAMN PLANTATION PARTY.
It's like complaining that people hate Bush because he said nukular instead of nuclear, when the people are complaining about other things.
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Magus, just do an image search for Plantation Wedding on Google. Prepare to be bored out of your mind by hundreds of wedding and reception pictures from site after site of wedding planners and historic plantation homes. Not gonna find anybody dressed as a slave, okay? Was that really what you imagined these events are like?
As to white jacket, white shirt, black pants, black bow tie being slave attire on a black waiter. Ever been to the Palm in New York, or any of that restaurant company's locations? Well, looks like every black server on staff is a slave waiter by that definition. What Deen testified to is a classic formal waiter's uniform, only, and was never slave attire, as the uniform did not exist at all, or at least not in the form and cut she was describing, until the twentieth century. The context of her recalling the professionalism and class of the all male, all black waiter staff at the restaurant she visited is only presumably insidious if you think that Lisa Jackson's complaint is 100% truthful, sincere, and what's the point of having trials, courts, judges and juries then?
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Magus, just do an image search for Plantation Wedding on Google. Prepare to be bored out of your mind by hundreds of wedding and reception pictures from site after site of wedding planners and historic plantation homes. Not gonna find anybody dressed as a slave, okay? Was that really what you imagined these events are like?
No, just Paula Deen's.
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...*siiighhhhs* How about we all chill out?
My view on it is that Paula Deen has done other stupid things in the past, and that this latest incident was the straw that broke the camel's back and made Food Network have to make the call on it.
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Mellen, except for the fact that pretty much every source linked on here has stated that she constantly mistreated minority employees, and that her white employees were all paid more, and was actually quite racist to her darker employees.
Cholesterol queen Deen, talking at an event months before losing her job for using the “N-word,” recounted how her great-grandfather was driven to suicide after his 30 slaves were set free.
“Between the death of his son and losing all the workers, he went out into his barn and shot himself because he couldn’t deal with those kind of changes,” Deen said at a New York Times event.
Deen, owner of a restaurant empire, asserted the owner-slave relationship was more kinship than cruelty.
“Back then, black folk were such an integral part of our lives,” said Deen. “They were like our family, and for that reason we didn’t see ourselves as prejudiced.”
She also called up an employee to join her onstage, noting that Hollis Johnson was “as black as this board” — pointing to the dark backdrop behind her.
“We can’t see you standing in front of that dark board!” Deen quipped, drawing laughter from the audience.
At the same event, Deen at one point described race relations in the South as “pretty good.”
Robert Patillo, an attorney for Rainbow/PUSH, a civil rights group founded by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jr., said one current and two former employees told him white employees are routinely paid more than black employees and are promoted more quickly. A black man who had threatened to go to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Deen's brother told him "you don't have any civil rights here," Rainbow/PUSH said in a press release.
Rainbow/PUSH said it has "found evidence of systemic racial discimination and harassment" by Deen and that "a family member consistently referred to a black cook as 'my little monkey.'"
Patillo, who conducted interviews in Savannah where Deen's restaurant is located, said current and former employees told him that Deen "preferred white and light-skinned blacks to work with customers" and that darker-skinned blacks were relegated to "back-of-the-house operations."
Patillo said employees have been reluctant to talk to him about their experience with Deen because they fear retaliation.
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/paula-deen-appears-defend-slavery-2012-interview-article-1.1379912 (http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/paula-deen-appears-defend-slavery-2012-interview-article-1.1379912)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/23/paula-deen-scandal-continues-employees-tell-rainbow-push-alleged-discrimination_n_3484607.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/23/paula-deen-scandal-continues-employees-tell-rainbow-push-alleged-discrimination_n_3484607.html)
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Mellen, except for the fact that pretty much every source linked on here has stated that she constantly mistreated minority employees, and that her white employees were all paid more, and was actually quite racist to her darker employees.
Cholesterol queen Deen, talking at an event months before losing her job for using the “N-word,” recounted how her great-grandfather was driven to suicide after his 30 slaves were set free.
“Between the death of his son and losing all the workers, he went out into his barn and shot himself because he couldn’t deal with those kind of changes,” Deen said at a New York Times event.
Deen, owner of a restaurant empire, asserted the owner-slave relationship was more kinship than cruelty.
“Back then, black folk were such an integral part of our lives,” said Deen. “They were like our family, and for that reason we didn’t see ourselves as prejudiced.”
You know I honestly don't see a problem with this by itself. In fact, I see whitewashing history and denying any humanity or sympathy to those who find themselves on the wrong side of it a far greater evil than having a few stories that show they weren't complete assholes. Paint people as simple evil monsters and you will never learn why these things happen, how even us 'good' people can fall into darkness, and leaves very little room for possible rehabilitation and redemption.
She also called up an employee to join her onstage, noting that Hollis Johnson was “as black as this board” — pointing to the dark backdrop behind her.
“We can’t see you standing in front of that dark board!” Deen quipped, drawing laughter from the audience.
At the same event, Deen at one point described race relations in the South as “pretty good.”
I know Canada is a far different place from the Deep South, but up here it is quite possible to make jokes like that with friends of differing ethnicities... if they are cool with it. One of my friends at work and I joke about 'blaming the black guy' pretty regularly, but it only started after he began making the joke about himself first so we knew he was cool about it.
Of course, this is between friends and equals and not in front of a large studio audience. In Deen's case, not knowing the relationship between the two, it may have been a perfectly innocent thing to say, but it was an absolutely stupid place to say it.
Robert Patillo, an attorney for Rainbow/PUSH, a civil rights group founded by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jr., said one current and two former employees told him white employees are routinely paid more than black employees and are promoted more quickly. A black man who had threatened to go to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Deen's brother told him "you don't have any civil rights here," Rainbow/PUSH said in a press release.
Rainbow/PUSH said it has "found evidence of systemic racial discimination and harassment" by Deen and that "a family member consistently referred to a black cook as 'my little monkey.'"
Patillo, who conducted interviews in Savannah where Deen's restaurant is located, said current and former employees told him that Deen "preferred white and light-skinned blacks to work with customers" and that darker-skinned blacks were relegated to "back-of-the-house operations."
Patillo said employees have been reluctant to talk to him about their experience with Deen because they fear retaliation.
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/paula-deen-appears-defend-slavery-2012-interview-article-1.1379912 (http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/paula-deen-appears-defend-slavery-2012-interview-article-1.1379912)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/23/paula-deen-scandal-continues-employees-tell-rainbow-push-alleged-discrimination_n_3484607.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/23/paula-deen-scandal-continues-employees-tell-rainbow-push-alleged-discrimination_n_3484607.html)
Now this is pretty damning, and if true, she should burn for it. It does sound as though she is paying in part for the sins of her brother but if she didn't shut his nonsense down she deserves to because it is her restaurant.
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]http://chronicle.augusta.com/latest-news/2012-09-14/paula-deen-case-stays-federal-court] (http://chronicle.augusta.com/latest-news/2012-09-14/paula-deen-case-stays-federal-court)
This is an interesting article, as it shows some more odd behavior. Lawyerly stuff. But it is a bit stinky looking. Not exciting, because it is from long before this current publicity about the case.
Friday, Sept. 14, 2012 6:45 AM
SAVANNAH, Ga. -- A federal judge has rejected an attempt to return a lawsuit against Savannah celebrity chef Paula Deen and her family run enterprises to state court, calling arguments by the plaintiff’s lawyers absurd.
U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr., in an 11-page order filed Aug. 23, ruled arguments by attorneys for the former general manager of Uncle Bubba’s seafood house “simply def(y) logic and borders on the ludicrous".
At issue is which court should hear the suit by Lisa T. Jackson, who alleges she was the victim of sexual harassment and a persistent pattern of racial discrimination in the workplace at Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House Inc. on Whitemarsh Island. The restaurant is operated by Deen’s brother, Earl W. “Bubba” Hiers.
Jackson’s initial suit before Chatham County Superior Court Judge Louisa Abbot steered clear of federal claims, relying on alleged Georgia law violations.
Her amended suit, filed a month later, asserted claims under federal law, which defense lawyers argued presented a jurisdictional issue.
Deen’s lawyers moved the case to federal court. In response, Jackson’s lawyers tried to move it back to superior court.
They argued that because Deen’s defense team had not removed the first case, they could not remove the amended complaint.
Moore said his review of the case left him “with the distinct impression that (Jackson’s lawyers) drafted it in such a way as to specifically avoid federal court.”
He ruled the initial suit was not removable, adding those lawyers never alleged violations of federal law by the defendants. He said “it is odd to think” the case is now removable simply because defense attorneys have turned state claims into federal causes of action.
“So, to now say that the initial complaint was removable because defendants incorrectly identified the state claim as (federal) claims, which had never been part of this case, simply defies logic and borders on the ludicrous,” Moore ruled.
Attorneys for Deen and her enterprises, which include The Lady & Sons Restaurant, deny the allegations and charge the litigation is designed to damage Deen’s reputation and the value of her business.
Just to clarify, I have not stated that I am a fan of Deen's show. I've seen it a few times when watching TV with my late mother. Like most restaurant professionals, I prefer Iron Chef and Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. I am also not a fan of plantation weddings or other precious princess/bridezilla indulgences, but explained that they are commonplace here, mostly to show they are not unique to Deen. People also like to do weddings at Viscaya in Miami - Al Capone's old estate - because it is pretty, and they sometimes do 1930's Mafia style theme weddings there. Tacky, yes; he was a terrible, murderous man, and the Mob were god awful in general along those lines. Plantations are soaked in centuries of blood, too. Both Viscaya and plantations are also beautiful settings as to architectural grandeur and landscaping, which is the main reason people get married at them. However, even the over-the-top historical re-enactment theme plantation weddings are not quite the scene of macabre, nightmarish extravaganza that seem to be popping up in people's minds.
The main point of my postings and arguments are about the web and media flame up, which I see as very similar in scope and vehemence to what happened in Shirley Sherrod's case. Whether Deen is guilty of any, all, or none of the allegations has not yet been determined in the court. Not that it matters at this point, one way or the other. She is completely destroyed as of days ago. 'Tis moot, in other words.
Again, as I stated in earlier postings, the allegations are extremely alarming and describing egregious, outrageous abuse. I have been a general manager and a co-owner/general manager in my 35 year career in the fine dining restaurant business. Normally, that fact would make me a natural ally of Jackson. But things are being done out of order, way, way, way late, and in the inappropriate method if you are a caring, professional manager who is doing your legal and moral duty to protect your employees, and yourself.
I would like to know why Ms. Jackson did not alert the EEOC, the Dept. of Labor, etc. to get help for her employees and stop that abuse. It is her legal responsibility to do that. It can be done anonymously. As stated in the required Notice Postings that should be on display in every workplace for every employee to refer to. "Fear of retaliation" is no excuse in her case, and it should not be any employee's fear, either. The laws protect the safety and anonymity of whistleblowers. They are not named publicly prior to the criminal court trial that follows when the agencies swoop down and investigate the allegations and find confirming evidence. A general manager is by definition and scope of responsibility legally a proxy owner. They hire, they supervise, they sign checks, they prepare tax return documentation and they are required by law to read and sign acknowledgement forms, which are then kept on file by those agencies, of all state and federal workplace laws, codes of conduct, safety procedures, IRS reporting procedures, OSHA safety procedures, Worker's Compensation Insurance procedures, etc. etc. etc.
WHY, in the course of her five years' tenure as general manager, did Ms. Jackson not alert the authorities? If she or any employee had done so, these allegations would have generated an immediate acknowledgement from the feds and/or state agencies. Those agencies would have then conducted a thorough investigation, interviewing every one, auditing the company's documents, emails, etc. When evidence indicating and/or confirming abuses is gathered, the agents then file criminal court proceedings. After the criminal case is concluded, and wrong doing is proved and a conviction results, is when you file suit for compensatory and/or punitive damages. You don't sit on your butt for five years, while your employees and you suffer under a monstrous owner and his pig headed sister co-owner, and then suddenly decide to file 1.2 million dollar lawsuit. Which, coink-a-dinkily, was filed right after the defendant settled out of court on a completely different matter, which you, as a daily witness, a general manager, being privy to owner conversations as a matter of routine, may actually have heard just how much cash was handed over.
As to Deen's future, I only hope she does not hurt herself or lose her mind. Whether she's a stupid old bigot or not. Human beings are rarely all evil, or all good. As a southerner, I do not so much condone or apologize or rationalize the behavior of old bigots, as I just am embarrassed and bored by them. We are surrounded, all of us, every where, by human stupidity and blind ignorance. That's pretty much a given. I don't really see how the raging and shit storming all over the media and web by private citizens and journalists and corporate spokes units over the belief or proof that she is an old bigot is going to help any victim, or educate the bigot, for that matter.
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Has anyone else been repeatedly exposed to the stupidity of “well black people call white people cracker and use the n-words so that makes it ok”? The line of think that rap justifies racism. Because I have heard this all too many times over the last few days.
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Has anyone else been repeatedly exposed to the stupidity of “well black people call white people cracker and use the n-words so that makes it ok”? The line of think that rap justifies racism. Because I have heard this all too many times over the last few days.
Yes. It is easily one of the dumbest arguments I've ever heard.
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Yeah, I would not even dignify that by calling it a "line of reasoning". Just clueless redneck derp.
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A small note here (that will probably have most of the forum giving me "WTF?" looks), but my best friend (who is black) and I affectionately refer to each other as the n-word and cracker. It's our way of going "they're just words. Historical context matters, dipshits, but this is just silly."
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A small note here (that will probably have most of the forum giving me "WTF?" looks), but my best friend (who is black) and I affectionately refer to each other as the n-word and cracker. It's our way of going "they're just words. Historical context matters, dipshits, but this is just silly."
Sounds similar to me calling my (older) brother "bitch" casually. Shit, him and my friend Tyrone call eachother "honky" and "nigga" all the time in jest. Granted, T's...well, autistic, but he knows a game when it pops up. As part of casual conversation with anyone, yeah, not dropping N-bombs is a good thing, but like so many things, context -is- important. (For the record, bro's usage is more of a 'hood thing; he's about as racist as I am, which is to say pretty much not at all.)
That said, some of this crap does make Paula Deen look like an actual, dyed-in-the-wool racist. I only use Food Network's site for recipes, and quite frankly, Paula Deen just creeps me the fuck out, for some reason.
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I don't think I've seen it mentioned here yet, but I think the main reason food network dropped Dean like banana fritters into a deep fryer is because of the shady deal with the diabetic medication company (she was going to get 6mil to shill their brand of medication), which was recently dropped due to all the racist things coming to light. Many stores have also stopped carrying her brand of cookware and tablewear (Sears, Kmart and JC Penney), which means she is no longer useful to them. I don't blame them, really. Sears and JC Penny are huuuuge when it comes to buying and selling cooking supplies.
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I honestly don't care one way or the other, but my Facebook page already has people using this as another excuse to bash Obama. Uh, the Food Netwrok fired her, not the government. Also, I'd like to see this 'proof' that Obama pressured the FN to fire her. Regardless of what happened, the FN can do what it wants, whether we agree with it or not. I don't know why people are trying to make this a gov't issue.
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(http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2011/9/17/e084da36-49f6-485b-91e3-fa9331e39b91.jpg)
Okay, everyone go home, Rabbit won the thread.
I mean seriously, I don't care about this "Paula-Deen-N-word-Fiasco" because like most normal people, I've never watched the Food Network.
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(http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2011/9/17/e084da36-49f6-485b-91e3-fa9331e39b91.jpg)
Okay, everyone go home, Rabbit won the thread.
I mean seriously, I don't care about this "Paula-Deen-N-word-Fiasco" because like most normal people, I've never watched the Food Network.
Non normal person here (pastry chef), food network is actually pretty good. They show Iron Chef (which is awesome) and Good Eats (which is even more awesome). :<
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Non normal person here (pastry chef), food network is actually pretty good. They show Iron Chef (which is awesome) and Good Eats (which is even more awesome). :<
I should have inlcuded a " :P" to show I was being facetious. Sorry if I upset, I really meant nothing by it.
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To be fair most people here aren't normal to begin with so it's not necessarily an insult to claim someone's not normal.
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Am I the only one who thinks Paula Deen looks like DC comic villain Granny Goodness?
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You mean that wierd granny villain from Teen Titans and Superman? I was half expecting her to be one of those Monty Python Grannies myself (the Biker Grannies).