Deen Has Been Dropped

The high-profiled celebrity chef, Paula Deen, has been dropped from the Food Network for her use of racial slurs made during the deposition of her on going trial with Lisa Jackson. She stated that she has used the N-word in the past and that she wanted to hire only black people to be apart of her wait staff for her party. She wanted them dressed in "long-sleeve white shirts, black shorts and black bow ties, you know in the Shirley Temple days, they used to tap dance around". You can read more about what happened here.

This was a dumb move for Deen. I understand that she grew up in a time where racism was more outwardly spoken, segregation was the norm and having black nannies who also felt like "family" was probable, but her way of thinking hasn't evolved and that's where the problem is. Her life experiences should've brought her more wisdom. She's seen and met African-Americans who have discredited the old racist viewpoint so why hasn't her "a-ha" moment kicked in? Even if time and new experiences have not changed her outlook of race, why is she so comfortable making such remarks in the public eye? Last year, she did an interview with the New York Times where she said that she believed the south is less prejudice now because "black folks played such an intrical part in our lives" and proceeded to tell us about her friend who she referred to being as black as the black board she was sitting in front of. In light of proving how non-prejudice she is, she wanted to show the world her friend Hollis Johnson, by calling out "Come out here Holly! We can't see you standing against that dark board". Now that, ladies and gentleman, is ignorance at its finest. Her subliminal racial comments proves how deep her stereotypes run and she probably doesn't even know how offensive they really are.

Her supporters have been saying that she's old and that's a valid excuse to her poor word choice. I disagree with that. You're never too old to learn. My grandmother is in her seventies and continues to learn everyday. Giving excuses or letting her comments pass on the sly is crippling her instead of helping her be more open-minded.

She decided to apologize to everyone she offended by her statements via YouTube. They didn't seem sincere to me. It seemed like a quick ploy to get off the hook and not lose anymore endorsement deals. Her body language was closed off and the apology seemed forced.

If your racist views are so embedded in you as a person that you can't make a change, at least be smart enough to keep the subliminal comments out of the public eye. With celebrity comes responsibility and if you want to keep that sweet southern belle image, then you need to work on your acting skills and start being more believable. Or, if you want to take the easy way out, hire a new PR Team ASAP!