If you look at the transcript of her deposition, you see it's not just about her using the n-word once, years ago. It's about her using it in front of (white) employees as recently as 2007.
“Well what I would really like is a bunch of little niggers to wear long-sleeve white shirts, black shorts and black bow ties, you know in the Shirley Temple days, they used to tap dance around,” the lawsuit claims Deen said. “Now that would be a true southern wedding, wouldn’t it? But we can’t do that because the media would be on me about that.”
In her deposition, Paula describes it somewhat differently, but she still wants a southern plantation wedding for her brother - where black people serve the white guests. Now then, you can have all the inappropriate fantasies you want - really - but you're not supposed to share them with your employees.
And if that's your fantasy wedding? You're a racist.
This is also about her brother using the term at work. Repeatedly. Recently. It's about her thinking it's possible for a white (Southern lady whose ancestors had slaves) woman to use that word "not in a mean way".
It's about a restaurant where subordinate employees had to listen to racially and sexually derogatory jokes.
This is not about Paula Deen using the n word in her segregated childhood. This is not even about Paula Deen using the n-word with her husband, in the privacy of her own home. This is about her using it AT WORK. This is about her letting her brother use it (as well as force employees to look at porn) at the restaurant that she owned.
This is about not getting why it's different if African-Americans choose to use the n-word, than it is if white people use it. This is about not understanding that southern plantations were built on the backs of people who were treated like property, who were often beaten, separated from their loved ones and raped.
This is about how you white women defending Paula would feel if your boss called you a cunt. This is about how you white men defending Paula would feel if your boss called you a pussy.
(unrelated note: why do all the worst insults have to be related to the vagina? Vaginas are awesome.)
Here's the thing; just because everyone has done it, that doesn't make it right. So all these people complaining that we've all said inappropriate things. . .shut the fuck up. Instead of excusing it, instead of saying that it's okay to use racial epithets in the work place, maybe we should just stop using them? Hmm?
God bless the Food Network for saying it's not okay to be racist.
No comments:
Post a Comment