What's good everyone? Unless you live in a closet I'm sure you've heard by now about Paula Deen. For those that may not know, Paula Deen, the well known chef, author, and Emmy Award winning cooking show host, was recently slapped with a discrimination lawsuit. Deen apparently has an affinity for the word "nigger" and was accused of making several racially insensitive "jokes". Deen admitted using the word nigger although, to no one's surprise, she stated she's not a racist and gave the usual apologetic speech about how she's sorry if she hurt anyone, she doesn't believe in hate, she loves all people, blah, blah bullshit.
Now of course if you know anything about me you know that as far as I'm concerned Paula Deen can take her apology along with a stick of butter and shove it up her ass. What troubles me though is that whenever someone racist is caught degrading or disrespecting black people you always have a handful of brothers and sisters willing to overlook and/or excuse their behavior. This case is no different. I've heard a litany of excuses being made for Deen. The more popular ones being "She's from the South" or "She's from a different era, she doesn't mean anything by it" or even stupid ones like "Rappers get away with saying nigger but we criticize Paula Deen". Such foolishness really rubs me the wrong way and its one of the reasons that in 2013 racists still feel like they have carte blanche to disrespect us as a people.
Now I understand that many of you are disappointed. Deen is well liked and very popular. But don't let your disappointment cloud your vision. Being from the south is no excuse for being racist. I know several people who live in the south who don't subscribe to such hate and would be offended at the stereotype. The fact that she grew up in a different era is also no excuse. That era is gone. What's more, racism didn't just start being wrong. It was always wrong. As far as "rappers" and "black people using nigger" goes, do I really have to go into how stupid that sounds? Are we really going to suggest that Paula Deen should be free to be racist because Jay Z used the word nigger? Seriously? Are you really going to make me go into how idiotic it sounds to suggest that rap music gives Paula Deen free reign to be racist?
Do not give this woman a pass. Stop excusing away racism. It's one of the reasons that after all these years, after MLK, after Malcolm X, after so much fighting and marching, we are STILL niggers in 2013. We are still tar babies. We are still monkeys. It's why high profile racists feel like they can say whatever they wish and gloss over it with a half hearted, insincere apology should someone take offense. Fuck Paula Deen and her artery clogging recipes. Apology not accepted. No passes given.
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