I read Paula Deen's deposition & the official complaint filed by Lisa Jackson.
Although I'm southern & fond of southern cooking & traditions, I've never really held all that much love for Paula Deen.
From things I've read & heard, Paula Deen is not exactly like her TV persona.
There was a Woman's Expo in our city, & Paula Deen was one of the scheduled speakers/presenters. l didn't go, but my mom & sister did. The event was extremely crowded because everyone had come to see Paula, & Paula's "vibe" was just different. She was not as "friendly" or as "down-home chatty" as she makes herself appear on TV. She cancelled her book-signing, & there was some other "stuff" of which I can't remember all the details - I was pregnant w/ our younger DS at the time. LOL! Anyway, if I remember correctly, there were a lot of upset & disillusioned women in our city; a couple of angry letters to the editor were even written.
I know someone who sang at a benefit auction that was held at Uncle Bubba's restaurant. The benefit auction also happened to be on Paula & her husband's anniversary. So the person sang some kind of song in honor of & celebrating their anniversary while Paula & her husband danced together. After the song was over, Paula brusquely thanked the singer & quickly moved on.
Just little things like that...
Anyway, after having read the deposition & the complaint, I'm not so sure Paula Deen is a racist. Instead, I think she is turning a blind eye to her brother & has been for many years. I absolutely think her brother is a racist & is guilty of harassing his employees.
Paula is 7 years older than her brother & still calls him her "baby brother." In the deposition, she continually makes excuses for him. Apparently, at one point some years ago, he was in rehab for alcohol & cocaine addiction. She blamed that on his wife (who he divorced). She didn't know he was also addicted to cocaine until he went to rehab. He still drinks a lot, & she said something to the effect of "all the men in my life drink socially." In regards to the pornography on the computer, pics passed around at meetings, & the sexual jokes told, her replies basically say, "boys will be boys."
And I really think that's what it comes down to. She, as the official head of Paula Deen Enterprises & the two restaurants, didn't pay close attention to what was going on &, many times, turned a blind eye.
When Kyle Schumaker, her accountant or business manager (I'm not really sure what/who he is), came to her & said, "You need to do something about Bubba," she chalked it up to Kyle being "judgmental" & said he was the "moral police."
In her traditional Southern world, "boys will be boys," & she learned to play the game w/ the boys & expected Lisa Jackson to do the same. She turned a blind eye to the pornography & racial/sexual jokes & couldn't understand why Lisa Jackson wouldn't do the same.
Lisa Jackson was the first woman to have any kind of authority in any of Paula Deen's businesses. According to the complaint, the other men resented her & all had salaries higher than hers. At one point, there was talk of having Lisa Jackson manage or oversee both restaurants, & the comment was made that the manager of Lady & Sons & Paula Deen's sons would NEVER cooperate w/ a woman in a position of authority over them. The manager at Lady & Sons, who is reportedly a best friend of Jamie Deen (her son), is also apparently not a very nice man.
Just like when she came to our town & she was too busy & rushed to really meet w/ the women, she was "too busy" to read the report that the human resources consulting firm left for her & she was "too busy" to oversee the operations of Uncle Bubba's & Lady & Sons.
In fact, at the beginning of her deposition, she says something like, "It's all my fault. If I had worked more closely w/ Bubba & helped him more, this wouldn't have happened." She goes on to say that "running a restaurant is hard work" & she didn't help Bubba enough. It's almost like she realizes she wasn't there to "cover" for Bubba & blames herself. Again, she thinks of him as her "baby brother" & continually makes excuses for him & defends him.
The thing that is most disturbing to me, if it's true, is that African Americans were not allowed to use the front door at Uncle Bubba's & were not allowed to use the regular restrooms & had their own restroom facilities.
Regarding the N-word, she admitted she said it years ago - when a black robber held a gun to her face.
The "Southern Plantation" wedding was for Bubba's wedding in 2005, I think. After she spoke her "idea" out loud, she admitted it wouldn't go over very well. Was it a stupid idea? Yes! Was it a racist idea? Yes! But, in my mind, it's no different than a party at the Playboy mansion where the servers are in bikinis & bunny ears. Exploitation is exploitation regardless of skin color or gender. And is wrong.
Growing up in the south, have I heard the n-word? Yes.
A Brazil nut has another really bad nickname using the n-word. I remember, at Christmas time, my mom would have a bowl of mixed nuts setting out w/ a nut-cracker. My daddy told me what the Brazil nuts used to be called.
My daddy is from Georgia, & my mom is from Alabama, & I've never heard them refer to or call anybody the n-word. I also never heard my grandparents (the ones from Alabama & the ones from Georgia) refer to or call anybody the n-word. I'm sure, at some point, in their lives, they may have used the n-word - not in a derogatory way, but more in a story-telling or reference way, if that makes sense, especially my grandparents because of the time period. However, by the time I was born (1973), they all had realized it wasn't a nice word & had stopped using it in any connotation. I think it took a while for people (especially older people) to realize how inflammatory the word is & to stop using it, even in reference.
On the other hand, my FIL is racist,& I have heard him use the n-word. I once had to leave the room. After our kids were born, I told DH that I would NOT let our children be around him if he continued to use the n-word. My MIL must have said something to him, because, to my knowledge, he has never said the n-word in front of our kids.
I guess I said all that to say - just because someone is from the south doesn't make him/her a racist. Also, just because someone is older & from the south doesn't mean they haven't learned that the N-word is not a nice word.
So, despite Paula Deen's age & southern heritage, she should not still be referring to anyone as the N-word, & she should know & be aware that someone w/ her celebrity status is going to be scrutinized far more than your typical 66-year-old southerner. Age or heritage doesn't excuse racism.
That said, I do applaud her for being honest. I do not think she should be persecuted for something she said many years ago. I'm actually surprised that the Food Network was so to quick to dismiss her.
I'm not sure that there are many people her age that could say that they've never used the N-word in their lifetime.
Anyway, I think her downfall is going to be her lack of oversee of her businesses & her blind defense of her brother.