06-30-2013, 04:01 PM
Lalo Wrote:Paula Deen was born in 1947 in Albany Georgia. Just for a little historical perspective, Jim Crow laws were still in effect for much of the south at that time. The South as a whole was DEEPLY segregated and if you were a white person in that environment you were exposed to the word "nigger" in every single facet of your life. That is a fact! The Civil Rights Act was passed in JULY, 1964 for Pete's sake! We forget how recently these things happened! Most Americans over the age of 30 in this country, remember a time when derogatory slurs were commonplace in our society! When I was growing up, for example, we called Brazil nuts "Nigger Toes". And as Mexican-Americans, we also called newly arrived illegal immigrants "Wetbacks", even though my own ancestors were, in fact, "Wetbacks" themselves. In the 70's, white people were "Honkies" to anyone who grew up in Hispanic or African-American neighborhoods. That is just the way things were. Does that make me a racist? Should I be hung out to dry because I used the words "Nigger" "Honky" and "Wetback" in the past? If that is the measure, then there are going to be a whole helluva lot of people who's heads are ready for the chopping block!
But before I get thrown under the bus for stating the truth (which is all that Paula Deen did) you should also know that I am much more than the racist comments of my past. We ALL are! Since the 60's and 70's, I have also been on the frontline of fighting racism as well as sexism and heterosexism. I have marched on DC for Gay rights, have you? I have physically defended my gay brethren against skinheads in a fist fight, have you? I have stood hand in hand with two opposing gang members on either side of me as we shouted down white supremacists at a KKK rally, have you? I have protested in picket lines in support of the Equal Rights Amendment, have you?
The point is this: Nobody... NOBODY should be condemned for language that they used nearly thirty years ago, or even for language used 10 years ago. Unless a person magically KNOWS what is in someone's heart, how can one condemn them? I don't think that anyone has that right.
Personally, I think that Paula Deen is a somewhat ignorant, Southern belle who probably doesn't fully understand what is or is not racist. But I don't believe for a minute that she is malicious. I think that she has been trapped by her own history which is a terrible place to be. But I am really over all of the self-righteous media pricks turning a deposition and a story from the National Enquirer into banner headlines! There are too many SERIOUS race issues to deal with and these blood-thirsty attacks are a complete farce! Matt Lauer is a pompous, pretentious, self-absorbed ass of the first order and so are the rest of the media sharks who have decided to railroad this one woman on a non-issue! Enough is enough.
OH MY FREEKIN GAWD....I COULD HUG YOU TILL YOU TURN PURPLE!!!!!
I was brought up around the same kind of language. To us, back then, it was'nt something bad....it was just a descriptive word. Yes, SOME used those words for evil purposes, but I rarely saw that where I lived.
Of course my sister is a true red-necked red neck...when she says "nigger" she means it in the most hateful way possible. BUT (and I am NOT excusing her for this at all), she ONLY says it when someone black has NO manners or tries to run her off the road when she's driving. Same goes for any other race, as far as she's concerned. If you dont have any manners or respect for anyone elses life or property, you get called what you really are. And she will never change.
"Name calling" will NEVER EVER change. The "names" might change from generation to generation, but they will never stop. As long as there is hate and intolerance in the world, there WILL be "name calling".
If you're going to accuse Ms. Deen of this, then the rest of humanity needs to go down with her.
Whats that bible saying???
"LET HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN, CAST THE FIRST STONE"
And a BIG THANK YOU and HUG for protesting!!!
Ive never been in a "march", but I have my own personal protest methods. he he he