Saturday, June 29, 2013

Cooking Paula Deen

I don't have much free time. Small windows of opportunity to do things that need to be done. Occasionally, I will have the the time to do something I want to do. I spend most of me free time outside, in my gardens. That is where I want to be. I take advantage of simple pleasures, like the smell of freshly laundered sheets as I hang them on the line. Doesn't matter that I have to grab one at a time, hang it and rush back in to check the store.

All this to say that I seldom have time to watch the news on TV. I will turn it on as I am cooking or cleaning and I will hear snippets that are usually interrupted by a customer coming in the store or the phone.

So, as I stood at the sink washing my Paula Deen cookware I pondered her situation. Yes, she said something that she certainly should have edited more carefully before she uttered it. Yes, if you choose to put yourself in the limelight, you should expect a segment of the population to want to bring you down just because that is their only joy in life. They are like insurance investigators, constantly searching for a flaw in your story that they can pick apart and deny you your claim. They serve a purpose in society.

But it would appear that the character assassination of Paula Deen is overkill, don't you think? The news blurbs would have you believe that she is losing her home and will soon be penniless on the streets. WalMart dropped her line. WalMart, for heaven's sake! Like being associated with Paula Deen might sully the reputation of WalMart. I would think it to be the other way around. It is not like WalMart personifies all that is decent.

WalMart's reputation has been on the line many times. I shop at WalMart. Really, who doesn't? They have managed to squeeze out the competition. Small town drug stores have become a thing of the past, as well as fabric stores, bakeries, delicatessens ......... I could go on and on.

Paula Deen is not worried about the "millions" she is losing. She is upset about the attack on her reputation. She is a true southern lady and cares about what others think of her. I have read comments about her apology that aired not being sincere. I happened to see that on TV and can understand how it might be misconstrued if you are not accustomed to the accent and her particular speech pattern. I lived in the south for much of my life and in Albany, Ga for 12 years. Her apology had the ring of truth.

She made a mistake, she apologized. Get over it and go on. We forgave Bill Clinton, for heaven's sake.

11 comments:

luksky said...

The Paula Dean thing is utterly ridiculous. It's a typical witch hunt. People will find any reason to be offended. It helps fuel the drama they crave.

Joanne Noragon said...

This only happened because no news outlet wanted to be on the wrong side of history. When the dust settles reason still will not prevail.

Lady Jane said...

Maybe you forgave Bill Clinton, lol... I dont think he will ever change his spots... But I do forgive Paula Deen, she is an ole southern girl who has changed her ways which I truly believe.

Hillbilly Mom said...

Somebody is out to get her, that's for sure. Is Paula Deen a malicious racist? I don't think so. Her crime is being old, southern, and well...I guess the media couldn't find a man fitting her profile to attack.

Clinton, or "my man Bill," as he was referred to around here during his 8-year reign, was Teflon. Paula Deen is like flypaper. Any accusation thrown at her sticks.

Anonymous said...

My sentiments, exactly. Wal_mart? Sheesh. Who cares what Wal-Mart or Target, or any department store drops or carries. I do think, though, that Ms. Deen needs to quit talking and go home for awhile. Let all this die down.

mamahasspoken said...

I don't shop at Walmart......
I think they are making too much of a big deal of what she said. All anyone has to do is turn their radio to a rap station and hear worse, but we don't get up in arms about that :o/

Linda O'Connell said...

Well when the media can distract the public by stories such as this, they bank on us addressing these distorted issues instead of the real issues affecting the country. Don't get me going. Paula Deen gets fired for a racial slur she used years ago, but song lyrics, the big screen and any little sh*T in town can spout off vulgar lyrics and racial epithets? It was an agenda and they took her down. I think she sounded foolish: "I is what I is!" but I do think she was sincere.

lotta joy said...

I truly think the only mistake Paula did was to admit to something she said in the privacy of her own home, which is her own business. Not the business of America. That's what "sanctity of the home" means.

joanne said...

I guess her only real mistake, if you can all it that, was being truthful when asked the question in a court of law. It should have stayed there but there is a culture of distraction that has this country in it's grips. I agree...move on.

Chickadee said...

I agree the Paula Dean thing is has been blown WAY out of proportion. My guess is that, as unfortunate as it is, her "n" word and the other things she said is a part of the deep south. And the people who are all high and mighty? To the public making a big fuss, I say this: Judgement is also something to be ashamed of people. No one is perfect. Look at yourself and those undesirable characteristics and things YOU say before condemning someone else.
Good grief. Let's get over this and move on. There are more important things to get upset over.

ellen abbott said...

not everyone shops at Walmart. I don't. I refuse to. I refuse to spend my hard earned money lining the pockets of the already obscenely wealthy while they pay minimum wage and no benefits to their employees and let the rest of us pick up the slack via our taxes that go to pay for the food stamps and welfare their employees need to survive. Yes, I live in a small town and they have put most the small business out of business but I much prefer to pay more and support the ones that remain or do without or wait til I am in the city again or make a special trip to the larger town 30 min. down the road. I'm not judging you however. I have no idea how easy it is for you to get to other stores or what if any are available to you. But I do urge everyone who has other alternatives to use them. You may think that you are getting a cheap price but when you add in the taxes you pay to support their employees, it's not so cheap. Minimum wage is NOT a living wage for even one person, much less someone with kids and for the obscenely wealthy Waltons to refuse to pay their employees a living wage just makes them evil.