Paula Deen fired and Alabama again lives down to stereotypes

[gilora]

No word yet. But Smithfield was just sold to a company in China and are still dealing with the public opinion on that, so I'm not sure they've had time to address the Paula Deen issue yet.

I think she also has a line of cookware she hawks on QVC. I wonder if that will go too.

[Loveday]

I think she also has a line of cookware she hawks on QVC. I wonder if that will go too.

She also sells cookware at Target and Walmart. I bought a set of skillets for my mom because Target had them on deep discount and she was in dire need of new ones. I foresee her entire line at both stores going on clearance real soon.

[Becket70]

I admit that if I want to see a show on Southern cooking, I much prefer Trisha Yearwood's program on FN. Her recipes are interesting and I enjoy her quiet manner. As for Paula, I'm thinking that Food Network isn't done with her. They may have cancelled her contract but I bet that after things cool down, she will appear on a special or two.

[Lillybee]

Paula has some restaurants at Caesar's Palace in Vegas. They say that they are monitoring the situation.

[DistantStar]

Oh, hell, my great-grandmother who lived in Texas for literally a hundred years would never have let the word "nigger" pass her lips, even if she had been thinking it. Age is no excuse, none at all, for the public use of such slurs - while I never discussed it with Grandmother, I'm not joking about the hundred years and I'm sure she had some ingrained racist ideas that are no longer acceptable in any way. But she had too much class and dignity to talk that way.

[PennySycamore]

I admit that if I want to see a show on Southern cooking, I much prefer Trisha Yearwood's program on FN. Her recipes are interesting and I enjoy her quiet manner. As for Paula, I'm thinking that Food Network isn't done with her. They may have cancelled her contract but I bet that after things cool down, she will appear on a special or two.

I remember stumbling onto Trisha's show one morning after The Pioneer Woman. I didn't know that the Trisha was Trisha Yearwood at first. I thought the hostess sure looked familiar and then she said something about Garth. Then I realized just who she was. IIRC, she was doing some Halloween food that day because they love to go all out for Halloween. She and her daughters ended up getting dressed up as KISS. Trisha is so down-to-earth. I like her a lot, too.

[patsymae]

FN pulled Paula's show that usually airs at 9am on Saturday. It looks like they are done with her.

I think this may finally be it for her. The other big stars on the Food Network don't like her. After the diabetes brouhaha, she complained that none of the other stars came out to offer their support. If they didn't come out for her then, they sure aren't going to do so now. Aside from the moral issue, I can imagine that any of them are willing to risk their hard-earned empires by even appearing on the same show, even if taped in different places, with her.

I wonder how Oprah feels about now.

[roddma]

I am just now learning about this. While it may seem like FN is overreacting, there is a certain standard to uphold in a business situation as opposed to a private setting. And I don't agree with even saying these things in private. Obviously more than a racial slur is at work here. The N word has been used by even minority entertainers and in song.(Rolling Stone's "You can't Always Get What You Want") Even so this is 2013 and saying certain things isn't cool anymore.

[Peas n carrots]

I too have an 86 yo grandmother who wouldn't ever think of using that word. I just don't buy that age is an excuse.

The use of the N word was bad but I think what got her ass thrown out the door was the whole wedding concept. That is so full of "da fuq?" and shows how out of touch she really is. I'm sorry but Paula Deen's change of heart is due to her realizing how demeaning it is to black's - she got caught out and is trying to save her career. It's very disappointing there isn't more support for Food Network kicking her ass to the curb, and it goes to show how much work there is to be done still with race relations.

[OkToBeTakei]

I love all cooking shows. But I just could not stand this woman. Normally I adore a Southern accent but hers totally grated on me for some reason and her show seemed so contrived and staged.

Reading all the links she does sound a despicable person. Good riddance.

[formergothardite]

I love all cooking shows. But I just could not stand this woman. Normally I adore a Southern accent but hers totally grated on me for some reason and her show seemed so contrived and staged.

Reading all the links she does sound a despicable person. Good riddance.

I have a Southern accent, but the one she used just seemed overly fake to me.

[Peas n carrots]

I love all cooking shows. But I just could not stand this woman. Normally I adore a Southern accent but hers totally grated on me for some reason and her show seemed so contrived and staged.

Reading all the links she does sound a despicable person. Good riddance.

DH firmly believed she was overplaying her accent. He believes the same with Jacques Pepin...he's like "no one sounds THAT French!"

No one seems to ever try to overplay a Chicago accent :lol: Then again it's so nasal who would find it charming?

[OkToBeTakei]

I have a Southern accent, but the one she used just seemed overly fake to me.

I wondered because as I said I normally adore the accent. Interesting you two thought so too.

[Peas n carrots]

I wondered because as I said I normally adore the accent. Interesting you two thought so too.

She was competing with Blanche Devereux to be the most "Southern Sounding Woman on TV." :lol:

[formergothardite]

It always reminded me of actors who don't naturally have a Southern accent and try to put one on for a movie. They have a tendency to overdo it and it comes out sounding fake. My mom and I discussed this a couple of years ago. There are some people who do have very strong Southern accents, but they don't usually sound like her.

[Peas n carrots]

It always reminded me of actors who don't naturally have a Southern accent and try to put one on for a movie. They have a tendency to overdo it and it comes out sounding fake. My mom and I discussed this a couple of years ago. There are some people who do have very strong Southern accents, but they don't usually sound like her.

I've heard a lot of people make that complaint about True Blood, that the accents don't sound right. I think Hollywood also doesn't distinguish between a say, NC southern accent, a Georgia accent, Louisiana etc.

[twinmama]

I don't condone use of racial slurs but I think this is a ridiculous over reaction. I find it hard to believe that there is a single person in the world who hasn't used a slur or a derogatory word against any group (hispanic, female, male, gay, fundamentalist Christian, black, southern, northern, fat, skinny) in their entire lives.

Personally I think she's not being fired for use of the word but for the shitstorm her use of it brought to the network. If it had just blown over, Food Network would have done nothing. But if she's nearing the end of a contract cycle and her ratings aren't the ones keeping the network afloat AND she's bringing a shitstorm of bad publicity... why keep her around?

[Sumeri]

DH firmly believed she was overplaying her accent. He believes the same with Jacques Pepin...he's like "no one sounds THAT French!"

No one seems to ever try to overplay a Chicago accent :lol: Then again it's so nasal who would find it charming?

Hey now, I resemble that remark! :lol:

Actually, I am really guilty of overplaying my Chicago accent, when I moved to the Dakotas I was adamant that I wouldn't pick up the "Fargo"-esque Minnesota/North Dakota thing. Now I have a strange mixture of both and I'll be the first to tell you it is really off-putting.

[Peas n carrots]

Hey now, I resemble that remark! :lol:

Actually, I am really guilty of overplaying my Chicago accent, when I moved to the Dakotas I was adamant that I wouldn't pick up the "Fargo"-esque Minnesota/North Dakota thing. Now I have a strange mixture of both and I'll be the first to tell you it is really off-putting.

LOL I was adamant I wouldn't pick up the Chicago accent but I did! Growing up with a parent from the 'burbs and then moving here has made it pretty permanent. Not to mention the Nebraska accent is pretty neutral to begin with.

I'm actually going up to the Dakota's soon on a work trip. I go up to Fargo, and then down to Sioux Falls. I've never been to Fargo and I haven't been to SF since I was a kid...I actually look forward to it! I'm a midwest girl at heart

[flyawaystray]

Guy Fieri is another one. He's not racist as far as I know, but he is homophobic and supposedly needs to be warned ahead of time if the owner(s) of whatever restaurant he visits for Diners, Drive In's and Dives are gay.

It's also reported that he oogles women during the show and lots of shots have to be redone because of that.

Not that I'm defending Paula Deen, because racist remarks are never ok, but 1) isn't racism still rampant in the south?, and 2) she's only two years younger than my dad and my dad is slightly racist. He said his friends would use the n word back in the day. I told him that times have changed but he's stuck in his ways.

[Peas n carrots]

Guy Fieri is another one. He's not racist as far as I know, but he is homophobic and supposedly needs to be warned ahead of time if the owner(s) of whatever restaurant he visits for Diners, Drive In's and Dives are gay.

It's also reported that he oogles women during the show and lots of shots have to be redone because of that.

Not that I'm defending Paula Deen, because racist remarks are never ok, but 1) isn't racism still rampant in the south?, and 2) she's only two years younger than my dad and my dad is slightly racist. He said his friends would use the n word back in the day. I told him that times have changed but he's stuck in his ways.

I still think that is an excuse. If humans didn't grow and change and learn from the world we'd still be stuck in the dark ages. I just think "stuck in your ways" is an excuse for "I'm too lazy and don't want to be intellectually challenged." It sucks having a parent like that, but he shouldn't be given a free pass just because he's older.

[flyawaystray]

If it helps, I call him out on his words. He never says anything horrible, and he doesn't say the n word, but it's not right either way. If I hear him say something that I think might be racist, I say: "you shouldn't be saying that, imagine if you were that person."

[formergothardite]

Racism is still going on here, but open racism isn't rampant in most of the South. My dad is older that Paula and really, "times were different back then" isn't an excuse to still being racists.

I didn't know that about Guy. I never liked his show either. I kind of like the PBS cooking shows better.

[flyawaystray]

I'm also disappointed with Alton Brown, he is homophobic and racist, and not to mention, a fundie Christian.

Alton Brown was at a library for an event, and there was a book called White Trash Cooking. Alton was making jokes and said this:

“So, okay – this book’s from the South, where I’m from, and it’s got a few things in it that might be kind of foreign and exotic to you Iowans.†He turned the page. “Look! A real live Negro!â€

Silence.

He muttered, “Okay. Remind me not to make African-American jokes in Iowa.â€

Later on, he was talking to a girl and kept asking where her mom was. "Man,†said Alton to the girl, “If that guy next to you is your other daddy, I’m in the wrong state.â€

(if you want to read the full encounter, here's a link: http://cleanplatter.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/the-taste-of-disillusionment)

Food Network is really going downhill, especially with the stupid Hungry Girl show on Cooking Channel. Lisa Lillien graduated from the same high school as I did (although I'm waaaayyy younger), and I find her obnoxious with her obsession with fat free everything, and frankenfoods.

[Luvchild]

I read the transcript of the complaint and all I can say is wow, money can't buy you class. What a bunch of backwards people. I watched Paula and thought she was at least a decent person. That transcript really lays it out as to what type of person she is and her family. FN was right to fire her. They should come out with a more thorough statement instead of just letting people believe she just used the "N" word once in her life. I have to admit, my mother-in-law came from Louisiana and was raised in the time of "The Help" and right when schools were getting segregated and it was bred into her that culture. She had an actual maid. She's a nice lady but she really has an "us" and "them" attitude (P.S. I made her watch "The Help" with me). But I can see why people who think this is just over her admitting she used that word would get upset. FN needs to say it is more than that, it is deeper than that, it's about the type of person she really is. I am so disappointed by hearing about Alton Brown. I thought he was well educated. And Guy Fieri, well I can't stand his shows.