Alright people. I must first disclaim that I am not 'plugged in' if you will to most of what's happening around the world. I don't have tv, I don't read the newspaper, I don't have a million news apps on my phone. Most of what I know about what's going on outside of my Whitney bubble is through Social Media or conversation with those who do know. Judge me if you must but though it may label me 'clueless' and 'unengaged' I like spending my moments and energy focusing on those around me and how I might possibly impact their lives as opposed to 'keeping up'.
That being said, here is my 'off the cuff', mostly uninformed response to the Paula Deen issue.
My first interpretation of the 'Paula Deen' issue was that she used a derogatory racial slur 30 years ago, ONE TIME and because someone just happened to find out about it and leak it to the media, she's now being dropped from the Food Network, Wal-mart is taking her products off the shelves (as IF Wal-Mart is the beacon of ethical behavior), etc. etc. Of course, at first glance, this seems unreasonable and I understood where the 'all people should be forgiven', 'she was young and from Mississipi', rhetoric was coming from. However, thirty years ago would have put her somewhere in her 30's yes? Let me check. YES. It would have made her 36 to be exact. I'm not an expert on the stages of development, but I do know this. I'm from the south and there are even members of my family that have used racial slurs in the past and I'm pretty sure that by the time I could speak I knew that I had the choice to refrain from joining in on their hatred. So I would imagine that if Paula Deen used the 'n' word at 36, she probably meant it, no matter how few times she said it, or rather how few times she was actually caught saying it.
Unfortunately for her, it was not one time and it was not 30 years ago. In looking into the issue I came across the actual deposition from the formal complaint placed by Ms. Jackson, a GM for one of their restaurants on behalf of a majority of their staff, against the Paula Deen Corp. for YEARS of incorrigible behavior by both she and her brother Bobby Heir. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you read this legal document yourself before you 'like' anymore 'Support Paula Deen' posts on FB, because what was actually said, I will not repeat. And neither should you.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/148781831/Jackson-v-Deen-Et-Al-Complaint
Matthew 12:34 says "You snakes! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. I think we're missing the point here people. Stories like this show us two things in my opinion.
1) We have SO MUCH MORE WORK TO DO! We need to open our eyes to the fact that not all people are treated equal in our society and that has got to change. And even if you feel like you're not part of that larger story because you're unplugged like me, it doesn't make it any less your responsibility. It starts in your home. It starts in your community. By not standing up to hatred and bullying you are actually promoting those things. This is not ok. Get busy people.
2) We will never get it done by ourselves. As long as we exist in this plane, we will be surrounded by evil and the hatred and decay that comes with it. Without depending on the grace and mercy of a Savior, we will never be able to promote enough change in our society to fight back against that evil. So again, get busy people.
As for you Paula. My heart breaks for you. Not being able to avoide the natural consequences of bad choices and a heart that's marred by pride and arrogance is a painful experience. I'm excited for the changes that I hope this experience brings about in your family. This could be a game changer. On behalf of every person who has ever mistreated or misspoken of another, you have a choice. 66 is not too old to change. For real.
As for those countless hearts who have been bullied into fear and acceptance of bigotry by another or a group of people because of their percieved power over them, STAND UP and keep standing up until someone listens. Those of us who listen might just be in the suburbs baking apple pies, but we won't be using Paula Deen recipes. Of that we can assure you.
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