After the revelation that Southern Fox News Friend Paula Deen has no problem with dropping N bombs, The Food Network has fired the host.
The news surfaced a couple of days ago that celebrity host Paul Deen is a racist. Deen admitted to using the N-word, and she has even used racial slurs against President Obama. Deen followed up the revelations by putting on a clinic of how not act when your big racist mouth has gotten you into trouble, by first bailing on an interview with Satan’s morning host Matt Lauer, and then releasing a video apology where she issued a general apology about inappropriate, hurtful language.
There are actually three versions of Deen’s apology video.
Version 1:
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Here is Deen’s non-apology/apology video v.2:
Here is a third edited video, which seems to be an apology just to Matt Lauer (Deen knows better than cross Lauer. She doesn’t want to be Ann Curried):
Deen spent more time apologizing to Matt Lauer, talking about her own hurt, and defending her family than she did actually apologizing.
Paula Deen’s begging for forgiveness wasn’t enough to save her job. The Food Network released a short and blunt statement, “Food Network will not renew Paula Deen’s contract when it expires at the end of this month.”
Deen has popped up frequently on Fox News’ morning propaganda program Fox and Friends.
In this light, it makes sense that Fox News contributor Todd Starnes rushed to her defense by posting on his Facebook page, “The liberal, anti-South media is trying to crucify Paula Deen. They accuse her of using a derogatory word to describe a black person. Paula admitted she used the word — back in the 1980s – when a black guy walked into the bank, stuck a gun in her face and ordered her to hand over the cash.”
What Starnes left out is that Deen admitted to using the N word repeatedly, and that one of the reasons why she is being sued was that she and her brother frequently used the N word around their employees.
Her behavior is in part the result of years of racist attitudes, combined with an African American president, and a right wing media that has mainstreamed racism against Barack Obama.
The problem with using racism as a political strategy is that it always exposes the racist attitudes of the people who believe it the most. In the end, the racists always lose.
It may seem like getting fired from The Food Network would be rock bottom for Paula Deen, but I suspect that the worst is yet to come. Deen’s callous by PR book apology suggests a woman who probably doesn’t think that she did anything wrong. She looked like someone who was saying what she thought she had to say in order to save her empire. Paula Deen isn’t taking responsibility for her actions, and is trying to make the story all about her pain.
Eventually, Deen will probably turn up on Fox News (likely, Fox and Friends) to talk about how the liberal media vilified her and took her out of context. Somehow, the right wing media will try to blame Obama for this without ever acknowledging their own role in confirming the racist attitudes already held by others. Paula Deen thinks she isn’t racist. This is why her racial attitudes are so dangerous.
(Editor’s Note: Conflicting reports about Deen’s political affiliation have led to the removal of the statement that she is a Republican from an earlier version of this story.)
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
