Growing up in the South, things are said and done that could never be called "politically correct." I've been insulted and put down most of my life by people who had no room to talk. Of course, no one is perfect so no one has the room to talk about anyone else. Least of all, no one has a right to judge anyone on things they can't help: weight, skin color, health problems, mental capabilities.
However, you have to also consider that people make mistakes and have bad days. Things are said in anger and fear that people wouldn't say normally. No one has a right to judge you on the things you say during those moments. Those words aren't an indication of a person's personality or how they think toward another person. They're simply a reaction to a stressful situation.
Now what I'm really talking about is this: Recently the Food Network fired Paula Dean because she, one time years ago in an extremely stressful situation, used the "N word." First of all, who cares? I'm sure every person on this planet has said a word they weren't proud of, especially out of anger or fear. She's not God, she's not a role model, she's a human being who should be allowed to make mistakes without losing her job over it.
Secondly, how is this word offensive in today's world? When you have rappers and so called musicians of color who call themselves this word every other breath, why would anyone else take offense to it? I understand that's kind of like my "I can call myself fat, but no one else better do it" feeling but here's the thing: she wasn't trying to insult a race of people, she wasn't trying to hurt someone. She was reacting. I'm sure she's been called names before, but you don't see her demanding those people lose their jobs over it. I'm not saying that any person did demand that, I'm saying that she shouldn't be held up to any standard greater than that of any other person.
Thirdly, how does this effect her ability to do her job, therefore making it the Food Network's business? Oh, that's right, it doesn't! Imagine that. She said something years ago, she apologized for it . . .that doesn't effect her ability to boil a pot of water or smear butter on a turkey. That's what Food Network pays for her to do. I'm sure people realize she's southern and grew up in a southern world, where racism was (and sometimes still is) a social norm. Should she have known better than to call a person a bad name? Sure, but so should tens of thousands of other adults who do it on a daily basis. The fact of the matter is that manners are a thing of the past in a lot of families and social graces are almost obsolete. The fact that she apologized for what she said (albeit maybe years later) is far more than what many adults in the South would have done.
With all this, I have to say I'm not a fan of Paula Dean's show. Her Southern "charm" seems a little too fake to me. I grew up and live in the South. I don't have an accent, I don't slur my words, and I'm not uneducated. For her to appear to be any of these things, or imply that other people in the South are by default, is a little annoying. In fact, I cringe every time I hear her say "y'all". However, some of the down home country dishes I find her in cook books remind me of things my granny used to cook. I like her cook books, her recipes, and her cookware, but I'm not a fan of the show. If I can watch it on mute, then I'm good.
Paula Dean has made the Food Network a more popular channel all by herself (yes, I realize there are other shows on there but you have to admit that she is, by far, the most popular) and shouldn't have been fired for a mistake from years ago that she apologized for. Unless one of the CEO's could identify with what she said and felt insulted, it really shouldn't have been anyone else's business. Personally, I hope she finds some way to make the Food Network pay for their "politically correct" injustice.
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