Paula Deen’s sons defend her empire: ‘It has become character assassination’

Paula Deen will be interviewed on the Today Show today. We’ll have that interview later. For now, I’m covering the CNN interview with her sons, Jamie and Bobby. From what I know about Paula and her sons, I think Jamie and Bobby have or had executive positions with Paula’s Savannah restaurant, The Lady & Sons. They’ve also gotten their own deals with The Food Network, and while Paula was sh-tcanned from the network, I think Jamie and Bobby have managed to hang onto their shows. From what I know of the civil suit against Paula, the complaints and charges are focused on Paula and her brother Bubba, not Jamie and Bobby. Although I’m starting to wonder if Bobby and Jamie aren’t feeling the heat too, because they are so closely tied to their mother’s empire. Anyway, Paula’s sons appeared on CNN to defend their mom:

Paula Deen’s sons Bobby and Jamie have leaped to their mother’s defense in her racial-slur scandal, saying she’s a good person who’s being unjustly maligned.

“That word, that horrifying, terrible word that exists and I abhor it coming from any person … we weren’t raised in a home where that word was used,” Bobby Deen told CNN’s New Day program on Tuesday – referring to the N-word, which Paula Deen has admitted in a legal deposition to having used in the past.

“Neither one of our parents ever taught us to be bigoted toward any other person for any reason,” he added. “Our mother is one of the most compassionate, good-hearted, empathetic people that you’d ever meet. These accusations are very hurtful to her, and it’s very sad.”

The scandal has cost Deen her contract with the Food Network and an endorsement deal with the pork company Smithfield. Deen’s sons’ shows – Not My Mama’s Meals with Bobby Deen on the Cooking Channel and Home for Dinner with Jamie Deen on Food Network – will not be affected, however.

The brothers, who appeared on the cover of PEOPLE in January after they and Paula all lost weight together, also denied the allegations made in a lawsuit of discrimination and racism at two of Deen’s restaurants.

“[It’s] ridiculous – completely absurd – to think there is an environment of racism in our business, and it’s really disrespectful to the people that we work with,” said Jamie. “We have strong, educated men and women of character that have been with us for five, 10, 15, 20 years. To think they would allow themselves to be in this position is simply baloney. It’s ridiculous.”

“I’m disgusted by the entire thing, because it began as extortion and it has become character assassination,” Bobby added.

[From People]

Just a few things – it’s not “character assassination” when Paula Deen admits, under oath, in a deposition that she’s used racial slurs in the past. We can have a debate about what those slurs mean and the context of the slurs and how long ago it was, but it’s strange to reposition the debate to a place where we’re supposed to ignore that Paula admitted in a deposition that she used racial slurs.

Besides that, it feels like we’re kind of losing the thread of what actually happened and what we should really be mad about. Personally, if it was a situation where Paula simply said some bad stuff three decades ago, the controversy would be much easier to handle. But this has become a giant clusterwhoops of epic proportions, and it involves RECENT allegations of improper, bigoted, sexist and hostile work conditions perpetrated by Paula, not to mention a now-daily onslaught of recent behavior and recent comments that are offensive to even a casual observer. The backlash and anger directed at Paula is not JUST because she used racial slurs once upon a time. It’s a pattern of behavior that goes to her character.

Photos courtesy of The Deen Brothers’ Facebook page.

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90 Responses to “Paula Deen’s sons defend her empire: ‘It has become character assassination’”

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  1. UghInsomnia says:

    Is it still considered character assassination when it’s true? If so, she assassinated her own character.

    • MoxyLady007 says:

      Character Suicide?

      • UghInsomnia says:

        Yes! That sounds much better 🙂

      • LadyMTL says:

        Hah, exactly. She’s admitted her guilt and therefore it’s not character assassination in the least. I can understand her sons wanting to defend her but come on now.

      • TrustMeOnThis says:

        LOL, exactly! One footbullet after another and she still wants to blame everyone else for her lack of character!

        Her sons saying she’s not racist just goes to show that they too think it’s ok and they were raised the same way. It is not about one word. None of them are going to be able to talk their way out of it. They should sit down and shut up before they make it even worse.

      • eb says:

        short and sweet!

    • L says:

      If she admits to everything herself in a sworn deposition is it really character assassination? It’s the truth, not some rumor their former employees cooked up.

      They are trying to protect their brand as well as their mom.

      • Esmom says:

        Yes to them trying to protect their brand. I can’t believe they are saying things that contradict what she herself admitted! And to say that smart, educated employees would never “put themselves” in a hostile work environment? Please.

      • Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

        Everything is always at the fault of someone else.

    • arock says:

      incredibly well done.

    • Lb says:

      That’s a good article. I think the author is right. Paula Deen broke trust with the public after the diabetes debacle. She continued on as if she did nothing wrong. It’s the same attitude she has here. The non-apology she and Serena both used this week – I’m sorry if others were offended.

      We all have prejudiced or racist thoughts from time to time. It’s impossible not to – our brains are wired to prejudge in some situations. The key is to remind yourself its wrong and there are no excuses for it and work past it. Paula Deen, as the author puts it, is obtuse. She was obtuse in dealing wi the diabetes thing and she’s obtuse in falling back on excuses for her behavior. That is her biggest failing.

      • DreamyK says:

        Somewhere, Anthony Bourdain is laughing his a** off. He called bullsh*t on Paula long ago.

        All the fried Deens need to STFU and sit their buttery a**es down. Making up crap like “character assassination” is laughable and despicable at the same time.

    • neelyo says:

      Great piece. Sums it up very well.

  2. marie says:

    this is their attempt, however misguided to defend their mom. she brought this on herself and it’s something her sons and fans need to accept. all of this is a direct result of her and her brother’s actions.

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      This one is tough for me because as much as I personally detest this woman, I understand that to them-she’s just “Mom”.

      I think the ‘character assassination’ is complete bullshit, but I can’t get mad at them for wanting to protect their mother.

      • Debbie says:

        This is me. Paula Deane is disgusting and a terrible hateful ignorant human whom I no longer even tolerate but I don’t fault her boys for wanting to defend her and see her as a different better person. She is there mom it would be a hard fact to face.

        However, she isn’t be extorted and there is no character assignation this happened the complaint is true. Sadly her boys need to work to come to terms with that.

        I do feel bad for them to be honest I mean as of now they seem to have no part in this behavior and their world and view of their mom is crumbling.

      • Nerd Alert says:

        I agree. I never liked her especially, and the diabetes thing made me strongly dislike her, and now I simply detest her.

        That said, if she were my mom I would want to help defend her (and my mom has been no saint herself). She’s probably in a lot of pain right now, and I think it’s right of them to want to help. That’s how family tends to work when the relationship is good, right or wrong.

        Since they’re not actually defending what she said (only saying they weren’t raised like that), I assume they know better than she when it comes to race.

    • Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

      It’s the ‘Yo Mama’ bind.

  3. Kiddo says:

    I now agree with someone, sorry I can’t remember who, but they said yesterday, “Enough with this”. She is getting way too much press. Time for her to fade to obscurity.

  4. Tessa says:

    Her sons have always struck me as extremely nice people… But then again so did Paula, so it’s hard to know what to think. I don’t think Paula is the devil, and I do think a lot of her behavior is just a product of where she grew up and how she was raised, but to earn the kind of money that she earned and to have the kind of fanbase that she had, she HAD to be better than she was. She had to truly live the genuine decent life that she portrayed on TV. She should have been an example for goodness, not just another dime a dozen bigot.

  5. Pastyousayyouneverknew says:

    “it has become character assassination” – disagree, she brought all of this on herself, so although they’re trying to make people feel sorry for her, the effect is still lost on me.

  6. DailyNightly says:

    I am in no way defending Paula Deen, but isn’t it a bit hypocritical for everyone to be up in arms over her use of this word when it is used over and over by rappers or members of the same race? Why is no one calling out Jay-Z or Kanye over this? Gwyneth Paltrow tweets out “Ni**as in Paris” during Jay-Z’s concert, so it’s okay for her to use the word because it is the name of a song? Let’s get rid of that word altogether and not condone its use by ANYONE!

    • L says:

      Here’s the full text of the deposition. It’s about more than her use of the n-word. It’s also about creating a hostile work environment (forcing her employees to dress up as ante-bellum slaves)

      http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2013/06/entertainment/deen-deposition/

    • Tessa says:

      I think people are more upset about the slave themed wedding, and the treatment of her staff in the restaurants. Her brother seems like the bigger culpit here, but he’s not Paula Deen. He’s not raking in the millions one stick of butter at a time. She has to take on all of the responsibility here, because she’s the big lady in charge… or so we’re led to believe. She’s just plain stupid and her treatment of her staff seems piss poor. Using the n-word was just the icing on the cake I think.

    • Glaughy says:

      I’m SO sick of hearing this argument. It’s like comparing apples and oranges.

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      Yeah Paula tried to pull the “they call themselves that!” card on the Today Show this morning.

      This “argument” (and that’s being generous) has been discussed 5 million times on the Deen threads around here.

      It just blows my mind that this even has to be explained to people.

      “You know that whole, you know, 600 year time period when White people were buying and selling Black people as chattel? Well, remember how that whole system was enforced by a violent system of repression whereby Black slaves who did not act the way the White folks wanted them to were beaten and murdered? Oh, and remember that time after slavery when Black people were locked in a system called Jim Crow that used a similar fear of violence and repression to keep Black people in “their place?” Well, in the midst of all that shit, there was a word invented by White people as a pejorative for Black folks. It was used just about every time a Black person was whipped, chained, beaten, insulted, spit upon, raped, lynched, or otherwise humiliated and mistreated by White folks.”

      …and here are the rest of the reasons.
      http://changefromwithin.org/2012/06/19/4-reasons-white-people-cant-use-the-n-word/
      Still, completely depressed that this has to be explained.

      • Kiddo says:

        @TheOriginalKitten

        Wasted breath, wasted keystroke. The argument about black people using the word seems to be a “talking point” and after it is written, there is no open mind to receive any further education. It’s a childish argument, “Someone said this, so why can’t I?”, knowing full well that it is negatively loaded when spoken by a white person (and especially in combination with the other actions of Deen). But that will be ignored.

        I’m not speaking about the person you responded to necessarily, but I’ve seen it time and time again.

        The argument about black people using the word is utterly disingenuous because the people who post it know that the word has different meaning and tone within different communities and context, but there isn’t a chance in hell that that will seep into obstinate defenders’ minds.

        Sorry for being long winded.

      • TheOriginalKitten says:

        Exactly, Kiddo.

        It really is symptomatic of white privilege–the idea that we should be able to say/do ANYTHING that everyone else can.
        As is explained in the link, white folk have PRIVILEGE and that essentially trumps everything (in a societal sense). I’m sure a lot of black people would gladly give up the right to call each other the n-word in exchange for the years of oppression and racism that they’ve endured. But for some white folks, that’s just not enough.

      • Nonnymaus says:

        Maybe one respnse to the “black pepole say it, why can’t I?” Could be “if black people wanted to jump off a bridge, would you do the same?”

    • Faye says:

      God knows I can’t stand Gwyneth, but it seems pretty obvious that her comment was just a stupid ploy to sound cool as opposed to actual racism on her part, given how she kisses up to Jay-Z and Beyonce on the regular. Second, plenty of people *did* call her out on it (at least here). And third, even if she was racist, that does not in any way mitigate what Paula did. Instead of crying out double standard, the solution is to take both of them to task.

      And finally, as others have said, what Paula did (if true) goes way beyond one expletive. Making people dress as slaves, creating a work environment that was so racially (and apparently sexually) hostile that even a worker who *wasn’t* the direct target of the insults couldn’t take it any more – those are truly awful things to do.

      I wish all the people who are rushing to defend her would take a minute and think about their jobs. How would you feel if day after day, you were forced to spend a minimum of 8 hours in the company of a boss who mocked you, humiliated you, mistreated you, made you freaking dress up in a costume that has such bad symbolism and associations for you? And you can’t say anything because you need to pay your mortgage and feed your kids, so day after day, you just take it.

      It must be soul-destroying. Just thinking about it makes me feel ashamed for the times I complain about the petty politics and infighting that go on at my job. Paula deserves to have her contracts go unrenewed and so much more. Her public excoriation is just a small, small taste of what her employees must have suffered regularly, so I think it’s nothing less than poetic justice.

    • poppy says:

      it was NOT ok for gwyneth to tweet what she tweeted. a lot of people were offended. after her tweet there were hundreds of blogs posts, from people of every color, calling her out on her classless choice of words and they didn’t care it is the title of the song.

      ita with you, it is a word that nobody should use.
      the more people refuse to put up with the use of that word, the better.

    • Debbie says:

      One gwyenth was ripped apart by everyone!! And when she pointed out it was the name of a song she was still ripped and shredded (as she should have been) and issued an apology. Not to mention Paula didn’t just say the n word!! She deemed and degraded people based on their skin color and forced them to pretend to be SLAVES!!! That is hurtful, vile and not to mention racist.

      Two while I don’t like the word being used by anyone the fact is if a black person and ONLY a black person uses the n word it is different. There is a different connotation to the word in that instance.

      Honestly if you don’t understand the difference then you either need to learn some facts of our history or take a long hard look in the mirror. Because the difference is glaringly obvious.

      • LeeBlaylock says:

        If she was just referring to the name of a song, how else should she have referred to that song?

      • Debbie says:

        @lee I don’t know if she really was or if that was her cover however, she should have had enough respect and common sense to not refer to that song!!! If it was an innocent reference to the song it didn’t appear so based on the picture with the tweet she also didn’t make it clear she was referring to the song by saying the song … Is my favorite. The way she tweeted it appeared she was calling jay Z the n word.

        Honestly it is word no one should say but especially not a white person and goop should have been sensitive to that.

      • BeesKness says:

        @Lee and Debbie:
        She tweeted a picture of Jay Z and Kanye performing in Paris and wrote something like “N***as in Paris for real!” If she was simply referring to the title of the song by saying Jay and Kanye singing “n***as in Paris” it would have been one thing, but the way she worded it made it sound like she was calling them n***as.

      • Debbie says:

        @bees I know that and if you read my op you’ll see I clearly point it out, but she did use the it’s the song excuse. I also said she was ripped apart by everyone and that she deserved it. In both my post I pointed out her claims didn’t match her actions and her behavior was unacceptable!!!

    • jaye says:

      I wish people would stop using this argument like black people go around calling each other n***** all the damn time. I don’t call my friends, family, that word because a)it’s an OFFENSIVE word and b) because there are non-black people who see it as permission to call black people “n*****” to justify their racism. Most people who are not black and use the word aren’t addressing their “homies”, as the black people who DO choose to use the word do. They’re using the word to demean someone of color. Why aren’t people able to wrap their brains around that?

  7. GiGi says:

    I agree. If this were about her use of some racial slurs 30-40 years ago – whatever. People change. People evolve.

    The part that makes me sick is the casual and recent racism – wanting waitstaff to pose as slaves at an antebellum themed wedding? WTF? To me that is the outrage. That she admitted that she went to a “Civil War themed” restaurant and was impressed by the waitstaff saying “Yes, I would say they were slaves” – how is that even the smallest bit acceptable?

  8. lucy2 says:

    I get her family being upset, but unfortunately for them, the true colors of her “character” have been revealed.

    Doubtful they never heard that kind of stuff growing up or working with her all these years. This seems to be a deeply ingrained problem with her.

    When you are hired as part of the public face of a company and something bad comes out, you get fired. This is not a new concept.

  9. janie says:

    Enough is enough…. This is beyond character assassination, it’s becoming cruel. I think the difference in all this is she told the truth about her past. Considering the climate of our world how many people would have lied? Give it a rest..

    • Mich says:

      And allowing employees to be called “little monkeys” and “little Jew girl(s)”, forcing them to work in exchange for beer or lose their livelihood, revoking a manager’s bonuses because she got a divorce and was thus guilty of a sin, telling that manager that no matter how hard she worked she shouldn’t expect any more money or growth opportunities because the Deen men wouldn’t take orders from a woman, physical assaults against employees, forcing employees to view degrading pornography during meetings, making black employees use back entrances even to pick up paychecks, and more weren’t cruel?

      You reap what you sow. She should have settled this lawsuit when it was filed.

      And this would die down quickly if she would simply issue a statement that she was withdrawing from the public eye to do some soul searching. Instead, she wants instant forgiveness/absolution. It isn’t going to happen.

      • Masque says:

        This. Paula Deen is desperate for attention and is terrified of losing the spotlight. THAT is why she wants us to forgive and move on. She can’t stand the idea of not being idolized.

      • holly hobby says:

        Yup, I’d say you got everything in a nutshell. This whole issue isn’t just about that word. All those examples cited from the complaint just points to an abusive management system and really, a hostile work environment.

    • NeNe says:

      @Janie says:

      Yes, she told the truth! Big friggen deal! She only told the truth because she was under oath to do so. Otherwise, I highly doubt this dumbass would have admitted it. She deserves everything that is coming her way, and then some.

      Character assassination means – the act of deliberately attempting to destroy a person’s reputation by defamatory remarks

      Nobody is deliberately destroying her reputation. She did that all by herself. She has nobody to blame but herself. Enough is not enough, I’m glad the truth is finally coming out about this prejudice f*ck!!!

      It’s not time to give it a rest, it’s just the beginning, ya’ll!!!

      • janie says:

        Nene.. I am entitled to my opinion. If all these allegations are true, she deserves to lose all these endorsements. I don’t need you to define *assassination*for me, I know what it means! All your rantings doesn’t change the fact that all these people stayed in her employment. No one should be subjected to, or treated in this manner. I’m really not defending any of these actions. That being said.. She doesn’t deserve the death penalty either.

      • Debbie says:

        @ Janie wow really? I mean if your viewing her as the victim then I feel sorry for you!! Did it ever enter your head that these people stayed employed because THEY NEEDED THE JOB. We don’t know if they were looking while working there or what situations where like in similar employment opportunities! People stay in horrible abusive work enviornments all the time because they have too, that doesn’t make the situation acceptable or ok. And it certainly doesn’t make the abuser the victim when the truth is exposed!!!

    • Petee says:

      I agree with you enough.While I do not use that word and I hate that word it does get used.My Mom is from Missouri and even though she brought us up without that word and we don’t live in Missouri all her relative’s there use it and so do alot of her older southern friend’s.They say it like it is nothing.They just don’t know any better that’s the way they were raised.I know that’s not a excuse but that’s just the way it is.Just like people not understanding how other black people can use it with each other without getting offended that’s just the way it is too.This whole thing is just gotten so out of hand but I can see it both way’s because I am bi racial and can see it from both side’s.Except for my relative’s,young and old, and my mother’s older southern friend’s using that word they are all very nice kind people that wouldn’t hurt a fly and lead very decent live’s.

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      Deen defenders want to focus on her use of that one HIGHLY-OFFENSIVE word. Now to me, that’s enough of a reason to dislike her.

      But if you really need more reasons, I implore you to read the transcripts. It’s not just about Deen being a racist, it’s about her brother creating a hostile, racist and patriarchal work environment for his employees and Paula consistently covering up everything he did.

      If you’re going to have a strong opinion about this, at least take the time to educate yourself. This is so much more than just the racist language she used.

      • Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

        It would help. A lot of people seem to be A-OK with racism, but perhaps finding out about one of her other myriad crimes will break this spell that she holds over her defenders.

  10. Mich says:

    IMO this issue is bigger than Paula. Her scandal is coming out amidst the VRA decision, the degradation of women’s rights, the immigration debate, unabashed racism against a duly elected leader and more. Any time would have been a bad time for this story to come out but now is the worst. She is a public figure and fair game to go after for her atrocious behavior.

    And thank you for highlighting that the anger isn’t just about use of a single vicious word. The sexism allegations and abusive bigotry in the workplace were malicious actions against others. She had plenty of warning and information to correct the problems and chose instead to encourage them.

    • Pinky says:

      ^This^ Our country is going to hell in a hand basket. Thanks, racism! said SCOTUS.

  11. Jane says:

    Something tells me Matt Lauar is going to sugar coat his interview today and make it incredibly painful to watch. It is highly unlikely he will ask the probing questions to make her squirm. I always got the impression that she was under the influence when she did morning talk shows. I will not be surprised if she does the same here.

    • Cirque28 says:

      Well, if ever there’s a time to be under the influence, when the entire world has just discovered you’re an asshole is surely it.

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      The interview was a joke. My favorite part was when she tried to say that the only people she’s prejudiced against are “liars and thieves”, unless it’s her brother stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the restaurant—in which case, he gets a huge raise as “punishment”.

  12. Cirque28 says:

    The color of her eyes is so disturbing.

  13. NeNe says:

    It’s not a character assassination when the dumbass admits that she used the word. I hope every single company that sponsored her drops her. There is already enough prejudices in the world, and the last thing we need is someone like her in the spot light. I’m glad the world is finally seeing the true side of Paula Deen.

  14. neelyo says:

    Her sons are defending her to save their careers. They’re just Southern fried versions of Melissa Rivers. They’d be nothing without Paula and they know it.

  15. squirrelbait says:

    Not only was it a racist environment but from everything I’ve read a very sexist one as well. I watch the food network a lot, I’ve seen her show, she’s hard to miss having been a major star on the network. Anyway so I’ve always heard her tell her story of how she started her business to support her sons after divorce, blah blah blah and then to go on and become a gazillionaire a knowingly run your empire with a hostile work environment for women & minorities? Sorry I don’t care, she can’t disappear quickly enough for me

    • holly hobby says:

      What Paula Deen is a divorcee? Then why did they take away the employee’s bonus because she got a divorce? Judgmental much? What a hypocrite!

  16. NeNe says:

    Character assassination means – the act of deliberately attempting to destroy a person’s reputation by defamatory remarks

    Nobody is deliberately destroying her reputation. She did that all by herself. She has nobody to blame, but herself.

  17. Faye says:

    This family needs to learn the art of shutting up, y’all.

  18. An says:

    Are they both gay, they both ping my gaydar? I think at least Bobby. Whatever, they should be familiar with how hurtful it is to be discriminated against and treated badly because of something they can’t change. What Paula Deen said and did to her employees was disgusting and offensive. I am sure they have millions in the bank. They should just go away and fade out of the public eye.

    • Dibba says:

      Yep, my gaydar is going crazy just gazing at these dudes. The teeth whitening is also hard to look at. I like white teeth but they are taking it to a new level. Its blinding.

    • Nerd Alert says:

      One of them looks like Paul Ryan IMO.

      They both ping my ‘dar a little bit too, but I’d have to watch a video of them to be sure, these staged photos are too cheesy to tell.

  19. cateD says:

    Some prejudices are justified. If they’re based on the colour of a person’s skin, then they are simply uninformed and foolish. If, however, they are based on cultural norms then the prejudices can be quite understandable: there are some cultural practices and beliefs that are anathema to a rational, balanced and modern society. For instance: Female genital mutilation is abhorrent; cannibalism is abhorrent; sexual relations with minors are abhorrent. Similarly, judging someone for the colour of their skin is abhorrent.

    • Pinky says:

      Sorry. cateD. But you are displaying a lot of ignorance in your post. Prejudice is not ever justified. And to bring cannibalism into this thread as though to suggest that some Africans eat their own is disgusting and, yes, prejudiced. It means you never studied the history of the word or of how white missionaries, etc., misinterpreted what they saw when they visited the “Dark Continent” and labeled an entire “race” of people as cannibals. I would like to implore you to get off this site, do some Internet research (though on reputable sites, not ones with political leanings), and rejoin us in a few weeks when you’ve discovered that your warped views are simply a product of your privileged (not necessarily in wealth, but even more importantly, in race) background. Education. It’s what’s for dinner!

      • NeNe says:

        Agreed! +1

      • Masque says:

        Why would you assume she meant anything other than the concept of cannibalism-as-a-whole? Since she did not specify a particular people I think you jumped the gun on this one.

      • jaye says:

        I didn’t take cateD’s comment to mean that black people were any of the things she listed, just the concept of those actions as a whole were abhorrent. Why did you immediately go for the jugular when there was no indication that she was being offensive?

    • Pinky says:

      @Masque Because she brought up genital mutilation as well, which actually does exist (as opposed to cannibalism on the “Dark Continent”–which does not, at least not in the way its been presented to Westerners). And she suggested that some kind of prejudice was acceptable. Who in this vast world would we typically prejudge based on our ideas about cannibalism? The people at Jamestown? No. Africans. I’m pretty dern certain she was stereotyping.

      Look, we’re all learning here and I just want encourage all of us to do more of it.

      • Nerd Alert says:

        Say what?!

        You associate cannibalism with Africans? I sure as hell don’t.

        Pardon my assumption that most people do not, nor do most people associate sex with minors with Africans, another example she used.

        I think she was saying that prejudice based on those things is warranted, and was lumping Hamface Deen in with those types of people, not black people.

      • Masque says:

        Donner Party. Look it up and then tell me about only Africans are associated with cannabilism.

        Secondly, I could be way off but I’m pretty sure she was just giving examples of behavior that rational people are repulsed by. Or maybe she was trying to say all blacks are pedos….you know since it was listed with female genitalia mutilations…..

      • paranormalgirl says:

        I associate cannibalism more with America than with Africa due to people like Jeffrey Dahmer, Ed Gein, Edmund Kemper, Albert Fish, Alferd Packer… I also associate cannibalism with the Carib tribe of the Lesser Antilles (AKA the Canibales, which is where the word Cannibal comes from.) I agree with Masque that cateD was actually making an anthropological point about abhorrent behaviors and how being prejudicial towards said abhorrent behaviors is justified. And the last abhorrent behavior she listed was “judging someone for the colour of their skin.”

      • jaye says:

        But…genital mutilation DOES happen, and it happens in Africa and IS abhorrent…yes? She wasn’t stereotyping the blacks or africans. I just don’t get the vitriol here.

      • Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

        I truly didn’t interpret the comment that way. This poster seems to hold the same ideas as everyone else on this particular thread.

  20. Zorbitor says:

    She shoulda just said muthaf**kers. Nobody gets fired for that.

  21. Simply Red says:

    All of this took place and was stated in the disposition then why on earth after that disposition would people go work there (and don’t come tell they have nowhere else to go). Knowing the brother is a racist who creates this type of environment why stay and work there?? That’s goes for anywhere!!
    People don’t have to stay and deal with that.. Yes it’s good this brought to light but I have a gut feeling that people will still work there…

  22. Izzy says:

    Our mother is one of the most compassionate, good-hearted, empathetic people that you’d ever meet.

    Obviously, the brothers Deen define “empathetic” and “compassionate” quite differently from the rest of the world.

  23. Mayday says:

    she has a giant pile of money at the end of the day, it’s not exactly easy to feel sorry for her.

  24. Dibba says:

    What else is he supposed to say about his cash cow momma?

  25. mkyarwood says:

    Your momma was kind to you. She may not have raised you saying anything around you, but there’s lots of shit my parents did during my upbringing that I was not a part of.

  26. Lisa says:

    SELF character assassination, you twit. It’s not ridiculous or absurd if there is proof.

  27. Ali says:

    My favorite part was the heartwarming tale about the purchase of Hank Aaron pajamas. Well, there you go, she can’t possibly be racist because 38 years ago she bought pajamas with a black man on them. Why not just say we have a lot of black friends, but I guess that lacks the impact of a touching story about a hospital bound boy and loving mother. They should all go away.

  28. Michelle says:

    I find it interesting that nobody on these threads seems to remember that the REAL case here is her running a hostile work environment. If she said the N word 30 years ago, shame on her- but unless and until the other allegations are proven, I am shocked at the vitrol being lobbed her way. Ugh.

    • jaye says:

      I think most people here understand that. Using the “n-word” in the workplace would contribute to that hostile environment, would it not?

    • Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

      I don’t where the ‘if’ keeps coming from. She did those things, she said so. If people won’t listen to anyone else, listen to her. Listen to her because she tells you with her own mouth that she did everything for which she’s being excoriated. It’s not ‘Guilty, but actually not guilty because I like her and don’t want to see what’s there.’

      It’s not alleged anymore, it’s 100 per cent verified. She did this.