On Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 9:22 AM, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: > On Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 8:56 AM, Mark Jeffries <[email protected]>wrote: > >> The Food Network chef had told Matt Lauer yesterday that she would be >> willing to discuss her controversial statements about African-Americans, >> but her publicist called "Today" this morning and claimed she was >> "exhausted" and could not appear--yeah, right: >> >> http://www.today.com/video/today/52272603#52272603 >> > And now the Today Show web site has posted a story about a video Dean has released (with a link to the video) apologizing for her unspecified mistakes: http://www.today.com/food/paula-deen-issues-apology-please-forgive-me-mistakes-6C10408932
Is Dean a frequent guest on Today, or a paid contributor? A heavily edited video is obviously no substitute for the no holds barred interview Lauer said she had promised to do. I have now read more on the background of this story, and it does appear to be based in a fairly serious allegation of race-based job discrimination. What is odd is the way Dean has responded to this. She is accused of creating a hostile work environment, an example of which is saying of her wait staff, while planning a wedding at her establishment, that she would really like is a "bunch of little niggers to wear long-sleeve white shirts, black shorts and black bow ties...now that would be a true Southern wedding, wouldn't it?". Her defense is byzantine: She denies using the word nigger in 2007 (but apparently does not deny making the "joke", which even with a substitute word goes pretty far towards creating a hostile work environment) but admits to using it in the 1980s, but then says "Things have changed since the '60s in the South.". So I gather she is admitting to using the word nigger in the 1980s 20 years after it was no longer acceptable in the South, and to making a racist joke to and about her employees in 2007. But at least she is friends with Al Roker... -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
