Let’s
remember that she wasn’t “caught” using the “n” word in recent casual
conversation over lunch with the girls last week. She was honest and admitted
to spewing racist remarks on her own. She could have lied, like most people
would do. While she did admit to using racial slurs years ago, she’s also a
white person who grew up in the deep South, where in her youth (1950’s and 60’s),
ignorance and racism ran deep. Don’t
know what I’m talking about? Watch “The Help” (dummies guide to
Southern racism).
I’m not
defending her past actions, but if someone behaved like the biggest ignoramus
the world has ever seen a few years back, does that mean that person is
incapable of growth or perception change? Look at how much our awareness as an
American culture has grown over the last few decades, from the 60’s (when Deen was
in her teens/early 20’s) to the 80’s – and look how much we have evolved from
the 80’s to the present.
Nobody (including Paula Deen) is
excusing her past behavior, but could it be possible that Deen’s perspective
on racial discrimination could have changed over the last 20 years?
