Paula Deen

Have you been following the Paula Deen story?  Paula Deen is a gal from Georgia with an outrageous southern accent, replete with "y'alls" every step of the way.  She has had a cooking show on TV for a long time and has been a popular personality.  Awhile ago, she came under fire because her cooking was shamelessly full of butter and frying...and then she turned up diabetic and couldn't even eat the dishes she was promoting.  Big freaking deal!

Now her show has been canceled.  Why?  Because she has been accused of making racist remarks.  A Southern gal making racist remarks doesn't surprise me, but I've looked into what she has said...and now I wonder if she hasn't been blindsided.  Unless I'm missing something, she has.

What I have read--(note: "read" without benefit of seeing facial expression or vocal inflection)--she was explaining slavery and the South, not defending it.  There is a difference.  One can be mistaken for the other.  It happened to me.

In all my years of teaching, I haven't had many students of color, but when I did, I treated them all the same.  I am probably the least racist person you will ever meet, although (by reason of definition) because I am of the majority race in the US, I am automatically considered racist.  I get that.  My very last year of teaching, I had an African-American student. (One.) She was living with an aunt and uncle--not parents--and seemed to be a positive child.  Every class, she greeted me with "How are you today, Ms. McNary?"  I complimented her on how nice it was to be so politely greeted instead of with the usual, "What are we doing in class today?" 

At one point in our lessons, the term "nigger" came up.  Made as I am, I figured that education would take the sting out of the word.  I spent about 15 minutes in class explaining how the term originally came from the southern pronunciation of the word "negro" which is the official label for the African race, and that it only became an epithet when people used it to denigrate the whole race of people.  I thought I had scored some understanding.  I was wrong.  A few days later, I was called to the principal's office.  She told me that the student's uncle had appeared with a whole list of times that I had used the term "nigger" in my lesson.  God bless the principal....she defended me simply by telling the man that she knew my heart would be broken by his accusations.  She suggested that I call him to talk.  I didn't.  It sounded to me as though he had an ax to grind and that I was to be the victim.  I could have defused the situation, perhaps, but there were other situations.  The child went on to try to cover her tracks by reporting to the school that she would be beaten for her flagging grades.  Child Protective Services was called.  Stuff happened.  It turned out not to be true.  Suddenly, my lesson seemed to be just part of cover stories to keep her out of trouble at home. 

If you've read this blog long at all, you know that I have struggled with the difference between supporting and enabling....and now I am troubled by the difference between explaining and defending.  Suggestions????