WTH is "the Official Persecuted Blacks"? How do you tow such a thing? Is it another tugboat?

It's obvious that you are not from around here. Sit down, take the cotton out of your ears and put it in your mouth.

Read Two Nations: Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal by Andrew Hacker before you come back and post anything else.

How nice that a PNM is trying to explain to us how the world works. 18 and bulletproof.

It's totes precious.

Books could be written on what I didn't know about race in America as an 18 year old white girl.

Books could be written on what I didn't know about race in America (race, ethnicity, and culture around the world) as an 18 year old young Black woman.

Books are being written about what I continue to learn about these topics. :D

Ah yes, calling attention to a typo. Last bastion of those who really don't have anything else to say.

Andrew Hacker? Already read it. Typical white apologist dribble. Am I supposed to listen to him on the basis of his whiteness? Hack, indeed :rolleyes:

That's the beauty of being able to pass for either when the mood strikes. And there are no doubt still books that could be written on what you don't know as a menopausal shrew.

Paula Deen, ya'llllllllllll:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/di...anted=all&_r=0

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/201...rther-crumbles

And since I can't think of another place to announce this on GC, the documentary "Dark Girls" is re-airing on OWN at 10:00pm EST. I am about to watch it in 15 minutes. These are not sob stories, these are true stories.

http://officialdarkgirlsmovie.com/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3478913.html

I am going to give you a very good piece of advice. I would strongly suggest you dial back the insults - as a pnm who has already posted identifying information on this site you really don't want to run the risk of insulting long-time GreekChatters who 1.) have mad detective skills and 2.) have contacts like you wouldn't believe. You would not be the first pnm to think she was unidentifiable and "bulletproof" to be left wondering why her recruitment came to a crashing halt on the day she was dropped by all the chapters.

No. The last bastion of those who don't really have anything to say is actually name-calling. You know, like

Quote:

Originally Posted by UVA17 (Post 2222571) Oh Phil, Phil, Phil. You are such a closed-minded dolt.

or

Quote:

Originally Posted by UVA17 (Post 2222600) And there are no doubt still books that could be written on what you don't know as a menopausal shrew.

ETA:
Not to mention the very real possibility that sorority members from the school she'll be attending could well be reading this thread and forming opinions based on the insults.

How did I miss the part about pornography in the kitchen? :confused: What was THAT about?

SN: I've been meaning to see "Dark Girls" for awhile now. I tried to see it a showing at a conference but it was sold out both nights. However, I could do without the "Darker is better" and "I hope my children are dark like pharaohs and queens because you can't look like royalty being light as hell" comments. Um we all descended from the same royalty so back up off my lite brite. But that's for another thread entirely.

Have you read Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential"?!

It is a really good, but tremendously sad, documentary. It makes me think of things from my childhood and things from my adulthood.

The documentary is not about "darker is better" (but of course humans tend to operate on extremes and have a difficult time balancing. Of course, people will think it makes sense to combat "black is ugly" with "black is beautiful" and eventually "black is the ONLY beautiful thing."). The documentary is about why most African-Americans have a social-psychological struggle with this. One girl said she used to come home and wash her skin to get the "black off." She used to hate her father because she has his skin complexion. A woman said she used to beg her mother to put bleach in the bath tub so she could whiten her skin everyday. Unfortunately, there are people around the world who bleach their skin, including Reggae artist Vybz Kartel and Sammy Sosa.

This documentary also speaks to why various races, ethnicities, and cultures around the world have struggled with issues of skin complexion, hair texture, and body features. Some European ethnicities have also struggled with this.

ETA: StealthMode, they just showed the part of the documentary in which two Black men said they preferred darker Black women. One man said he wants his children to be darker like pharoahs and queens. Then he said "I'm being real ignorant right now" so he knew he was talking crazy. LOL.


Random: I love Bourdain's CNN show.

A FB friend "shared" an Asian Interpretation meme the other day. I wouldn't be surprised to see that from an 11 year old middle schooler. I was surprised to see it from a 33 year old woman. I just commented "Really?" She replied "Lighten up! It's a joke." SMDH.

Are they getting published? I want to buy an autographed copy, please. :)

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

ETA: Kitchen porn? Oh.

Oh I don't think she really has to worry about this meanness not being shared already. It's very nice when PNMs show people who they really are before recruitment!

Not at all but still saddened.

You are on a roll.

I'm just wondering if she's attempting to insult members of every sorority on UVA's campus? She's gotten KD and Theta down...14 more to go! She can see what it's like to "tow" that line when recruitment comes round.

I do want to see it because it is a subject that I want to incorporate into my research. It's incredibly intriguing and incredibly heartbreaking.
Unfortunately, a young man I once dated had a similar complex. His father (who abandoned him) was light skinned with gray eyes. He simultaneously was attracted to light skin (both in the women he dated and wishing he had it himself) and made borderline insulting comments about it, too. Of course, his resentment against light-skin had little to do with the skin and signified a deeper issue with his dad, but he came to associate dark skin with not being worth anything or worth keeping around. :( This was the same young man who said one of the things he loved best about me was my "good hair." :rolleyes: I'm almost laughing remembering the look on his face. I'm sure he was expecting me to say "Thank you" rather than the...er....passionate...reaction I had.


So thaaaaaat's where the FB status originated.

There can't possibly be THAT many PNMs from Birmingham going through at UVA, right?

Especially with the rather distinctive name she used in her very first post. It seems like an odd alias, so it's probably real.

I agree...why make up a name when you already have a username?

Given the p.r. mess occasioned by the Maryland e-mail, I imagine most chapters would very much like to avoid pledging new members who don't have a firm grasp of what constitutes appropriate communication, be it via e-mail or in a chat group.

Bless your heart.

Cross menopausal shrews at your own risk.

TEAM MENOPAUSAL SHREW!

I think that in a deferred recruitment scenario, these women often unwittingly out themselves over the course of a semester.

I really need that on a tshirt.

I just watched the Paula Deen-Matt Lauer interview and thought it was compelling. Lauer asked tough questions, and, undeterred by her tears, asked the follow-ups that were necessary, which was good. I thought she answered honestly, and sincerely.

I was a fan of PD before, so her comments and thoughts caught me off guard. But given her sincerity, and in looking at the totality of her life, I can get past this.

I wish Paula Deen better things going forward. Anyone else seen the interview? if so, thoughts?

Wait - we're going back on topic?

I haven't seen the interview yet - but here's an interesting take:

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/c...wpisrc=flyouts

"Paula Deen is America’s racist grandma, and we should treat her as such. Racist Grandma may be racist, but she’s also your grandma. You can’t just disown her.

And, contrary to what some might think, having a racist grandma isn’t entirely bad. No doubt there are many white families where racism is passed down generation to generation like some cancerous gene. But for others, seeing that gene and knowing you’re predisposed to it is a warning sign, a nagging reminder to take preventive measures for yourself. I say let’s push racist Grandma back to center stage and let her keep talking."

First off, this entire thing is not just about that specific racial slur. It is about a whole bunch of craziness going on at "Paula Deen's crib", some of which is race-related.

I saw parts of the interview and it reminded me of Dog the Bounty Hunter's Larry King interview. Like I said 3 pages ago:

As always, certain minority groups are asked to have a "Come to Jesus" meeting and decide as a collective to silence all of the dissents. I would love for the mainstream to petition to other minority groups (such as ethnic Jews, LGBT, etc.) to definitively forgive and shut up about the topic. But, that will never happen. (No, not everyone in a group holds the same opinion. We do not have the same brain, thought processes, opinions, and behavioral patterns.)

I do not dislike Paula Deen. Responding to these types of things does not require hatred or dislike for a person. It takes much more than this unexcitedly stereotypical scenario to elicit such response from me. What these types of issues require (not from everyone but from those who are moved by the topic) is intolerance for certain actions and dynamics. It is not about changing personal opinions and changing whether they do racially intolerant things in their spare time. It is about voicing an opinion and showing purchasing power for Deen and companies that sponsor her. It is also about telling people that we cannot change your mind but we can hit your pocket if your mind begins to translate into hiring practices, workplace dynamics, and overall treatment of people. It is about saying that we will leave you alone about your individual personality quirks and controversial sense of humor if you will shut the hell up and not force other people to endure.

People should support Paula Deen if they like her products. However, if they support Paula Deen because they respect her freedom to not censor herself when appropriate, those supporters can choke on it. Would Paula Deen and her sons have started preaching if Deen's money wasn't messed with? Maybe, maybe not.

I know one thing, it annoys me to no end when people use phrases like "he who is without sin cast the first stone" for these types of things. When Paula Deen said that during the interview, I wanted to smack the TV screen. Idiots around the world, you WILL be judged for certain things by imperfect people. Think about that before you show your ass. We all make mistakes but do not preach to people, just APOLOGIZE and face the consequences. Idiots. The fact that Paula Deen used excuses about her background and the "he who is without sin" thing instead of just apologizing and facing the consequences, made me think she isn't really sorry. She's just saving face and saving her brand/money. It is one of the oldest tricks in the book.

This post is in regards to the allegations against Paula Deen-

After seeing some clips of her interview and reading more articles about this story I'm still unsure if Paula Deen is the worst racist of 2013 or if this is just character assassination from a disgruntled former employee. I've been waiting for all of the other people who've been around Deen to come forward with their own experiences of her racism and so far..crickets. It still seems to be she said/she said. If this was all trumped up just so she could win her lawsuit, I feel bad for PD..but of course if what is being alleged is true, actions have consequences and PD is going to have to live with them.

Here is a thoughtful, thought provoking, open letter I read on Facebook:

http://afroculinaria.com/

I think there is enough stuff posted in this thread out of Paula Deen's own mouth. Even her joke about her Black friend's Blackness will not be found funny by everyone. People who do not find it funny have every ability to be pissed. It is certainly not the first time that people respond to other people (comedians included) for making jokes that seem more driven by an uncomfortable belief system rather than "rough humor." Such is life.

I would be interested to see how this would go if this was about Paula Deen talking about another group of people--let's use LGBT as an illustration. If Paula Deen admitted to using a gay slur in the heat of anger or was taped making jokes with a homosexual friend that not everyone found funny; Paula Deen ranting about how homosexuality is traditionally frowned upon in the Deep South therefore she is an innocent and mindless product of her environment; and Paula Deen saying that she doesn't see what's wrong with HER USE of gay slurs because some of her chefs who are gay use them around each other (she said that about the racial slur). Yeahhhhh...I would love to see the LGBT community (as a collective, not individuals) say "haha...you're hilarious...have fun!!" Yeahhhhh...I would love to see people TELL the LGBT community that it was innocent and mindless fun on the part of an older white woman from the Deep South...therefore...there should be no negative opinions and potentially no negative consequences. I would also love to see companies underestimate the purchasing power of the LGBT community and the supporters of this community and say "nooo, we're keeping Paula Deen...but don't take this to mean that we are making a statement against you...."

Yeahhhhh...I won't hold my breath waiting for things like this to happen.

Whether or not Paula Deen is racist would depend on whether her prejudices are manifested into actions that negatively impact other people. Annoying people, angering people, not being considered funny, or hurting people's feelings are not the crux of racism. That is why diversity trainings and rainbow pissing ponies designed to get people to smile at each other don't work.

I did not understand much of what this culinary writer was saying. But, I gather that this writer is saying "I understand...it's how things happen...let's get together."

I respect that writer's opinion but some of us can multitask. We can talk about Paula Deen and tackle larger issues regarding the structure of racism. Yes, there are people of the African diaspora who were and still are consumers of Paula Deen. I was not and still am not among them but I enjoyed seeing her commercials.

I didn't realize Paula Deen might have been referencing an actual specific restaurant: http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2..._nostalgia.php

"I knew immediately which restaurant she was referring to -- Pittypat's Porch, named for the slave-owning Gone With The Wind character, which claims to be the longest continuously operational restaurant in Atlanta. It opened in 1967, and hasn't changed much in the intervening decades. It aims for "an atmosphere similar to an old plantation."

I always associated waiters (black and white) in white dinner jackets with older restaurant traditions (since I have family from New Orleans, my main experience was with Galatoire's, Brennan's, Antoine's, The Court of Two Sisters, Tujaques) but not with slavery.

That really doesn't help her cause. I don't think she was into it for the camp factor.

http://clatl.com/atlanta/pittypats-p...nt?oid=1958129

I thought it was a bit overwritten, his "points" too hard to decipher. Read about the first third and then gave up.

I might stop in more often, now that DrPhil is back.

And, as to not derail the thread....butter.

Oh, I didn't note it to "help her cause". I found it interesting that there was a specific restaurant she might have been "inspired" by when planning her brother's wedding. The fact that the restaurant apparently has bad food is decidedly unsouthern.

Yep.

My grandma was from Arkansas. "Southern" was the first thing I learned to cook.

So. much. good. food.