Racism and Other Stuff

So apparently Paula Deen has gone and lost her job because back in 1985 she said the word "nigger". And yes, I'm spelling the word out because I think we can handle it.

We all at Riches to Rags know I'm not a huge Paula Deen fan. But this has become a big news item so OF COURSE I feel the need to contribute.

Paula Deen was raised in the South. Most white people from the South were raised referring to black people as niggers. Was it right? Hell no but ALL ethnicities have racist names attributed to them (e.g., I'm a cracker and my kid is half beaner.)  But we have to remember that people from the South are wayyyyy behind us more-educated people in many ways (my theory is it's because they lost The War so are trying to stay in their 1865 ways.) Again, it's not right but it's a fact. Bless their hearts...but they're truly behind the rest of the world in acceptance and political correctness and well...everything (and no, I don't have facts and figures. But I did date a dude from the South in college and LET ME TELL YOU...I'm right.)

So here's my story and why I feel for Paula.

I was raised in a medium-sized city by a woman who was raised in a racist tiny "sunset town". There were black kids in my schools and neighborhoods so black people weren't an issue for me. Fast forward to my teen years. My friends and I were all of 17 years old when one night we decided to get some Boone's Farm and just get silly. We ended up at a black friend's apartment complex and just went buckwild!

"OH MAH GOSH, how much fun would it be to knock on people's doors and run???? SO. MUCH. FUN." Afterward our friends at the apartment are all like, "Dude, what the hell are you girls up to???" And I'm all giggling and I say, "Hahahaha!!! We nigg....." And then I stopped. Because what I was going to say was, "Hahahaha!!! We nigger knocked these people's doors!" But it hit me. The word "nigger". Holy shit! This was a phrase I grew up with. You knock, you run, it was nigger knocking. I never knew it as anything else...but I knew right then how wrong it was.

To this day, I have no clue why it was called that. It was something taught to me as a child. A phrase of hate - but it was so ingrained in me that I didn't even know it was wrong until I was 17 years old.

Again, not excusing Paula and her pathetic apologetic videos but I unfortunately understand where she comes from and how hate can be so embedded in people that they don't even know it's wrong.

(However, I wouldn't excuse anyone now for their hatred - remember that southern boy I dated in college? We tried to pick it back up again a few years ago but I realized he was still as racist and hateful as before - and I couldn't stomach it.)

It's 2013. There's no room for hate, whether against people of a different color, people of a different sexual orientation - or hell, OF ANYONE. Hate sucks. Get over it. I have no room for small-minded people who can't handle anyone different than they are.

Hopefully Paula has learned that the hate she was raised with was wrong. I think she has. Now she just needs a good PR person.

Random Trivia

Honey is made from BEE VOMIT???????

Not sure how I'm going to process that.

I need some time alone.