In regards to the Paula Deen issue...

Read the article at this link first:The Paula Deen Incident: You should know all that is being alleged before defending her.


I have wondered about this whole situation since it started coming up in the news.  I am not one to get too political on my FB or even on my website.  

I am not a huge PD fan, I have watched her show on Food Network a couple of times, but I don't love the Southern Drawl that sounds a little put on to me.  But I didn't NOT like her.  I basically tuned out on most of the press...until I read the attached article.  

It isn't just what this gentleman says in his article that hits home for me.  It is the memory it brings back to me.  About 6 years ago I was involved in a Womens Sorority that was not affiliated with any colleges.  It was basically a way for women to get together and support each other, do service work and have some fun.  

I belonged to my group for about 5 years right up until I began my adoption journey.  I remember when I adopted my first 2 little girls, Katy and Madyson Claire, just after that I attended a day out shopping and lunch with my Sorority Sisters.  One lady was new, she had just moved into the area and was a longtime friend of our Chapter President.  She was from Oklahoma and was talking to the other ladies about growing up in the south.  

She told a story about the town she grew up in and mentioned an area of the town that had "Porch Monkeys".  I remember asking her to repeat herself.  In fact I think I asked her to repeat herself a few times and she finally said, "Yes, I said porch monkeys!  What do you call them?"

I remember I didn't answer her right away, I looked up and down the table we were sitting at to see if anyone else was really listening to this conversation besides me.  I remember several of the ladies looking away as I tried to catch their eye.  Did they not hear her?  Did I misunderstand what she was talking about?

"What is a Porch Monkey?"  I asked her.  Even though I was sure I already knew.  

"You know, black people!"  She spat back at me!

I know my face was flushed and my neck was hot.  I could hardly breathe, let alone get the next words out.  "Why would you say that?"  I shouted!  "Are you crazy?  My daughters are black!  I can't believe you would say that in front of me!"  I know I was standing up at this point, and one of the other ladies put her hand on my arm and told me to sit down and stop yelling.  I was flustered because I had expected the others to be as upset as I was...but they weren't.

I sat there, steaming mad, listening to them pick their conversations back up.  Not one of them looking in my direction or saying anything else to me again.  A little while later the woman who said those things left with her friend, our Chapter President.  Then the rest of us left to drive home.  I had ridden in a car with a few others, we got into the car and started driving.  No one said one word to me.

I, of course had no intention of being a part of their group anymore.  I was just so shocked at the raw form of racism that I had just witnessed.  I was, of course, very naive as that was not the last time I would witness racism. 

That woman reminds me very much of Paula Deen.  She felt that her upbringing, her Southern roots so to speak, entitled her to use that shocking insult.  So at this point I have to say, I don't care where you were brought up or how people spoke when you were a kid, in the dark ages!

Unless you just crawled out from under a rock and want to crawl back in there, you should NOT be using derrogatory names for ANYBODY!  

And if you do...then you will and should suffer the consequences!

Ignorance is not an EXCUSE!!