Paula Deen Has Type 2 Diabetes

[FunnyJohn]

Shocking News!

[kirite]

Truly shocking! Does this mean that her dietary habits are to blame? Mon Dieu!

[DanielK]

The fucked up part of this story is that she's known for FOUR YEARS and is only now revealing this to her audience.

And is her message changing to "butter is fine, in moderation, but make sure you eat healthy and exercise so you stay around a while"? Nope, it's "let me get my fat ass to the bank and cash this check I get for pimping some new diabetes drug."

Just lost a whole lot of respect for her.

[Barbara]

Nope, it's "let me get my fat ass to the bank and cash this check I get for pimping some new diabetes drug."

Yeah, this is bad form. She is in the wrong business to promote diabetes solutions. Let's hope she has better luck than Patti LaBelle--who shilled for estrogen replacement therapy right before the studies came out showing that it might cause heart attacks, and then for Avandia (for diabetes) right before it was slammed for causing more harm than good and taken off the market.

[FunnyJohn]

I confess that I enjoy many of the personalities on the Food Network, yes even Bobby and Rachel (sorry Dan). Deen, however, has always put me off my feed, and her recipes have always struck me as downright lethal. I often asked myself:so when will she be having her coronary bypass? Now we know -- damn soon.

[darkstar965]

It is such a bummer and lost opportunity that the bully pulpit will now be about treatment and marketing a drug rather than prevention. A really great thing could come from this unfortunate news. But seems that it won't. Monster-sized sigh...

[Barbara]

It is such a bummer and lost opportunity that the bully pulpit will now be about treatment and marketing a drug rather than prevention. A really great thing could come from this unfortunate news. But seems that it won't. Monster-sized sigh...

True dat. See my post above. Too many people want to just take a pill, rather than change their eating and exercise habits, which is admittedly a lot harder to do. Still, I'm the last person who will be surprised if this new drug is taken off the market in a few years for ineffectiveness or dangerous side effects. Interestingly, there was a study out not long ago which showed that a very low calorie diet (for what length of time, I don't know) can essentially "cure" Type 2. Unfortunately, there's no money in that, so no publicity.

[dcs]

I say give her a break. Nobody here has any bad habits?

[DonRocks]

I say give her a break. Nobody here has any bad habits?

Here's what I rough-Tweeted (*) today before deciding not to submit it - not because of anything I saw here, but because of all the gleeful hand-wringing that was showing up on Facebook.

"Anyone who is vested in discussing the Paula Deen fiasco needs to think about getting a life."

For a reference point, I couldn't have picked Paula Deen out of a lineup of 19th-century American Presidents before this week (refer to first lady Martha Stewart, née Mariana Stankovich). I knew the name - that's about all she was worth to me then, and that's about all she's worth to me now.

I also thought about writing the following, which I'll now submit:

"The amount of food news coverage on the internet is an order of magnitude greater than the market can bear."

Just a couple of thoughts to brighten your day.

(*) Term coin #146,867

[lillith]

I'm with dcs on this one. One can't assume that diabetes is caused by diet; there are multiple risk factors including stress and genetic predisposition. There is a growing body of evidence that trauma earlier can contribute to a huge number of illnesses, and diabetes is one of them. I seem to remember that she suffered from anxiety or agoraphobia early on. That's evidence of a lot of stress right there.It's tempting but futile to think we know the cause of a particular person's illness

My intent here is not to argue for Paula Deen's way of cooking and eating. It's not at all my cup of tea, but I can see that it was successful for her as a business model. And who can deny the appeal of tasty, fat-laden treats? How many on this board have written longingly of doughnuts, burgers topped with bacon (everything topped with bacon, really) and such artery-clogging delights?

I'd rather see a focus on how to live with illness and how food can contribute to health. And yes, I would like to see her use her position as today's poster child for Type 2 diabetes to talk about how to live and eat well within the bounds of medical recommendations. But her choice is her own. If the voluntary health agencies devoted to diabetes are smart (and they are), they will find a way to use this publicity to their advantage.

[dcs]

In the immortal words of Paul McCartney: "And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make."

[Pat]

Deen, however, has always put me off my feed, and her recipes have always struck me as downright lethal. I often asked myself:so when will she be having her coronary bypass? Now we know -- damn soon.

I don't recall how long ago it was (a year or two ago?) that I saw an interview with her where she said that she rarely in real life eats the kinds of foods she prepares/eats on her shows. (Of course, this would have been after she already had been diagnosed with the diabetes.) It struck me that I was correct in just seeing her whole schtick as a commercial gimmick. I wasn't terribly surprised. I was a bit surprised that she had this diagnosis for 3-4 years and said nothing until she was announcing a drug endorsement deal.

Recently, a food blogger I follow had this post, which fascinated me. It's about Paula Deen's very old shows, which had much healthier food and she was much thinner.

Personally, I don't think she's responsible for counseling people in how to eat healthier, but it is especially crass to have her one son's show making healthier versions of her recipes debut around the same time that she's announcing that she's going to be paid to advertise a diabetes drug.

Tacky.

[Barbara]

I say give her a break. Nobody here has any bad habits?

It isn't that, at least not for me. I come at this from trying to alter what I eat in order to stay healthy. I just wish someone in Paula's position would show us all how to make food that is nutritous (easy) and also tastes good (hard). You can always add butter, cheese, and bacon to almost anything to make it taste good. I lasted a month on the Ornish diet (vegan and no fat) and had a terrible time coming up with food that was half-way tasty. I lost 7 lbs. that month, probably out of sheer boredom. While we've altered that terribly strict regimen to some extent, by adding in seafood, olive oil, and some dairy products, I'm still not going to offer a vegan meal to guests. I just haven't found one that is good enough to foist on my friends. It has to be twice as hard for people who don't know how to cook in the first place. With the epidemic of Type 2, this type of diet is vitally important and very difficult to do well.

[Ilaine]

Schadenfreude can be a very ugly thing. It is only really satisfying when the person who got the bad news really deserved it. In which case, it feels like justice. Still not nice, but satisfying.

That said, there is a lot of disagreement and debate about what causes Type 2 diabetes, and what diet is best to prevent it, and what diet is best to control it.

I have Type 2 diabetes myself, and the way to get my blood sugar under control is low carb, not low fat. A lot of very healthy people with Type 2 diabetes eat high protein, high fat, low carb, primal, paleo and got their diabetes under control.

Not that Paula Deen is primal or paleo. I have never watched one of her shows but I know that for certain. My impression is that she grew up in a traditional way and promoted traditional food ways that she learned growing up, that please people, and that she values pleasing people. Trying to please others rather than take care of yourself is not an unusual way to wind up doing unhealthy things.

My image/metaphor for the discussion/debate is that I feel as if I were in a large stadium, say, the Superdome, and every seat is occupied by expert with an expert opinion, and they are all shouting at once at the top of their voices, and they are all saying different things. Who to believe?

I agree with everybody who says that you can't eat an unhealthy diet and fix it with a pill.

[DonRocks]

My image/metaphor for the discussion/debate is that I feel as if I were in a large stadium, say, the Superdome, and every seat is occupied by expert with an expert opinion, and they are all shouting at once at the top of their voices, and they are all saying different things. Who to believe?

You believe donrockwell.com

[FunnyJohn]

While diet may or may not be a cause of type 2 diabetes -- obesity is most definitely one. To the extent that obesity may be controled through a diet, and in the overwhelming number of cases it can, with exercise too, diet is a factor in developing type 2 diabetes. Although I haven't watched her shows very often, I have seen Deen a number of times recently in appearances on other talk shows, etc. and I have never heard her utter a word of caution about over-indulging in the type of food she was preparing -- high fat/high carb. And now she is earning a paycheck as a spokesperson for a diabetes drug...

[full disclosure: I have been at the tipping point for type 2 diabetes for nearly a decade, and it is a daily struggle staying on the right side of the precipice, so I hope y'all forgive me for a little rightious indignation -- diabetes is nearly epidemic in this country and it need not be]

[Pat]

Serious Eats has this piece on the subject. The part where they quote her as saying that the reason she didn't reveal her diabetes for years was because God would tell her when to do that; paraphrasing: ("I knew when it was time [to tell], it would be in God's time") about made me choke. I looked at the Eater piece quoting Bourdain (which wasn't as ugly as I would have thought), and I have to agree that it's the hypocrisy of this that's most galling to me. She knew for years that she had this diagnosis and said nothing, while her shows promoting unhealthy food continued to air, and she only spoke up when it coincided with a deal to sponsor a diabetes drug. Wow.

I'll occasionally watch Sandra Lee for entertainment, even though I hold no illusions about the quality of her food. I always felt the same about Paula Deen. (The only one of her recipes I've made turned out awful.) Food as entertainment is one thing, but this shows some pretty amazing nerve.

[DonRocks]

diabetes is nearly epidemic in this country and it need not be

I respectfully disagree, John - it is extremely difficult to eat a healthy diet in these modern times. I hate to use the word "inevitable," but the aging baby boomers - the first massive group to fully reap the EZ-life "benefits" of television, frozen dinners, Wonder Bread, and McDonald's after the tragic hardship of WWII - are now finding that reaping to be quite grim.

The free market, accompanied by poorly regulated technological "advances," has contributed enormously to many of society's health issues. We can all point fingers, but we're standing in a house of mirrors, with no emergency exit in case of fire.

[FunnyJohn]

Don - it's not just aging baby boomers who are developing type 2 diabetes -- it's becoming a big problem with teens and even younger people. I do not accept that we are the inevitable victims of what is now readily edible. To think that this is something we need to accept means that we will become a nation of patients with truly life limiting disabilities which no health care system can cope with.

[DonRocks]

To think that this is something we need to accept means that we will become a nation of patients with truly life limiting disabilities which no health care system can cope with.

We kinda are.

(I didn't mean to imply Type 2 diabetes was a disease of the elderly.)

[Chef Tom]

I just finished reading Good Calories, Bad Calories, Dr. Gary Taubes.

It's long, highly scientific and fascinating.

A must read when discussing diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

All of which have correlation to each other and are directly impacted by our diets. But not in the way Pharmaceutical Companies, Multi-National Food Companies and Governments have led us to believe.

Happy reading.

[Barbara]

IMHO, the biggest problem we have is the lack of exercise to go along with the abundance of processed food. If you look at typical lifestyles from not that long ago, they were relentlessly labor-intensive and people were moving all day long. We've built suburbs where you have to get in your car and drive to anywhere because too many roads have no sidewalks and too many housing developments don't have walkable resources. For most of us, work is sedentary. It really is vastly different from how everybody lived in the generation before mine.

[Ilaine]

IMHO, the biggest problem we have is the lack of exercise to go along with the abundance of processed food. If you look at typical lifestyles from not that long ago, they were relentlessly labor-intensive and people were moving all day long. We've built suburbs where you have to get in your car and drive to anywhere because too many roads have no sidewalks and too many housing developments don't have walkable resources. For most of us, work is sedentary. It really is vastly different from how everybody lived in the generation before mine.

Barbara, I really agree with you. I think the obesity epidemic got started when half the population got computers and pretty much everybody got cable and big screen TVs.

I am looking for a workout buddy to help me get motivated. I live near Braddock Road in Fairfax if there are any takers.

[darkstar965]

I just finished reading Good Calories, Bad Calories, Dr. Gary Taubes.

It's long, highly scientific and fascinating.

A must read when discussing diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

All of which have correlation to each other and are directly impacted by our diets. But not in the way Pharmaceutical Companies, Multi-National Food Companies and Governments have led us to believe.

Happy reading.

Gary Taubes is a very credible authority unlike many others who write on diet and nutrition. His views are a bit outside the mainstream but I agree totally worth reading. I got a lot of value and insight from it. Good Calories Bad Calories is becoming a bit of a classic but it's dense. He more recently published a more digestible version (pun intended) of the same work I'd recommend. Here it is from the best bookstore around. And, don't be misled by the title; it has a ton of relevance to those most svelte among us.

IMHO, the biggest problem we have is the lack of exercise to go along with the abundance of processed food. If you look at typical lifestyles from not that long ago, they were relentlessly labor-intensive and people were moving all day long. We've built suburbs where you have to get in your car and drive to anywhere because too many roads have no sidewalks and too many housing developments don't have walkable resources. For most of us, work is sedentary. It really is vastly different from how everybody lived in the generation before mine.

Absolutely. No either/or on this methinks. Diet and fitness are both key. And, there are virtually no absolutes because we're all wired differently in terms of genetics and dna before even addressing environmental factors like diet, exercise, stress, etc. That individual variability is why some of the biggest tech companies (GE, IBM, Google) are investing hugely in "personalized medicine," a fascinating field that will be the norm in healthcare in the future. That variability is also why any recommended regimen (diet or fitness) can be knocked by citing anecdotal exceptions. As example, people will say things like (this is just a hypothetical) "my grandfather, or whomever, ate 5 twinkies and smoked a pack of cigarettes every day for all 98 years of his life; therefore I don't believe that twinkies are bad for me." Others would shake their heads in disgust at such 'ignorance' but the anecdote is still the anecdote which, of course, does not suggest twinkies are healthy.

At the end of the day, moderation across food types and fitness is probably a good universal rule along with realization that what works for one might not work for another and, most of all, knowledge. Can't know enough about how to live a healthy life. Taubes is one of many good authorities. Pollan another.

[Barbara]

I am looking for a workout buddy to help me get motivated. I live near Braddock Road in Fairfax if there are any takers.

Sorry--I live in the middle of DC and don't own a car. My problem is that *%^% Circulator Bus. Before that bus route started coming through Adams Morgan, I used to walk to the WF on P Street (and, depending on how much I had to carry) sometimes would walk to Dupont Circle to catch the bus home. I also always walked to Columbia Heights. However, that bus drops me off right at 14th and P (WF) or to 14th and Irving (where the Target is). It is often just too tempting to take it.

[thetrain]

While diet may or may not be a cause of type 2 diabetes -- obesity is most definitely one. To the extent that obesity may be controled through a diet, and in the overwhelming number of cases it can, with exercise too, diet is a factor in developing type 2 diabetes.

[full disclosure: I have been at the tipping point for type 2 diabetes for nearly a decade, and it is a daily struggle staying on the right side of the precipice, so I hope y'all forgive me for a little rightious indignation -- diabetes is nearly epidemic in this country and it need not be]

Completly anecdotal - but on the Biggest Loser they have a mid season 'check in' with the doctor to see what losing a moderate amount of weight has done to their health. In every show I've seen, every diabetic no longer needs insulin and most are no longer considered diabetic. Insane.

In contrast, my grandmother is diabetic and my mother (not yet 60) is pre-diabetic. Niether are remotely close to what most people would consider overweight, they have 'normal' BMIs, but they put on 30lbs from what they weighed in their 20s. Is that weight alone enough to cause it? Who knows.

[Tujague]

Today it's been reported that Paula Deen's publicist resigned over her signing the deal with Novo Nordisk, which is reportedly bringing her in $6 million dollars over two years. For me, the publicist's money quote is this: "We did great work together and built a terrific brand." Exactly--Deen isn't a cook or author, she's a brand, and this whole debacle is her attempt to protect that brand. Certainly that's her right, and I don't condemn her for that any more than I blame her for her diagnosis, which is not uncommon among persons of her age or profession. But in announcing her diabetes diagnosis, Deen said that she waited to announce it until she "had something to bring to the table." Well, as we can see, she waited until someone had something to bring to HER table--clearly, she had nothing to bring herself. And that damns any claim she can make for herself as a chef/cook/spokesperson (which raises the obvious issue of what her profession is--the world's oldest, I assume).

[Barbara]

Completly anecdotal - but on the Biggest Loser they have a mid season 'check in' with the doctor to see what losing a moderate amount of weight has done to their health. In every show I've seen, every diabetic no longer needs insulin and most are no longer considered diabetic. Insane.

I admit that I don't usually watch that show, but have looked in on it once or twice. I saw people working out like mad. I do, however, watch "Dancing with the Stars" religiously and, similarly, the "celebrities" (and I use that term advisedly) also seem to lose a lot weight because of the strenous amount of physical activity. Kirstie Alley being a prime example. They kept having to take in her costumes because she kept losing weight throughout her time there. Just reinforces my thought that exercise is the real key for a whole host of things.

[thetrain]

Today it's been reported that Paula Deen's publicist resigned over her signing the deal with Novo Nordisk, which is reportedly bringing her in $6 million dollars over two years.

They updated that article to include "The Daily, the publication that originally broke the rumors that Deen was about to announce her diagnosis, last Thursday, is now reporting both that Paula has high blood pressure and that she will make $6 million over two years for her work promoting Victoza."

[qwertyy]

(which raises the obvious issue of what her profession is--the world's oldest, I assume).

Whoa. Did you really just go there?

[jayandstacey]

As mentioned, the causes of Type 2 are myriad and interwoven...but I find it useful to make a comparison to a car.

If we put dirty oil in our cars, the dirt will leave deposits and generally gum things up. If we put in too much oil, the pressure will also create problems. Cars are built differently with different parts, so some will survive better than others under these conditions - but eventually, the oil pump is likely to no longer work sufficiently on its own...and will need insulin to help keep that dirty oil moving under higher pressure. If we eat less, eat better, exercise the engine - all these things will help the pump and probably remove the need for insulin.

Simply put, type 2 diabetes is the body performing inadequately under stressors, so the options are to remove the stressors or to chemically boost the body's performance to meet the needs of the stressors. Guess which one the pharmacueticals would prefer??

In Type 1, the oil pump burnt up and took down some of the engine area around it - so you can't buy a new internal pump - you need an external pump (and here the phrase 'external pump' applies both to the hypothertical car oil pump and to the body's need for insulin). With type 1, dirty oil or high pressure doesn't matter - the engine has completely failed and the car dies without a continuous, permanent solution. The oil pump may burn in situations where it wasn't abused, rather it was just faulty to begin with. Thus type 1s can be kids, skinny people, etc.

Anyway, eff Paula Deen. Her approach is insidious and essentially a tax on stupid and/or poor people's health in the way lotto tickets are a money-reducing tax on those same folks. She's hawking culinary lawn darts while her own eye's been poked out and she hasn't told us.

Our Mothers warned us about getting our eyes poked out.

[Tujague]

As mentioned, the causes of Type 2 are myriad and interwoven...but I find it useful to make a comparison to a car.

Anyway, eff Paula Deen. Her approach is insidious and essentially a tax on stupid and/or poor people's health in the way lotto tickets are a money-reducing tax on those same folks. She's hawking culinary lawn darts while her own eye's been poked out and she hasn't told us.

I will say that I wish that HuffingtonPost and other websites would stop posting spy videos of Deen eating cheeseburgers and the like since announcing her diagnosis. It's just as obnoxious and irresponsible as when someone like Michelle Obama gets castigated for visiting Shake Shack, contributes to the misinformation and confusion in the public mind about Type 2 diabetes and other diseases, and distorts the whole conversation about healthy eating.

[Ilaine]

I will say that I wish that HuffingtonPost and other websites would stop posting spy videos of Deen eating cheeseburgers and the like since announcing her diagnosis. It's just as obnoxious and irresponsible as when someone like Michelle Obama gets castigated for visiting Shake Shack, contributes to the misinformation and confusion in the public mind about Type 2 diabetes and other diseases, and distorts the whole conversation about healthy eating.

How does this distort the conversation?

It's a fact that many people with type 2 diabetes practice massive denial.

It's a fact that people who hold themselves out as spokespersons for a lifestyle will be accused of hypocrisy, at best, and cynical manipulation, at worst, when they are seen in public doing what they said don't do.

You can say, "do what I say, not what I do," and it may be the truth, but let someone who's consistent be the spokesperson, and you can be the horrible example of what happens if you don't.

[Tujague]

How does this distort the conversation?

It's a fact that many people with type 2 diabetes practice massive denial.

It's a fact that people who hold themselves out as spokespersons for a lifestyle will be accused of hypocrisy, at best, and cynical manipulation, at worst, when they are seen in public doing what they said don't do.

You can say, "do what I say, not what I do," and it may be the truth, but let someone who's consistent be the spokesperson, and you can be the horrible example of what happens if you don't.

The last I checked Paula Deen never claimed that she doesn't ever indulge in less-than-healthy food since her diagnosis, so what's the point of posting "gotcha" videos of her doing so, videos that are completely devoid of any context? What does it add of substance to the conversation about Type 2 diabetes? Absolutely nothing; if anything, people use them as an excuse not to approach the issues thoughtfully, and that is what is distortive. There's plenty to find abhorrent about Deen, and that is worthy of discussion; the videos only invite--and embody--gossip.

[goldenticket]

I thought this article provided an interesting perspective about how someone else in the food/restaurant celebrity business (Joe Bastianich) dealt with his own health concerns. Granted he is a paid spokesman for Lipitor, but he's no longer taking the medication and has "walked the walk" to getting healthy.

[Barbara]

I thought this article provided an interesting perspective about how someone else in the food/restaurant celebrity business (Joe Bastianich) dealt with his own health concerns. Granted he is a paid spokesman for Lipitor, but he's no longer taking the medication and has "walked the walk" to getting healthy.

Thanks for posting this. I had seen him recently on his mother's PBS show and thought he was looking downright gaunt and wondered if he had been through some sort of illness. Good for him; I'm glad he's showing others the way. Funnily enough, I was already planning on serving a variation on this fennel salad--that I saw his mother make some ago and really love--for dinner tonight.

[porcupine]

It is such a bummer and lost opportunity that the bully pulpit will now be about treatment and marketing a drug rather than prevention.

True dat. See my post above. Too many people want to just take a pill, rather than change their eating and exercise habits, which is admittedly a lot harder to do.

Granted he is a paid spokesman for Lipitor, but he's no longer taking the medication and has "walked the walk" to getting healthy.

It is worth remembering, though, that for some people diet and exercise will have little or no effect on certain conditions, like cholesterol levels. "Lipitor," my doctor said, "is made for people like you."

[Heather]

It is worth remembering, though, that for some people diet and exercise will have little or no effect on certain conditions, like cholesterol levels. "Lipitor," my doctor said, "is made for people like you."

It's called polygenic hypercholesterolemia, and it runs in my family. Fat or thin, dieting or not, we all have high cholesterol than is most effectively controlled by medication. The specific genes involved haven't been discovered as far as I know.

[Barbara]

It is worth remembering, though, that for some people diet and exercise will have little or no effect on certain conditions, like cholesterol levels. "Lipitor," my doctor said, "is made for people like you."

Just to clarify: I wasn't referring to folks with inherent conditions; rather, to people like my late mother who thought pills were the solution to everything, including diet and exercise. Joe Bastianich is clearly one of those people able to control his health through his own efforts. I can't applaud him enough.

[FunnyJohn]

It's called polygenic hypercholesterolemia, and it runs in my family. Fat or thin, dieting or not, we all have high cholesterol than is most effectively controlled by medication. The specific genes involved haven't been discovered as far as I know.

Interesting -- I had never heard the specific term for the condition. When I went on Lipitor about 15 years ago, I tried for about a year before to control my cholesterol through diet, and no matter what, my number remained constant. The way my Dr. explained it was that some people just produce more cholesterol irrespective of diet, and, yep, Lipitor is for them. BTW I read an article some time ago about the other benefits of statins and that the Brits were considering just giving all males above the age of 40 a pill that was a cocktail of statins, aspirin and other anti-inflammatories routinely. Don't think they followed through though, probably due to cost.

[Heather]

Joe Bastianich is clearly one of those people able to control his health through his own efforts. I can't applaud him enough.

Through his own efforts, and the pills he was a spokesman for.

My life depends on pills. There is no aspect of my metabolism that operates on its own steam. I eat normal meals and walk every day. Despite that, I have a difficult time losing weight because while the pills simulate thyroid function, they are kept at an artificially low level to avoid damage premature damage to my heart. None of my medical history is apparent just by looking at me, though. It's easy to think you know the whole story, and condemn someone for "bad behavior." The truth is that unless you are their doctor, it's probably wise to be less judgemental.

Not to say that she hasn't handled this badly, but I have to wonder how much fear of losing her livelihood influenced it. She was an unknown single mom that overcame poverty, agoraphobia, and panic attacks to become a success based on a certain TV-defined persona - a "brand." The prospect of losing that brand isn't pleasant. She should have had better advisors & PR.

[darkstar965]

Absolutely. Heather's post just above is exactly why individual variability is so important to consider and discuss. I posted about this more upthread but clearly we are all wired differently from before birth -- genetics mostly. So, what works for one may not work for another. Drugs clearly have been a godsend for many people with many conditions. Again, from Post #24 above, this is the idea behind the growing field of personalized medicine which offers a lot of exciting potential for the future. That's why it's such a huge focus for several Fortune 100 companies and government.

At the same time, that doesn't change the idea that emphasizing prevention over treatment is probably a good idea for societies and many people as a broad concept (across many conditions and diseases). Prevention has to do with diet, exercise, stress management and the like. We don't do a good job of this in the US and much of the developed world.

As example, we know that some people can live long, relatively healthy lives while smoking a pack a day. There are anecdotal examples of this.

We also know that the rate of emphysema, lung cancer and other diseases is much higher with smokers than without. That contradiction is true for most any condition or disease one might name. So, knowledge is a good thing and emphasizing prevention in informed ways, while no guarantee due to individual differences, is probably a good idea for most people from early in life. Using smoking as the easier example, hard to imagine many parents encouraging their children to develop a lifelong, unfiltered cigarette smoking habit even though it's statistically possible (however unlikely) it might not hurt them.

If you believe the above is sound, then the sadness about Paula Deen (aside from her own condition of course), is that there was and is a big opportunity for her to persuade and educate people about prevention. She doesn't have to do that--it is her choice--but she's a public figure who might feel some responsibility to do so. The drug she is now marketing for big compensation is an important tool in healthcare. But her ongoing story implies wrongly that a drug is the only or best tool for everyone because she isn't saying or doing anything to dispel those notions. She could do a very good thing to put productive contours around the Type 2 epidemic in a way that might help millions who watch and love her. That would imply emphasizing prevention and also discussing treatment. But, at least so far, she isn't so motivated to do that.

[MsDiPesto]

Through his own efforts, and the pills he was a spokesman for.

My life depends on pills. There is no aspect of my metabolism that operates on its own steam. I eat normal meals and walk every day. Despite that, I have a difficult time losing weight because while the pills simulate thyroid function, they are kept at an artificially low level to avoid damage premature damage to my heart. None of my medical history is apparent just by looking at me, though. It's easy to think you know the whole story, and condemn someone for "bad behavior." The truth is that unless you are their doctor, it's probably wise to be less judgemental.

Not to say that she hasn't handled this badly, but I have to wonder how much fear of losing her livelihood influenced it. She was an unknown single mom that overcame poverty, agoraphobia, and panic attacks to become a success based on a certain TV-defined persona - a "brand." The prospect of losing that brand isn't pleasant. She should have had better advisors & PR.

Same here, a regimen of pills every morning for underfunctioning thyroid and adrenals.

Re Ms. Deen, having adverse experiences earlier in life very often affects how you react to events later in life that threaten your security.

[Heather]

It is sad that she hasn't chosen to use this as an opportunity to educate, but she is performing an important service - she is enabling us to congratulate ourselves that we would have done better.

I wonder how much class is playing into the approbriation. If it was a French chef, would we be as quick to condemn? It's not like steak & bernaise are fat-free.

[DanielK]

My objection isn't that she's shilling for a pill, or that she isn't becoming the spokesperson for moderation, or that she kept personal medical information to herself.

My objection is that she sat on the personal information for years until the deal for the pill came along, and then decided to share. This crosses the line from sellout to asshat.

[Tujague]

I wonder how much class is playing into the approbriation. If it was a French chef, would we be as quick to condemn? It's not like steak & bernaise are fat-free.

More than we care to admit, I imagine, though sometimes that is a mask for regional and rural prejudices that aren't necessarily related to economic status. And some observers have noted some possible sexism and body type bias as well. In the end, we really know nothing of the underlying factors, so it's all useless speculation.

If you believe the above is sound, then the sadness about Paula Deen (aside from her own condition of course), is that there was and is a big opportunity for her to persuade and educate people about prevention. She doesn't have to do that--it is her choice--but she's a public figure who might feel some responsibility to do so. The drug she is now marketing for big compensation is an important tool in healthcare. But her ongoing story implies wrongly that a drug is the only or best tool for everyone because she isn't saying or doing anything to dispel those notions. She could do a very good thing to put productive contours around the Type 2 epidemic in a way that might help millions who watch and love her. That would imply emphasizing prevention and also discussing treatment. But, at least so far, she isn't so motivated to do that.

My objection isn't that she's shilling for a pill, or that she isn't becoming the spokesperson for moderation, or that she kept personal medical information to herself.

My objection is that she sat on the personal information for years until the deal for the pill came along, and then decided to share. This crosses the line from sellout to asshat.

Or, to look at it a different way: she responded by trading on her celebrity status rather than as her credentials as a cook/chef. Obviously, the two pretty much blend into one with such TV personalities. But for Deen to vacate whatever professional bona fides she had so easily suggests that they have pretty much been cannibalized by her stardom, leaving her with nothing but her name to offer. Sellout, or asshat, or whatever name you want to give, it's a sad comment what is considered to be most valuable.

[Barbara]

I wonder how much class is playing into the approbriation. If it was a French chef, would we be as quick to condemn? It's not like steak & bernaise are fat-free.

Here is what I believe is Pierre Franey's last book:

http://www.amazon.co...30039810&sr=1-1

He died of a heart attack on a cruse ship where he was hired to give cooking demonstrations, which means the recipes in the book came too late to do him any good. His daughter edited it and provided commentary and published it after his death. What I found surprising to learn was that Paul Bocuse lost 50 pounds on a low-fat diet, without much publicity. This book is full of the kind of low-fat cooking that Bocuse used to lose weight. There are shills and then there are shills.

The point I keep trying to make here is that we all have the responsibility for our own health. And, that means dealing with our genetic heritages, too. Joe Bastianich took the bull by the horns before things got out of hand and did (and keeps doing) the hard work to stay healthy. Paula Deen--not so much. They both have food empires to manage, but the rest of us are on our own. Our successes and failures aren't going to be played out in public, like theirs. We also aren't being paid to shill for pharmaceuticals or food stuffs.

[porcupine]

It's called polygenic hypercholesterolemia,

Ah, I knew there was some name for it - thanks.

Just to clarify: I wasn't referring to folks with inherent conditions; rather, to people like my late mother who thought pills were the solution to everything, including diet and exercise.

Better living through chemistry! Yeah, I had relatives like that, too. Suddenly I have a Joe Jackson song in my head.

[jayandstacey]

I wonder how much class is playing into the approbriation. If it was a French chef, would we be as quick to condemn? It's not like steak & bernaise are fat-free.

For me, it isn't playing in at all. This is to me like the investment firms that pitched certain securities to their clients, then made their own big invetsments against those same positions. They are fairly high class - upper crust of NYC and all that. Their actions are decidedly low class.

I'm with Daniel - she could have just sold out in a number of ways, instead she asshattedly maximized the opportunity to her own benefit while creating two Paulas, both accentuating the wrongs of the other.

[thetrain]

She should have had better advisors & PR.

That's the thing - her PR person quit over this, BEFORE it went public. People were wondering why her publicist abruptly quit a month before this all came out. Its pretty implicit her publicist didn't think this was a good idea, and quit when it became clear Paula was going forward with it anyway, despite advice not too. The publicist didn't want anything to do with it.

I get she didn't want to lose her livelihood, but the whole healthy eating, lose weight, we are an obese nation bandwagon is big and getting bigger. There is plenty of money to be made going that route. I'm sure some network would pay big bucks to have her on some weight loss show.

[darkstar965]

Suddenly I have a Joe Jackson song in my head.

Huh?

[monavano]

I think one of reasons that Paula didn't reveal her diagnosis was to protect her son Bobby, who was developing his own show. The backlash would have made Bobby less appealing and more of a gamble for a network.

[Pat]

I think one of reasons that Paula didn't reveal her diagnosis was to protect her son Bobby, who was developing his own show. The backlash would have made Bobby less appealing and more of a gamble for a network.

But isn't that the show where he re-makes his mother's recipes to make them healthier? I'd think that would have actually given a decent synergy to the whole thing.

[jayandstacey]

I think one of reasons that Paula didn't reveal her diagnosis was to protect her son Bobby, who was developing his own show. The backlash would have made Bobby less appealing and more of a gamble for a network.

But once a drug company came along with a sweet enough deal - well, F Bobby?

The root of the issue wasn't that she kept it secret, rather that whatever reasons she had to keep it secret were trumped when she could get paid enough to go public with it.

People certainly have the right to change their mind - but she's having her cake and eating it too by selling the poison then selling the antidote.

But alas, such a person might just keep a secret to protect her son, then reveal the secret to collect money from a pharmecutical company. Wouldn't surprise me too much.

[monavano]

I think Bobby's show theme is perennial, diabetes or not. He's been doing healthier dishes on Paula's show for a while now.

[jayandstacey]

I think Bobby's show theme is perennial, diabetes or not. He's been doing healthier dishes on Paula's show for a while now.

So....then he wouldn't need her to protect him by keeping diabetes on the downlow?

I'm sorry, this just really gets my goat. At 12 months, my daughter was diagnosed with type 1 and nearly died when her body organs started shutting down before we knew what was going on. Once in the hospital, she got an IV to give her fluids (including insulin) to stabilize her. Then that IV broke inside her thigh...as I held her...and she began to bleed from an artery. Thanks to diabetes, I found myself pinning my screaming, infant daughter down as a stranger plunged a knife into her thigh...without anethesia. It was the hardest thing to not punch this guy in the face - and yet I had to hold my daughter down so he could hurt her - to save her life. Diabetes isn't a damn negotiation tool. And her makeup-caked ass gets to make money coming and going from it? F her and the cheese casserole she rode in on.

Could she change her stripes and begin to give instead of only take? Maybe, and when she does, I will change my opinion of her and her actions. Until that time, I won't.

[qwertyy]

Diabetes isn't a damn negotiation tool.

Nor is it a public right to know the medical status of public personalities. Health is personal, folks. Neither she nor anyone else is obligated to lay out her private, medical issues and decisions for societal approval. While she could have chosen to step up and use that information to change the world or whatever, that would be a pretty damn courageous and personal choice--and not an obligation. When I was first diagnosed with my health issues, I kept them to myself. As years passed, and I've come to grips with them, and now I'm more open about it all. And you can bet your sweet ass that if someone offered me $X million today to shill for the medication that saved my life, I'd take it in a second, even if I wouldn't have even mentioned it in polite society just a year ago. Let's have a little empathy here. She's just human.

[monavano]

So....then he wouldn't need her to protect him by keeping diabetes on the downlow?

******

I wonder if Paula wanted to protect Bobby's show from the inevitable blowback. Who knows. I'm just pondering and have no idea what machinations there are in Paula's family and camp.

[Tujague]

Nor is it a public right to know the medical status of public personalities. Health is personal, folks. Neither she nor anyone else is obligated to lay out her private, medical issues and decisions for societal approval. While she could have chosen to step up and use that information to change the world or whatever, that would be a pretty damn courageous and personal choice--and not an obligation. When I was first diagnosed with my health issues, I kept them to myself. As years passed, and I've come to grips with them, and now I'm more open about it all. And you can bet your sweet ass that if someone offered me $X million today to shill for the medication that saved my life, I'd take it in a second, even if I wouldn't have even mentioned it in polite society just a year ago. Let's have a little empathy here. She's just human.

(I use the word empathize loosely here, since most of this is not my immediate experience, but just an effort at imaginative understanding.)

I can empathize with her receiving an unpleasant medical diagnosis. That's not easy for anyone, in any walk of life.

I can empathize with wanting to keep that medical diagnosis private, especially when that illness is fairly or not associated with a lifestyle, body type, region, or other issue that many look down upon, judge, and cast aspersions upon.

I can empathize with not wanting to damage one's brand or business, especially if there may be a perception between one's illness and that brand.

I can even empathize with taking millions to promote a medication that may help in managing that disease.

What I can't empathize with is, in making your illness public, refusing to make your skill, what got you set on the path to fame and fortune in the first place, as the primary vehicle for addressing the issue, especially when that can have a direct and beneficial impact upon that illness.

I can't empathize with making your name more important--and more financially lucrative--than your talent, and effectively dishonoring that talent, the thing that drew people to you and made your name.

I can't empathize with taking millions to promote a medication that may help in managing that disease if I haven't used my talent first to address the issue.

Yes, she's only human--but it's the human qualities directly related to her cooking that drew people to her, and it's just hard not to feel that she's dishonored those talents--and, in turn, her followers.

[jayandstacey]

Nor is it a public right to know the medical status of public personalities. Health is personal, folks. Neither she nor anyone else is obligated to lay out her private, medical issues and decisions for societal approval. While she could have chosen to step up and use that information to change the world or whatever, that would be a pretty damn courageous and personal choice--and not an obligation. When I was first diagnosed with my health issues, I kept them to myself. As years passed, and I've come to grips with them, and now I'm more open about it all. And you can bet your sweet ass that if someone offered me $X million today to shill for the medication that saved my life, I'd take it in a second, even if I wouldn't have even mentioned it in polite society just a year ago. Let's have a little empathy here. She's just human.

No.

I didn't seek her medical history. She chose to reveal it to me. I would have respected her right to privacy.

But instead she uses her celebrity to hawk pharmacuticals in an effort to get people to buy. Meanwhile, she's using her celebrity to hawk her 'brand' - including recipes (and the related books and such) that directly contribute to the Type 2 version of the disease, the type she has.

So which does she want me to do? Ignore diabetes risk by eating a Paula Deen diet? Or address diabetes with her recommended medicine? Or much worse - does she really want us to think she's so evil as to want MORE people to get diabetes so her drug sponsor will make more money - and she makes money off the whole chain of obesity and disease?

She's chosen her public path and left us to figure it out. I didn't pry into her personal life. But I have every right to question her public life and what's she trying to sell me - until she decides to shut up about it.

[Barbara]

Nor is it a public right to know the medical status of public personalities. Health is personal, folks. Neither she nor anyone else is obligated to lay out her private, medical issues and decisions for societal approval. While she could have chosen to step up and use that information to change the world or whatever, that would be a pretty damn courageous and personal choice--and not an obligation. When I was first diagnosed with my health issues, I kept them to myself. As years passed, and I've come to grips with them, and now I'm more open about it all. And you can bet your sweet ass that if someone offered me $X million today to shill for the medication that saved my life, I'd take it in a second, even if I wouldn't have even mentioned it in polite society just a year ago. Let's have a little empathy here. She's just human.

She is a FAMOUS person. And, it has seemed to me for many years now, too many people who become famous don't understand the price they will pay in terms of loss of privacy. Personal privacy requires diligent safeguarding at all times, even for us non-famous people. Social networks make that job even harder. Nevertheless, nobody is going to protect your privacy but you. It just never ceases to amaze me how so-called smart people get caught all the time saying or doing something stupid and then are shocked, Shocked, I tell you, when they get called out for it--or even fired. They seem to think that Freedom of Speech means they can say absolutely anything and still expect to be paid and/or congratulated for their "candor." Really? I make decisions all the time about who I will and will not support with either my votes or my money based on what the manufacturers or shills really stand for or the public stances they take. No one is entitled to my money (Uncle Sam excepted, of course), including corporations like Georgia-Pacific, or my attention, including, say, Pat Buchanan. This is what Paula Deen doesn't seem to understand and why playing on the public stage that has trap doors requires due diligence. She gave up her right to privacy regarding her health when she went for the big bucks. If it hadn't been for that, who would know? She could have just kept on with what made her rich and famous in the first place and no one outside her family would have known the difference.

ETA: I was typing this while jayandstacey was typing his remarks, which is why they sorta correspond.

[Heather]

She's not a chef. She's not even a particularly inventive cook. Paula Deen is a caricature created by the Food Network that sells a certain anti-elitist, anti-intellectual approach to food. Her own decisions aside, I'm sure her employer has no interest in repositioning her brand. Her shtick reminds me a little of Paul Prudhomme, who wasn't nearly as vilified for peddling caloric cuisine despite being too obese to walk.

If you don't like her actions, then don't watch her show or buy her books. Sure, it would be nice to see her use her celebrity for education, but IMO she is under no obligation to do so. If we are all responsible for our own choices, then why should we vilify a TV personality for not telling her fans what to do? Aren't they accountable for their own diets?

[jayandstacey]

She's not a chef. She's not even a particularly inventive cook. Paula Deen is a caricature created by the Food Network that sells a certain anti-elitist, anti-intellectual approach to food. Her own decisions aside, I'm sure her employer has no interest in repositioning her brand. Her shtick reminds me a little of Paul Prudhomme, who wasn't nearly as vilified for peddling caloric cuisine despite being too obese to walk.

She took it a step further. If Paul P then hawked mobility scooters...you'd have to wonder...Paul P, are you promoting your food in an effort to sell more scooters as your fans become immobile? That's the level to which Paula Deen has taken it. Paul P didn't go there.

If you don't like her actions, then don't watch her show or buy her books. Sure, it would be nice to see her use her celebrity for education, but IMO she is under no obligation to do so. If we are all responsible for our own choices, then why should we vilify a TV personality for not telling her fans what to do? Aren't they accountable for their own diets?

I don't watch (though I have) and I don't care that she shifts to into an education mode. It is the "devil and angel" that I have issue with - she promotes the disease then promotes the cure. Yes, people are accountable for their own diets, but she wouldn't have a platform for either promotion if the compnaies behind each didn't believe it would work - that her word would either sell more butter and cheese or sell more diabetes drugs.

I defend her right to do this BTW. It is a free country. So people are free to be unethical and two-faced...while I can scream about it Many more will listen to her, I'm sure.

[porcupine]

Huh?

nope.

this:

[FunnyJohn]

I get she didn't want to lose her livelihood, but the whole healthy eating, lose weight, we are an obese nation bandwagon is big and getting bigger. There is plenty of money to be made going that route. I'm sure some network would pay big bucks to have her on some weight loss show.

Her son is already cashing in. He has a show in which he converts Deen's Diabetes Inducing recipes into "more healthy" ones on the Cooking Channel. Hilarious [not really] -- he then sends him to his Mom for her to say how yummy they really are.

[Pat]

Her son is already cashing in. He has a show in which he converts Deen's Diabetes Inducing recipes into "more healthy" ones on the Cooking Channel. Hilarious [not really] -- he then sends him to his Mom for her to say how yummy they really are.

They did a cross-pollination thing on Food Network yesterday, where they aired one of his shows (maybe the first ep) right after Paula's Best Dishes. I tuned in during her show with him, not knowing what it was, and they were making a bean, chard, and turkey sausage stew. I started to wonder if it was actually his show or if she had changed her style. It seemed so unlike her. Then the next thing they made to go with the stew (and they ate both on camera) was a huge club sandwich with bacon, ham, muenster, and a skinless boneless chicken breast per sandwich. THEN they made fried doughnuts with white and chocolate glazes and ate them . No, that was definitely vintage Paula.

Then his show started with him calling his mother to say how he was changing her recipes, complete with nutritional analysis and a visit from his personal trainer friend. Then he express-mailed her the food at the end, after multiple recitations of the superior nutritional value of his food. Given that they obviously planned to play these shows off each other this way, someone very seriously screwed up in the way they handled PR. No wonder her publicist quit.

As an aside, it may be geared to the audience he's looking for, but the way he treated/spoke about the woman butcher he dealt with in his episode made me furious. (A girl? There's a girl butcher?!!!)

[darkstar965]

Wow

Have to watch the two embedded videos to fully appreciate this piece done with Oprah.

[Pat]

So as not to pile on, I'm not creating a new thread for this, but Deen and her brother are now being sued for sexual harassment and racial discrimination (by proxy, really, for the latter. You have to read the complaint to understand.)

Both the HuffPo and Radaronline articles only touch on the extent of the complaints. I read the full linked PDF and I can't say it shocked me exactly, but it painted a much more systematic picture of abuse than I expected from reading the articles.

[Gary Tanigawa]

It gets worse. If you are interested in knowing why Food Network decided not to renew Paula Deen's contract, NPR has the blow by blow along with the deposition transcript.

[Pat]

It gets worse. If you are interested in knowing why Food Network decided not to renew Paula Deen's contract, NPR has the blow by blow along with the deposition transcript.

Oh, my eyes! That deposition I hadn't seen the news about her being dumped by Food Network. She certainly doesn't come across as a "Southern lady" in that questioning.

I was wondering why people were talking about this again in the past few days and then realized that she had been deposed in the lawsuit. It's hard to believe it's been more than a year since I wrote that post above.

I'm not repeating the massaging comments, but I'm sure Don will, even if he has no idea who she is...

[Tujague]

If anyone could offer a junk food defense, it's Paula Deen.

[DonRocks]

I hate the fact that you folks know who Paula Deen is.

That said, from what I've read recently, I'm glad to see her gone - there is no room for this. None.

[Ilaine]

OK, I read the whole freaking deposition and I don't get the controversy. The way I read it, she doesn't use the N word but she does know people who do. She doesn't show pornography to her employees and she doesn't think that's right. Her husband does stuff that would not be acceptable in the best company, and so do other men that she knows. She gives them a pass when she probably should not.

She thinks the woman who is sueing her is PO'ed because she wanted more control and a share of the business, which might be true.

She is protective, maybe over protective, of her brother, who seems to be deeply flawed. Well, in my opinion, we are all deeply flawed. I don't know how many of you could stand up to that type of scrutiny, but I thought she comported herself rather well.

It is hard to talk about race. I am white, my husband is white, our kids are white, and they both have black girlfriends. I would rather never have to talk about race, and racial discrimination, but these are facts. I now know more about black hair than before, and that's just the beginning.

How do you talk about the beautiful dignity that black men and women established for themselves while having few other options but serving others? Boy, talk about hard to do. It's a fact, I have witnessed it, and probably many, if not most, of us who are older witnessed it. It is not something I would have wanted to highlight, and it's, in my opinion, the worst thing she did. But, at the end of the day, the servers at her son's wedding got paid a lot more than their usual day job. Hiring people of color, because of their color, being a bad thing is peculiarly strange to oppose. It's not something I ever would have thought of. Was anybody injured? Only people not of color. Is she a sick f@ck for even thinking of it? I would say that exploiting people of color is what is sick.

She's a cook. If I am going to go with stereotypes, cooks are not too bright, and they are profane and earthy.

And, by the way, butter is beautiful, and butter is not what makes us fat. Carbs, especially sugar, refined flour, and high fructose corn syrup. make us fat. Butter is good for us. Especially grass fed butter, full of Vitamin K. I hope Paula Deen sees the light, but, if not, I have sent the message to you.

Love more, hate less.

Edited to add: she admitted to using the N-word in jokes. See below.

[Tujague]

Both Food Network and Paula Deen were looking to protect their brands. I doubt very much that either one gives a damn about any deeper racial issues that may or may not be here; it's about preserving profits and market share. With her contract up for renewal, FN might have gotten concessions from her, but she still is a high-cost item for them; the calculation to cut her probably seemed reasonably safe--there would be backlash either way. Deen is desperate because without her FN platform, her other lucrative endorsement deals (see above) might be at risk. So, no, this story isn't primarily about race; it's about greed.

I don't expect Paula Deen to be perfect; but it's not too much to expect that she set and maintain standards of behavior in the company she heads, rather than tolerate and arguably participate in behaviors that may demean others. And don't even get me started on her comments, "I don't care about skin color." Maybe without a TV sow to produce she can spend some time studying critical race theory.

[Pat]

Both Food Network and Paula Deen were looking to protect their brands. I doubt very much that either one gives a damn about any deeper racial issues that may or may not be here; it's about preserving profits and market share. With her contract up for renewal, FN might have gotten concessions from her, but she still is a high-cost item for them; the calculation to cut her probably seemed reasonably safe--there would be backlash either way. Deen is desperate because without her FN platform, her other lucrative endorsement deals (see above) might be at risk. So, no, this story isn't primarily about race; it's about greed.

I don't expect Paula Deen to be perfect; but it's not too much to expect that she set and maintain standards of behavior in the company she heads, rather than tolerate and arguably participate in behaviors that may demean others. And don't even get me started on her comments, "I don't care about skin color." Maybe without a TV sow to produce she can spend some time studying critical race theory.

Race is the immediate hot button issue the media picked up on, but the use of a specific word is not the essence of the lawsuit. The woman who filed the suit is white. In addition to the sexual discrimination/harassment of her, she said that she was trying to protect her African-American employees from abuse. The porn and jokes and the drinking seem to constitute a pretty hostile work environment, if her attorneys can show that in court.

The deposition pretty clearly indicates that Deen is exceptionally protective of her brother. When he was caught stealing money from the business, he ended up being paid more instead of being disciplined, and she rationalizes that it was unfair he had been earning less money than the woman manager who ultimately filed the lawsuit. She says her brother went to rehab but it was really his wife's problem, not his. There are some real gems in there. This is someone she would feature on her shows, with a business she would promote as part of her brand.

I'd also like to know what FN is going to do with her son's show, which often is focused on and features her. I wonder when that contract is up. Advertisers probably aren't going to be flocking to sponsor it under these circumstances.

Ultimately, I really never had any great expectations of good taste from her, given that her original business that led to all of this was a lunch delivery service called "The Bag Lady," which she finds cute/humorous and I never have. She dropped "bag" from the name when she opened her restaurant.

ETA: A link to the history of her business, which shows an image I presume was the logo for The Bag Lady.

[Ilaine]

I just looked up Paula Deen on Wikipedia and she did admit to using the N-word. It was late, the deposition was long and stupifying, and I was drinking. Sorry. Here's the quote from Wikipedia, and it's pretty weird:

"In her deposition for the suit, Deen stated that she has used the "N Word" at times, saying "Yes, of course" she did, and also acknowledged making racist jokes, though she claims she is not racist. "It's just what they are—they're jokes ... most jokes are about Jewish people, rednecks, black folks. ... I can't determine what offends another person."

She is 68, from the Deep South, and grew up before integration. I am 60, from the Deep South, and grew up before integration. I was taught not to make those kind of jokes, and I don't find them humorous. I don't work in the kind of environment that tolerates those kind of jokes. I don't know what it's like to be her and live her life. Nevertheless, she strikes me as a self-made woman who has accomplished a great deal coming from a very poor family, and she does not appear to have a mean bone in her body, or any self-awareness, and possibly not a brain in her head.

I also took a look at the menu for her restaurant, and you can get gluten-free shrimp and grits, which is nice, because most restaurants don't make it gluten-free.

[Ilaine]

I also grew up eating the kind of food she promotes, only not as extreme, and I, too, am obese with Type 2 diabetes, so I am not sad that her shows were not renewed.

[monavano]

The deposition pretty clearly indicates that Deen is exceptionally protective of her brother.

*****

Agree with your take on this, Pat. The dynamic between Paula and Bubba is key to this case because I think she's been rescuing her F up little brother all his life. When you stop counting the money you give a sibling's failing restaurant after you hit 6 figures, wow.

[Toogs]

Maybe without a TV sow to produce she can spend some time studying critical race theory.

Freudian typo?

[Ilaine]

OK, now I see why I missed the quote in the deposition. Because whoever posted it on Wikipedia cut-and-pasted her responses to make it look worse than it was. From NPR:

Q. Have you ever used the N-word yourself?

A. Yes, of course. ... But that's just not a word that we use as time has gone on. Things have changed since the '60s in the South.

Later, a lot, later:

Q. One of the things that you had tried to — that you and your husband tried to teach your children was not to use the N-word in a mean way. ... Could you give me an example of how you have demonstrated for them a nice way to use the N-word?

A. We hear a lot of things in the kitchen. Things that they — that black people will say to each other. If we are relaying something that was said, a problem that we're discussing, that's not said in a mean way.

Q. What about jokes, if somebody is telling a joke that's got —

A. It's just what they are, they're jokes.

Q. Would you consider those to be using the N-word in a mean way?

A. That's ... kind of hard. Most — most jokes are about Jewish people, rednecks, black folks. Most jokes target — I don't know, I didn't make up the jokes, I don't know. I can't, I don't know. They usually target, though, a group. Gays or straights, black, redneck, you know, I just don't know — I just don't know what to say. I can't, myself, determine what offends another person.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/06/20/193913397/stuff-you-might-have-missed-in-the-paula-deen-brouhaha

Glad to know I was not as drunk as I feared I was. I still don't condone stuff like that, but I stick by my position that at the deposition, telling her own story, she did not come across as bad as what other people (example, the woman who is suing her) are saying about her, which is what you would expect.

[KMango]

^^^ The Wikipedia cut and paste vs. the source document context offers striking contrast. Props for doing that, illuminating.

[Pat]

OK, now I see why I missed the quote in the deposition. Because whoever posted it on Wikipedia cut-and-pasted her responses to make it look worse than it was. From NPR:

Later, a lot, later:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/06/20/193913397/stuff-you-might-have-missed-in-the-paula-deen-brouhaha

Glad to know I was not as drunk as I feared I was. I still don't condone stuff like that, but I stick by my position that at the deposition, telling her own story, she did not come across as bad as what other people (example, the woman who is suing her) are saying about her, which is what you would expect.

I don't know how much of the deposition is included at Wikipedia, since I haven't looked at that. If we're fixating on that single word, she said that she hadn't used it in a long time, referring to the 60s, but she recalls using it when robbed while working at a bank. Someone at either Daily Beast or Jezebel tracked down when that was: 1986. Not so long ago--certainly much later than the 60s. Then there are comments about only using the word in a not-mean way, which rather undermines her credibility. There really aren't many nice ways for a white person to use the word, if any.

Whether she used the word when talking about the plantation wedding theme or not, I don't know, but she does address the issue of having the black waiters serve in a certain way.

[Ilaine]

The plantation theme wedding strikes me as the type of crass, insensitive thing a formerly poor person would do when showing off her money. I am going to use an inter-class stereotype, nouveau riche.

I can't tell you how many times I saw dignified black men in white coats serving rich white people when I was growing up. To want to emulate that is, well, how can I improve on crass and insensitive?

[u-bet!]

Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words.

On Saturday, patrons waited in line outside The Lady and Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah, Ga.

[Barbara]

Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words.

On Saturday, patrons waited in line outside The Lady and Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah, Ga.

It's gonna take a while for my eyes to recover from that!

[Gary Tanigawa]

There are two good commentaries I've read about this controversy: thank you Russ Parsons and Edward Lee. I'm quoting most of the latter's post because it might require a FB account to access what he had to say after shooting an episode of Paula Deen's show.

"Mrs. Deen was gracious, friendly and funny. Unfortunately, none of those qualities trumps racism. I am not an activist. I am just a cook who lives in the South. But my world encompasses many diverse peoples and races, and I know the hurt and the violence that can sting behind a few choice words, even said in jest.

But leaving Mrs. Deen’s foibles aside, what I was most dismayed about this week were the provocations by a number of outspoken people who over-simplified this vast swath of symbolic land called “The South.” Racist rants, dumb jokes about Southern culture and, at times, a particularly mean-sprited skewering (sorry for the pun) of Mrs. Deen herself. To say things like, “that’s just the way it’s always been” is not only inaccurate, but far worse, it is lazy.

The South that I live and travel in is one that is buoyed by diversity, acceptance, generosity and love – the people and kitchens of the American South have enriched my life with culture and respect. Does the antediluvian stains of racism exist here too? Of course it does. Just like any place where Old World values collide with progressive change, where tradition is asked to bend to modern society. So bascially any place in America. But the South that I choose to live in does not happen by chance, or by wishful thinking. It happens because people choose to participate. They choose to gather and question and communicate and include and shake hands. It takes work to build a community.

Every so often, scandals like these erupt in entertainment, fashion, politics, wherever people and cultures meet. It reminds us of the work that still needs to be done. But the first step is simply to want it. I didn’t hear a lot of that this week. To me, it’s just as easy to build bridges as it is to tear them down. It starts with a choice."

[Tujague]

Maybe without a TV sow to produce she can spend some time studying critical race theory.

Freudian typo?

Freudian--or prophetic?

[lackadaisi]

She thinks its okay to use the word if the person was a bad person. Um, no, it is not. She also claims that the south is less racist because they treated slaves like family, citing her great grandfather's suicide attempt after the freeing of his slaves as proof of the close relationship. Can we please just acknowledge that this woman is entirely wrong in her attitudes? Whether you hate her or pity her, I hope that nobody here actually believes that she is within the realm of reason.

[Barbara]

She thinks its okay to use the word if the person was a bad person. Um, no, it is not. She also claims that the south is less racist because they treated slaves like family, citing her great grandfather's suicide attempt after the freeing of his slaves as proof of the close relationship. Can we please just acknowledge that this woman is entirely wrong in her attitudes? Whether you hate her or pity her, I hope that nobody here actually believes that she is within the realm of reason.

On that note, Dame Edna gave me a copy of Lindy Boggs' autobiography. I had to put it down after only a few pages when she wrote about the servants her family had-- "They were just like family!" Um, no, they weren't. The woman who worked for Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings in Florida put that idea to rest when she spoke publicly about working for her a few years ago. They didn't sit down at the table with you for dinner, you didn't make sure they had a decent place to live, and if you paid any medical bills for any of them, it was a rarity. The Help was a real fairy tale, but not because the details lacked veracity.

[Tweaked]

Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words.

On Saturday, patrons waited in line outside The Lady and Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah, Ga.

Sadly, this photo reminds me of many crowds/people when I visit my folks place near N. Myrtle Beach. Barefoot Landing during the summer = scary.

[lperry]

Meanwhile, here up north...

[Pat]

Judge dimisses the racism part of the suit.

I had thought the reason Jackson was suing on that issue was that she was trying to do her job by protecting her African-American employees from harassment. Not valid, according to the court.  So, if you are a middle manager and the big boss is discriminating against your subordinates who are of a different race than you, you have no legal remedy, even though you are responsible for their well-being at work. Wow.  So can the subordinates sue the manager for not protecting them? because I'm thinking they probably can.

[Ilaine]

Hi Pat, I don't think there is a potential cause of action for racial discrimination against Lisa Jackson, the manager, because she did not participate in the discrimination.  From what I've seen, Lisa Jackson may have a hard time convincing a jury that she was sexually harassed, as well.    Obviously she is not claiming quid quo pro sexual harrassment, but hostile work environment.   In order to prevail, she has to prove, not only that offensive acts were happening, which they clearly were, but that she, personally, found them offensive.  It appears that she did not complain about it until after she left -- not sure whether she was quit or was fired.

[Pat]

Well, it looks like the lawsuit took some kind of toll.  Paula Deen shut down Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House yesterday. [Washington Post link]

[Barbara]

Well, it looks like the lawsuit took some kind of toll.  Paula Deen shut down Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House yesterday. [Washington Post link]

She stayed real Klassy to the end. Thus ensuring that she will never see a single cent from me.

[Pat]

She stayed real Klassy to the end. Thus ensuring that she will never see a single cent from me.

While I know that it's not unknown for restaurants to shut without telling their employees in advance, announcing it on social media before telling the employees is pretty tacky.  At least they gave them severance checks...