It’s no secret that Paula Deen has a way with words that can make you want to hug her or fire her from her job and completely erase her from your network. Recently, Deen leaned toward the latter option when she awkwardly compared her plight over the use of the n-word to the plight of openly gay NFL hopeful Michael Sam.
For weeks now, Deen has been on the comeback trail after losing much of her food empire when it went public that she had used the n-word in the past and considered hiring all-black waiters for a “Southern plantation-style” wedding .
In a recent interview with People magazine, Deen discussed her struggle back to the top and claimed that she’s in the same boat as Sam, whose name she couldn’t even remember. However, she did remember that he’s just some gay “black guy.”
“I feel like ‘embattled’ or ‘disgraced’ will always follow my name,” Deen said. “It’s like that black football player who recently came out. He said, ‘I just want to be known as a football player. I don’t want to be known as a gay football player.’ I know exactly what he’s saying.”
Deen went on to say that she was hurt by the way America vilified her and that she wasn’t offered a chance to redeem herself the same way as other stars.
“I was obsessed with the person America had confused me with … after I had lived my life so clean and open,” Deen said. “It’s amazing that some people are given passes and some are crucified. I have a whole new empathy for these situations though. My dad always told me, believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.”
We get what Deen was trying to say, but considering all that’s happened with her, the n-word and the black community, we’d suggest she stay away from talking about black people, especially without even having the slightest knowledge of their name. We’d also suggest that she not play the victim card too much. If she wants to make a comeback, she should focus on her product and getting a solid public relations team, because clearly, public speaking and being politically correct just aren’t her thing.
Check out some other famous racist and homophobic moments below. – nicholas robinson
