Paula Deen's Argument Analysis

In 2013, celebrity chef, Paula Deen, found herself in hot water after being accused of using an offensive racial slur in the past. This revelation emerged during a court proceeding, involving a lawsuit brought against Deen. Lisa T, Jackson, a former Deen restaurant employee, alleged that the chef had consistently used racial slurs and had mistreated employees of other races. During her deposition, Deen admitted to using the slur but denied any malicious intent. In response, Deen’s contract, which was already under review, was closely monitored, and she eventually lost endorsements from many major brands such as Smithfield Foods and Novo Nordisk, a pharmaceutical company. In addition to lost endorsement revenue, products with the Deen label …show more content…
Any story regarding a well-recognized figure’s use of a racial slur is bound to draw attention from anonymous commenters. However, Paula Deen’s situated differentiated itself from the normal occurrence: both sides of the debate accused the other of racism. Likewise, supporters and combatants of Deen claimed racial prejudice fueled the opposing side’s argument. On TMZ, 180 users commented on an article, published in 2014, a year later, about Deen’s excursion through an airport, where one African American man told her, “Black people still love you” (TMZ 2014: 1). One commenter suggested that covert racism is much more difficult to deal with. In fact, he/she suggests that, “Her original comments indicate a deep ingrained bigotry that she doesn’t even know she has.” By doing so, the author assumes that Paula Deen carries prejudice with her, even if she is not conscious to it, painting an image of covert racism in American society. In fact, the comment ends with, “It’s a shame because had she handled it better she might have brought a lot of people to enlightenment.” Therefore, a portion of the population, even if only one person, believes that racism lies underground in the United States, and Paula Deen is the epitome of such an idea. In contrast, a user by the name of Vaye argued that Jackson lied and told the public to “Quit being reverse racists.” The contention in regard to …show more content…
Under the Hollywood Reporter Article, smg77 states, “I’m surprised she didn’t end up on Fox News with the rest of the racists.” This portrayal attacks the character of Deen but also that of the Fox News Network, a more conservative form of media. In the formerly mentioned Reddit thread, one man accounts for the use of racial slurs as being “common and accepted” for members of her generation. In the sea of comments, Southerners, conservatives, and elderly people are associated with racism. In mainstream media and the broader conversation about the topic, stereotypes remain untouched while the anonymous members of the internet community assert them as clear