Ahhhh, Food Network. A bastion of morality on television, which could use a bastion or two.
Food Network officials are so outraged one of its superstars, Paula Deen, admitted using an ugly word, they announced they won’t renew her contract.
It seems a bit like overreaction.
If you haven’t been following the saga, it got out last week that Deen, in a court deposition, admitted use of the “N” word. Apparently, the lawsuit for which the deposition was taken was filed some time ago, but it wasn’t until the language controversy was noticed that anyone cared.
First, let me say that Paula should be ashamed of herself for using the “N” word. She has made apologies. She may only feel bad that it will impact the bottom line of her businesses, but she did apologize.
Let me share what I told some friends during a discussion of Paula’s Fiasco. Paula is of a certain age — 66 — and from an area — Savannah, Ga., — where, unfortunately, that word was used. A lot. It doesn’t make it right, but to be fair, you have to consider the circumstances.
Hasn’t everyone said something that offended someone at some time in their lives? That often is the result of where one is raised and what language was acceptable.
I really thought Food Network would publicly spank Paula, tell her to go to sensitivity training, and all would be well.
I suppose that could happen still. After all, this is the network where they had to backpedal in a hurry when one of their stars appeared to have embellished his biography.
Robert Irvine said he worked as a White House chef and worked on Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding cake. Irvine did work in the Navy Mess at the White House, but that business about cooking for three presidents? Not so much. And apparently he did not help make Di’s cake, either.
The Food Network, a month after the story broke, announced they would replace Irvine with Michael Symon. Bye-bye, Robert.
Not so fast.
Within nine months, Irvine was back with the network, and he continues to work on several shows, including “Restaurant Impossible” where he is part chef, part designer and part counselor.
To me, what Irvine did is as bad as what Deen did. A cynic might say the difference is that no group of people is likely to raise Cain about a little thing like stretching the truth. Food Network is, a cynic might say, scared to death there will be a backlash from black people.
I think if I were black, I would be more concerned about the lack of black Food Network stars. The Neelys appear to be gone, as is Aaron McCargo. To the best of my memory, they are the only black hosts of their own shows, although an occasional black cook/chef appears on one of the network’s other shows.
And that cook/chef thing is another thing Food Network is iffy on. There are a lot of people on Food Network who are not chefs — both Paula Deen and Rachael Ray are cooks, and everyone is careful not to refer to them as chefs. They aren’t as careful in other instances like on “Chopped” where they often have cooks competing with chefs. They often refer to them all as “chefs”.
The dictionary isn’t necessarily clear on a difference, calling chefs “professional cooks.” Most chefs have formal training, which cooks do not.
John McWhorter is an associate professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University. He is author of several books on language and is a contributor to Time Magazine. He also happens to be black.
He noted in a piece for Time that Deen grew up in Georgia in the ’50s where black people were considered “lesser beings.”
McWhorter wrote: “People of Deen’s generation can neither change the past nor completely escape their roots in it, anymore than the rest of us. They can apologize and mean it, as Deen seems to. They also deserve credit for owning up to past sins, as Deen did candidly when she could easily have, shall we say, whitewashed the matter.”
He has some other interesting things to say about race and language in this country. You might want to read more at ideas.time.com/2013/06/24/viewpoint-give-paula-deen-back-her-job/.
As for Paula: “Deen is old and she’s sorry. She should get her job back,” McWhorter concluded.
Others feel differently, of course.
Paula Deen overcame a lot to become a truly self-made success. Maybe we could cut her a little slack for not engaging her brain before opening her mouth.
LEEANNA WALKER IS LOCAL EDITOR OF THE ROGERS MORNING NEWS AND THE SPRINGDALE MORNING NEWS. FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER AT WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWALEEANNA