We Americans have a tendency towards extremism and while we share a strong national pride, we have not always had the most stellar history.
Slavery, the Civil War, the deaths of Lincoln, Martin Luther King, John and Robert Kennedy, and our propensity towards violence are not a shining example of "the land of the free and home of the brave."
Even when we self correct, we go too far.
Now, I am not familiar with the life of Paula Deen. I have seen her a few times on the morning talk shows where she seemed like a cute southern grandmother who liked to cook with lots of butter and cream. From what I understand, she is quite successful at plying her trade, so there will be no need to run out for additional Kleenex to mourn for her supposed financial setbacks.
For the past few days, there have been countless of news hours dedicated to the fact that a 66 year old woman raised in the South admitted to having used the dreaded "N" word. Was it last week? When she was twelve or fifteen? The Food Network saw fit to cancel her cooking show and the media pundits have shaken their collective heads in obvious destain for her hideous sin of admission. Suddenly, some woman who can make a good biscuit is the "Hitler of 2013."
As usual, we have gone way too far.
The American obsession with Political Correctness has undoubtedly given us some important guidelines that have benefitted us in our workplaces, and hopefully have had an impact on sexual harassment. But, there is no doubt that they have also contributed to our social isolation and our inability to communicate or educate each other. We don't really know what to say to each other anymore. They certainly have not put an end to bullying in school or protected our children from gun violence. In the hysteria of the Paula Deen incident, they will surely contribute to honing our deceptive skills and you can bet that no one will admit that they have ever used a racial slur.
Ms. Deen is a product of the cultural and social history of the South. In years past, this history included the Klan, separate bathrooms and drinking fountains, riding on the back of the bus, and educational segregation, all things too unbelievable for most young Americans to even contemplate. But, many of us of a certain age do remember. It doesn't matter if you grew up in Mississippi or Long Island, prejudicial behavior was pervasive everywhere.
Sociologists remind us that all prejudice originates from fear. Fear of our differences and fear of change. Indeed, Ms. Deen has stated that one of her relatives committed suicide after the Civil War. He could not fathom a world without slavery, which was his fear.
As a young woman in the nineteen sixties, I was part of the peace and love generation. We embraced the ideas of equality for people of every color and for women's rights, which were still in the "back of the bus"stage. But don't think for a moment that I could have dated an African American boy. My parents were from a different generation and their fears ruled their lives as well.
It is 2013 now. While we have all been influenced by the social and political mores of our past, certainly Ms. Deen is old enough to have made her own choices in life. As a young woman, influenced by her parents and social climate, she may indeed have used the "N" word. I'm sure its part of a very distant past, and I would bet that her children were raised in a climate where the word was not part of the daily vocabulary.
Should we choose to fire every Southern, or for that matter Northern, individual over the age of 50 who has used "the word," at some point in their lives, America would be a third world country.
There is a point where our sensitivities become reminiscent of a lynching. Isn't this the very thing our ancestors fought and died to avoid?
