Oprah Open to Sit Down with Paula Deen
In an recent interview on Entertainment Tonight, Oprah Winfrey finally addressed the Paula Deen situation, saying: “I think Paula Deen was sort of used as a symbol, but I think lots of people use the word inappropriately all the time.”
This came after Oprah’s interview in Parade Magazine where she said that anyone who uses the word can’t be her friend, although she did note that she and Jay-Z just “agree to disagree.”
Oprah told ET why she refuses to use the word: “For me it’s out of respect to those people who it was the last word they heard while they were being hung, the last word they heard when they were being fired, the last word they heard when their house was being burned.” She then went on to recount a very recent incident in which a Swiss store clerk assumed Oprah wasn’t well-heeled enough to afford an expensive bag, despite Oprah showing up in designer duds. You can see that here.
Winfrey said that she would like to talk to Paula Deen but the disgraced celebrity chef may not be ready yet. When Deen is emotionally ready, Oprah will be glad to have her on OWN: “I just really want to know what happened,” said Winfrey.
Wouldn’t that be something? Once she gets the Oprah stamp of approval, maybe Deen will even get a show on OWN.
What struck me is how Oprah’s willing to talk to Paula Deen, giving her the benefit of the doubt, so to speak, but the shop clerk? Her punishment for the perceived slight was no commission and bad publicity for the store — oh, they found out what the item was and where the store was fast enough! And the shop owner said it was essentially a language problem. The clerk did not speak good English. But even in Oprah’s version of events, the clerk had no intention of insulting her.
People make erroneous judgments all the time. You’re not as knowledgeable, as well-heeled, as well-traveled, and a host of other things, but not all of these judgments come from racism or even malice. A lot of it is just plain ignorance and misperception. If you can’t tell the difference, well, that’s another problem.
After watching Oprah recount this latest racism story, all I can say is it’s funny how this woman is “such an inspiration” to the masses, but she couldn’t be bothered to tell this store clerk, you shouldn’t judge people. As it happens, I can afford that purse and 10 more for my friends, or something like that. Nope, because she’d rather have the story to tell than to take a positive action and just forget it.