The demolition of Paula Deen

At this point, there are probably very few Americans who have not heard something about the recent demolition of celebrity chef Paula Deen. Some may believe that "demolition" is a strong word to use, but I would tend to disagree. The utter wreckage of Ms. Deen as an ongoing professional concern in her field is there for all to see, and there is no denying that it was quite intentional. Hence, demolition.

Given our cultural proclivities, it is very likely that the vast majority of those familiar with the story know next to nothing about the circumstances that catalyzed this scandal. So, I will elucidate.

Back in May, while being questioned about her racial attitudes in connection with a discrimination lawsuit, the 66-year-old Food Network star and Savannah restaurant owner honestly related the fact that she had used racial slurs in the past, but that she has not tolerated the practice for a long time.

Now, while I don't condone the use of racial slurs in polite conversation, I know that their use was common practice among a lot of Americans decades ago, and not just in the South. I would also point out that Deen's testimony was far more forthright than that of Los Angeles detective Mark Fuhrman who, in 1995 during the O.J. Simpson trial, testified that he had not used the word "ni--er" for at least 10 years. This was proven to be false many times over via audio recordings.

As a result the attendant publicity, Deen's media empire (which included cookbooks, restaurants and kitchen supplies) rapidly began to crumble. The Food Network, which hosts her television show, announced that it would not renew her contract. Shortly thereafter, Deen was fired as the spokeswoman for the diabetes drug maker Novo Nordisk. Then, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ended its relationship with her company, as did pork giant Smithfield Foods. Caesars Entertainment Corp. also removed her name from its restaurants in several cities.

Regarding the Deen debacle, some have criticized the inequity, capriciousness and mercilessness of the mob mentality, as well as the hypocrisy of the liberal media, which tolerates abject racism from Rev. Al Sharpton, Touré Neblett and other people of color, while queuing up to crucify someone who admitted to using a racial slur in private years ago.

The conditions to which I would call attention are those I have previously cited, and which were addressed at length in my book, "Negrophilia: From Slave Block to Pedestal – America's Racial Obsession." In general, they speak to liberals' imperative for portraying America as still being an institutionally racist nation. In fact, to hear some reporters, commentators, and activists talk, one would get the impression that things in America have not changed much since 1955.

I've pointed out before that those on the left – career civil rights activists and the press, in particular – wait on pins and needles for any perceived slight respecting liberal racial orthodoxy or their personal racial sensibilities so that they might pounce. The Trayvon Martin case was one such incident, so much so that they made a white assailant out of a biracial one in George Zimmerman. One may recall that former talk show host Dr. Laura Schlesinger suffered similar ignominy to Deen's when she quoted blacks' liberal use of "the N-word" (which itself has come to offend me more than the word "ni--er," quite honestly).

The motivation depends upon whom on the left we're talking about. With those in the media it is generally ideology. In the case of career civil rights activists, it's money. In the case of liberal politicians, it's power, since continually illustrating how far America hasn't come in its struggle for racial equality – even though this is a lie – goes a long way toward maintaining their political power. In the meantime, they are perfectly willing to overlook the blatant racism of marginally literate talk show hosts, or to forgive the former racism of the late senator and former Ku Klux Klan Exalted Cyclops Robert Byrd, assuming these individuals are liberal Democrats.

This is the worldview that justifies the "She used the N-word; she must be destroyed" mindset. It is shallow, sick and dangerous, but I suppose it is par for the course considering America's current heading.

Obviously I don't know what is in Paula Deen's heart, but that is hardly relevant to her predicament or to the argument at hand. What's really sad and unjust about this affair is that those pursuing the issue don't care what is in her heart.