I take a back seat to no one in finding Paula Deen's recently-publicized racial comments to be revolting. And I mean no one. This is not a case where nothing should be done, because her revolting statements are about as far from "nothing" as they can be.
But I'm not in favor of turning her into a martyr, either. And it seems to me that giving her that undeserved status is precisely what The Food Network has done by not renewing her contract. QVC may compound this problem by cutting its ties to Deen as well.
Which means that, ultimately, Deen will not be punished. Her like-minded yahoo fans will be just as like-minded and even greater fans of hers than they were before. Which means that Deen will continue to cook, continue to make money, and probably still think like a bigot. Her partial media exile will simply turn into an opportunity for conservative cuckoos to wring their hands about "political correctness." Of course, "political correctness" is simply "not being a bigot," but, in America, it's all about the marketing.
So what should be done?
Deen has apologized. Well, in my book, an apology that only consists of words is no apology at all. In its worst form, it becomes one of those if-I've-offended-anyone-I'm-sorry lines that's all about strategy and not contrition. I think she needs to put some meat on those bones.
I think TFN and QVC should keep her on the air. But they should require her to work, on a regular basis, with one or more minority (especially African-American) chefs, particularly new talent that hasn't had a chance to be discovered. It's the only way she'll ever learn to think like a decent human being. And it's the only way the anti-PC crowd will ever learn anything from her as well.
Paula Deen has done nothing to deserve being treated as a sacrificial lamb. Let's not, in a rush to resolve the issue, resolve it in a way that feeds the controversy rather than quelling it.
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