Paula Deen....you knew it was coming. I can't NOT give an opinion here.

After watching an interview on "Today" with Paula Deen, I think I've finally read, "researched" and watched enough to form an educated opinion about what I think.  It actually goes with my gut instinct but I felt the need to really delve into it first as sometimes people aren't what they seem.  From everything that I've read, listened to, and watched, I think Paula Deen made the type of comment that everyone makes once in a while.  I don't think that anyone above the age of 18 has not made some type of stereotypical comment in their lifetime, whether it pertains to race, sexuality, gender, religion, political party, or any other "group" of people.  I think that, in these situations, you should be focusing on the bigger picture of who this person is, on the whole, and NOT on one comment that she made.

The definition of racism (Merriam Webster Dictionary) is " a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race."  In short, it's believing that you're better than another race.  It's not defined as someone who makes a single comment.  It's about someone who constantly displays this behavior.  Quite frankly, I do not believe that this only extends to African American/Caucasian but to every race.  There are bad apples on every apple tree and there are bad people in every race but, in my opinion, they are few and far between and you can see the rot on the apple (so to speak) from a mile away.  Just because an apple has one bad spot, you don't necessarily throw away the whole apple and you certainly don't throw away the whole tree.  She made a comment using a word I'm not fond of but it doesn't mean that she's some hooligan.  (and YES, I would feel that way if it was any other race aiming a comment at a Caucasian person).  If this word was part of her every day language and she acted superior to others, I'd be inclined to change my opinion but my research indicates that this isn't the case.

What this controversy all amounts to, in my opinion, is the media making a big deal out of something just for the sake of media coverage.  I don't necessarily think that their aim is to destroy her reputation but I think that they're intentionally making a big deal out of this DESPITE what it might do to her or what the truth really is.  I think that there are far more important issues in this world than whether or not ANY celebrity made a comment YEARS ago that uses an racially inappropriate word.  Yes, celebrities are in the limelight but they're still people.  Come on, folks.  Let's get over the drama!