Oh lordie, Paula Deen, just doesn’t get it! Late last week, she was quoted by AP as saying
I think a few people who have access to a TV camera and ink kind of wanted to hate on me for coming down with something.
First, she didn’t “come down” with diabetes – it’s not a cold or flu that will go away in a few days.
And no one is upset because she developed diabetes; it’s the fact that she was diagnosed years ago, but decided to go public by partnering with a diabetes drug lord, err, pharmaceutical company.
Then there’s the pesky fact that she continued to make show episodes using unhealthy quantities of ingredients like cream and butter, knowing full well that she was diabetic. Hey, I’m the first to admit that I use butter, but I don’t need 2 sticks in my cornbread!
And, really, hate is such a strong word; I really don’t think most people actually hate her, although there are probably a lot of people who can’t stand her.
Personally, I feel she is moving in the wrong direction. She has an opportunity to really make a difference, but she’s wasting time denying that her diet was a large factor in her illness. She keeps babbling about genetics, stress and age.
Wouldn’t it have been fantastic, if she decided 2 years ago, to change her lifestyle? Last month, she could have announced she was diagnosed, but instead of turning to pharmaceuticals, she took charge, lost weight, changed her diet, started exercising, and beat diabetes! Wow, talk about being an inspiration! That would have sparked a lot of people to follow her example! But alas, that didn’t happen, and it probably will never happen.
So I’m at WalMart Vision Center with my daughters last week picking out some new glasses for the younger one, when we see a display of frames on the wall labeled, “Paula Deen Eye Wear.” Now my kids have seen her on Food Network for years and often mock each other saying “Just eat a stick o’butter, y’all!” and stuff like that. I called their attention to the frames and the younger one said, “Hey, now that y’all got the dia-beetus, y’all can’t see!”
Mean? Yes.
Funny? HELL yes.