Being dismissive of other people's feelings will DEFINITELY make this a more productive thread.

Having just left the south after a few years, I see this as the common excuse. My coworker (exactly in Paula's "demographic" as you described it) informed me very casually that she "didn't approve of the mixing of the races." I am the only person on staff in an interracial relationship. I told my other coworkers, who…

The people who give "old" southerners a pass are the vicious ones. I'm southern and white and if you are too you know how ubiquitous the racism is. Most white people in the south will say racist things openly if there are no dark skinned people around.

I'll bet she's sorry. They're all sorry when they get caught. The…

its just meaningless without nameing it. Sorry for what? there was no acknowledgement.

Really? Sounded like 3/5 of an apology to me...

Agreed. You don't have to burn a cross to be a racist.

Ignorant racism or malicious racism: it's still racism. If anything, ignorant racism is more dangerous because it's easier to write-off as nothing.

This racism isn't any less "real" because it's not as blatant. It's all real racism.

Fascinating. I grew up in Texas and didn't ever hear anyone use it until I was 18. Because I wasn't surrounded by bigots, cruel or otherwise. You're using racist to mean "racist and also aggressively proud of it." But just racist is enough to qualify.

Right? It makes it sound like "Ohhh silly me! My auto correct turned 'bigger' into 'n***er!'" That ain't what happened.

Her saying "mistake" really bugged me as well. A mistake indicates that you didn't know better and that is not the fucking case here AT ALL.

I think she's racist. Do we cancel each other out?

Saying racist things to people in their workplace and taking up for others who have said racist things to people in their workplace = racist.

I look after a 94-year-old white woman who has managed to never say the n-word or any other racist thing in the years I have known her. And she has dementia. Paula Deen has no excuse.

A lot of people will forgive anything short of bombing a church while burning a cross with "she's a nice person, she just doesn't know any better!"

You know, she's not *that* old. She would have been in her 20's between 1967-77. In fact, honestly, I feel like that makes it worse. She literally lived through the Civil Rights era. In the South! If you're looking for something to teach you and help you grow I can't think of anything more powerful than that. …

You know what? I am sick and tired of hearing about Paula Deen being "an old ass southern white woman." This is ageist. Her age has NOTHING to do with her ignorance. I am a 60 year old southern white woman and I know better. Your ageism is not very different from her racism. You are insulting an entire faction…

Different cultures have worn turbans for different reasons for a long ass time. And they've popped in and out of fashion int he western world for hundreds of years. They are many different kinds. None of the ones she's wearing look at all like the kind Sikh wear.

We all know it isn't a 'trend' until white people do it - see: Nail Art.

Black women have been rocking turbans and headwraps for quite some time now - especially black women with natural hair.

But perhaps what's implicit in this post is Kourtney Kardashian is single-handledly trying to make turbans happen for "non-black women."