Comedian turned talk show host Steve Harvey has ruffled ALOT of feathers this week when he announced that he will be teaming up with celebrity chef Paula Deen for his annual young men’s mentoring group initiative. This decision comes after Steve invited Deen on his talk a show to hear her side of the story.
Steve says: ” Paula has agreed to take as MANY boys as I want to fly down to Savannah and teach them Culinary Skills. “
The joint partnership comes as SHOCK too many considering Deen’s imminent termination from her popular chef show, endorsement deals, and her restaurant SHUT DOWN earlier this year for her past use of the N-Word.
Steve: Do you understand why people were so HURT, Do You understand why they felt that way?
Paula: I think that I do Steve, and I think that it balls down to that PEOPLE expected BETTER from me.
Steve: What did you learn from this?
Paula: ” I learned that WORDS our POWERFUL, and CAREFUL of what you say!…. We have not learned this at the top of that mountain [adulthood] , this [at infancy and adolescence age] is where we learn our lessons , and this is what BUILDS character. “
Sidebar: Of All the Chef’s to choose from…. forgiveness is one thing, but to have Deen serve as a MENTOR to black youth was not a good judge of character, was my initial thought.
I also shared similar feelings to Dr. Boyce Watkins who talked about the the overall issue does not lie solely at the hands of Steve Harvey’s actions but one of politics, money, and business instead, and therefor Steve should not have took the bait on this one.
Meanwhile, Steve is un-bothered by the public criticism and replied the following:
I spoke to my mother on this issue and she presented a different view saying:
” Think of our bodies as a WELL of Spirit that’s inside of us ALL . For every negative thing that somebody says to us or do to us it’s like throwing that stone in our spiritual WELL , and the more NEGATIVE energy that comes to us it eventually CLOG’S up our WELL.
So now you find that your CREATIVITY, FAITH, YOUR GOODNESS, can’t push through because your CLOGGED UP. So you have to GUARD your heart to prevent that, and that’s what being POSITIVE is all about. “
Are Black People Too Clogged Up In Our Past History? Every time our trigger button [racial slur, or prejudice experience] is pressed we’re ANGERED so quickly because of our PAST history. On the other side of the spectrum there’s always the questions of... Why Are Black Groups So Forgiving To Other Groups?, Why Do Black People Sell Out For Money?
My mother also noted that we should be celebrating ourselves for being the selected the group that is forgiving to others because this conscious ‘ACT’ shows that we are a truly ‘ righteous ‘ people so let’s build from the positive side of things because it is easier to HARP on the negatives and rush to judgment.
Do You Agree?