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Racism is a Tough Sell: The Real Reason Everyone Dumped Paula Deen

Paula Deen Undone

In business, it’s OK to be a sexist, a felon, or an adulterer. But a racist? Uh-uh—especially if your brand has a national reach. Daniel Gross on Paula Deen’s swift fall.

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Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC NewsWire via Getty

Paula Deen has come undone.

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First came details of a lawsuit in which a former employee alleged racial insensitivity on the part of Deen. Then came her amateurish, tentative apologies on YouTube.

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