Well ladies and gents, we’re only one episode into the sixth season of Real Housewives of Atlanta and there’s already controversy surrounding one of the show’s cast members. If you caught the season premiere on Sunday night, you probably heard her make reference to a Hebrew slave while discussing how hard she’d been working to take care of her newborn son, Dylan. After receiving a bit of backlash over her comment, the mom of two took to her Bravo TV blog to address the controversy.
“Of course, what would our show be without a series of new dramas, controversies, and scandals?! I would be remiss if I did not address the comment I made during last night’s episode about “working like a Hebrew slave,” to which I understand that some people took issue. Let me first say that the statement was not in any way meant to be derogatory or disrespectful to any culture. It is a description that is commonly used in reference to the requirement of working long, merciless hours without any end in sight,” the self-proclaimed southern belle wrote.
“I get that we live in a culture where political correctness is expected, especially in polite company, but we also cannot divorce ourselves from our history and the references thereto that have found their way into our speech. By that I do not mean racial and cultural slurs, demeaning or degrading descriptions or other sorts of calculated and hurtful (mis)applications of language,” she continued.
After explaining herself, she went on to apologize, emphasizing the fact that she is also a descendent of slaves.
“As an African American woman and the descendant of slaves, I do not condone any form of racism or oppression. I most certainly do not take lightly our history of slavery and the battles that were fought, and won, to gain the freedoms that we now enjoy. In fact, much of that history fuels my passion for law and social justice. Nevertheless, I regret any discomfort my use of that description might have caused.”
What did you think of her comment? Did you find it to be offensive?
