How do you know the appropriate time to tell the truth, keep quiet or lie? I remember as a child my mother saying, “Now tell the truth and you won’t get into any trouble.” I always thought that was a trick statement. I also remember my mother telling me that, “Not telling something is almost as good as a lie.”
Paula Deen is a great example of this. I’ve been watching Paula Deen for years. I would just salivate watching her make all that fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, cakes, cookies, pies – heavily saturated with sugar and fat. All the while, she would proclaim, “This is just delicious Y’all!”
So…what is so wrong with that? Well, she had diabetes. She never told anyone until one of the drug manufacturers wanted her to be a spokesperson. Only then did she disclose her disease. Was she being honest with her audience? I don’t think so. Should she have disclosed the fact that she had diabetes and encouraged others to eat healthy? Absolutely.
Fast forward to the most recent news. Deen is sued for derogatory, racist statements. When she got on the witness stand, she answered truthfully this time. She didn’t tell a lie. She stated that yes, indeed, she had used that language. The statement, “tell the truth and it will set you free” didn’t exactly work in her favor. It opened up a whirlwind of gossip, ill will, threats, hatred, pulled endorsements and much more. All of the companies that had backed her suddenly dropped her like one of the boiling potatoes she was once seen cooking.
Paula Deen is a person… but Paula Deen is also a brand. What she said personally has just about destroyed her brand. How will she recover from this? Only time will tell. The one thing I do know is that before you decide to be honest and tell the truth – you’d better be aware of the consequences that may follow. If not, you will be boiling in the pot with a bunch of potatoes just like Paula Deen.