paula deen controversy

Controversies ruled the year & with them came very public (and occasionally sincere) apologies. Everyone from Paula Deen to Lance Armstrong expressed their regrets publicly, but were they really sorry? We talk to experts and journalists to decide.
Walmart and Target are just two of the many companies to have cut ties with Paula Deen since the former Food Network star's history of using racial slurs came to light. But not all companies have completely backed away from Deen -- far from it, in fact.
One word is no worse than any other, and it is time to move on to looking in our own mirrors, and evaluating our own behavior -- including what we tolerate from our children, friends and co-workers.
What this brouhaha shows is that we are not even close to being an inclusive society, despite having a black president, despite the inroads the women's movement has made, despite our sudden willingness to deal with immigration reform.