Freshmen, "pleebs," Duwilleys," and other names, denoted a first year cadet, the lowest of the low. Walk only in a "brace" position, square all corners, eat squared meals, stop and come to attention, often. My second "demerit" I received for eating peanuts at a football game. Pleebs don't eat anything at football games. For that I was told to don my sweat suit, raincoat and heavy wool topcoat, and report to the shower. I was stood flat against the wall, on tiptoes, wearing all those clothes, a pencil was placed behind my neck, the showers were turned on hot, to produce steam, and I got to stand there, that way, for about fifteen minutes, seemed like hours. When I was told to leave, my shoes were bent at the toe where I was standing on tip toes, I could walk, but not well. That was for eating a peanut.
My first one came in the mess hall. Some food was served on large platters, others in bowls. When either a bowl or a platter was empty, the nearest pleeb would hold it up so one of the colored servers would know it was empty and take it to the kitchen and get it refilled. All of our servers were women of color.
A platter near me was empty, I reached out and got it and held it up. No one noticed. I saw a server near by. "Mam," I said. All heads turned to me, shocked looks on their faces, they were all from the South.
"What did you call her, Duwilley?"
"Mam?"
"She is a n_____ ," came his reply. My first demerits. I did not, personally, use the term, it was not in my vocabulary, but I learned to keep my mouth shut.
This was 1950, Paula Deen was born in 1947, she grew up, in Georgia, in this atmosphere. I had friends from Albany, Georgia. Old habits die hard.
