Hot Topic: Donald Sterling

[Lukus Alderman]

By now, if you don't know what Donald Sterling, owner of the LA Clippers, was recorded saying under oath, you're probably living under a rock.

So here's what happened: Sterling was having a private conversation with his girlfriend/whatever and he was apparently unknowingly recorded stating that he didn't want her posting pics of her around black people or bringing black people with her to games or whatever. Nobody disputes that what he said is racist.

The issue here is that what he said was in a private conversation.

So, in your opinion, should he be punished for making these statements in private?  If so, what kind of punishment should there be?

 

[monarch]

By now, if you don't know what Donald Sterling, owner of the LA Clippers, was recorded saying under oath, you're probably living under a rock.

So here's what happened: Sterling was having a private conversation with his girlfriend/whatever and he was apparently unknowingly recorded stating that he didn't want her posting pics of her around black people or bringing black people with her to games or whatever. Nobody disputes that what he said is racist.

The issue here is that what he said was in a private conversation.

So, in your opinion, should he be punished for making these statements in private?  If so, what kind of punishment should there be?

under oath?  obviously, the comments made as per donald sterling, were so demeaning / shocking vs full of pure bigotry, that they actually supercede the very fact that these comments were made in private.

any particular "punishment" as per these comments, are not at all indicative upon whether they were made in private or not...  should any form of punishment be forthcoming, it shall be indicative as per the public fallout vs shame to his players / league, hurt vs shame as per all of his employees, hurt vs shame as per all of the "fans" that actually purchase tickets to the clippers basketball games, hurt vs shame that this shocking fallout has done to his innocent family members.

this is why punishment shall need to be forthcoming. 

 

[BudreauReye]

What he said was not a criminal offense, but he should be held up to ridicule int the public arena. and fined, at least, by the powers that be in the NBA, if for nothing else than conduct unbecoming of a team owner.  I do not think you can do this, but I would also like to see him branded in the middle of the forehead with a big "I" for idiot.

 

[Etex Horn]

I think Lt. Aldo Raines of the Inglourious Basterds should carve a swastika on his forehead.

 

[armadillo slim]

i think he will receive his just rewards.  what the official stance or punishment should be is unimportant.    the team and society will fix this issue.

 

[Matt Cotcher]

FACT 1: Sterling's wife is suing his mistress in an unrelated case.

FACT 2: It's been more than 24 hours and nobody has confirmed the voices in the tapes. 

FACT 3: Sterling's mistress has multiple identities and is well know for using her "feminine wiles".

I don't know about y'all, but this whole thing seems strange to me. Not to mention the fact that I ain't about to get in the middle of a cat fight like that.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

I think Spike Lee should be banned from NBA arenas for his racist comments about white people, er, European-Americans.

http://time.com/10666/spike-lees-racism-isnt-cute-m-f-hipster-is-the-new-honkey/

 

[Sirhornsalot]

FACT 1: Sterling's wife is suing his mistress in an unrelated case.

FACT 2: It's been more than 24 hours and nobody has confirmed the voices in the tapes. 

FACT 3: Sterling's mistress has multiple identities and is well know for using her "feminine wiles".

I don't know about y'all, but this whole thing seems strange to me. Not to mention the fact that I ain't about to get in the middle of a cat fight like that.

Yea, hard to speculate here. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. But to answer the question, if it's out there, then it's too late to wonder if it's private or not. Public arena is where his punishment will come, and perhaps his team, too.

Just when you think about how far we've come, something stupid like this happens.

What I don't like, however, is the false use of the accusation of racism. It's to the point where our youth our having fun with it:

Friend #1: "I ordered the foot long coney this time. Had a burger last time."

Friend #2: "Racist."

It's unfortunate that it's misuse has forced the term into the punch line of a joke, when obviously we still have deep dark corners of this country that hold that rotten point of view.

 

[streettopeschel]

I'll not defend sterling. His remarks will be dealt with justly.

I will say I'm glad I'm not recorded by vengeful women 24/7.

 

[Chris Flanagan]

If you are saying something under oath, it can be in the public sphere. So just some quick advice. If you are under oath in any type of legal proceeding, watch what you say because it can become public. 

However, he should be punished by the NBA. Owning an NBA team isn't a right, it's a privilege. When you own a team in a sport that is predominantly African American and your fanbase is as well, saying racist things shouldn't be tolerated. Sometimes there is a perception that the upper class in America look down upon minorities and when you see someone from the upper class say a comment like that, it does portray a negative view on the upper class in this country. It shouldn't but perception is reality. And if they let him slide because he is an owner, resentment of the NBA and others will occur. 

He did say something very offensive and bigoted. He should be punished for that. 

 

[BudreauReye]

I think Spike Lee should be banned from NBA arenas for his racist comments about white people, er, European-Americans.

http://time.com/10666/spike-lees-racism-isnt-cute-m-f-hipster-is-the-new-honkey/

I do not think these are the same things except that you have two people who have rather pompous senses of entitlement who should just keep their mouths shut.  Sterling can say whatever he likes, but by choosing to own a pro sports franchise, he puts himself in a position of representing the entire community to a certain extent.  because of that, his comments are reprehensible.  Spike Lee has made some pretty good movies, but I must say it becomes rather tiresome when people in the entertainment business take it upon themselves to attempt to enlighten the rest of us.  Gentrification is a very real problem that affects populations that have called neighborhoods home for generations and really had not much of a choice of where they could live in the first place due to historic economic and in some cases racial conditions.  Not everybody in a neighborhood wins the gentrification lottery when a poor or working neighborhood starts on the gentrification curve.  Renters have to move, they have no choice.  Don't get me wrong,  I am all for the rights of property owners to realize the potential of their property, but is just a very complex issue.  Sterling should just shut his mouth and Lee should stick to pontificating about things he knows something about.  If he ever makes a film about gentrification, then he can talk about that.  Until then he should keep his own council.  One guy speaking out of his ass on one end of a racial spectrum does not justify some other guy on the other end of the spectrum speaking out of his ass, when in fact they both are buffoons with a sense of self importance way out of proportion to their actual worth to our culture.  To put it a tad more succinctly, one one horse's patoot does not justify the other.

 

[monarch]

I do not think these are the same things except that you have two people who have rather pompous senses of entitlement who should just keep their mouths shut.  Sterling can say whatever he likes, but by choosing to own a pro sports franchise, he puts himself in a position of representing the entire community to a certain extent.  because of that, his comments are reprehensible.  Spike Lee has made some pretty good movies, but I must say it becomes rather tiresome when people in the entertainment business take it upon themselves to attempt to enlighten the rest of us.  Gentrification is a very real problem that affects populations that have called neighborhoods home for generations and really had not much of a choice of where they could live in the first place due to historic economic and in some cases racial conditions.  Not everybody in a neighborhood wins the gentrification lottery when a poor or working neighborhood starts on the gentrification curve.  Renters have to move, they have no choice.  Don't get me wrong,  I am all for the rights of property owners to realize the potential of their property, but is just a very complex issue.  Sterling should just shut his mouth and Lee should stick to pontificating about things he knows something about.  If he ever makes a film about gentrification, then he can talk about that.  Until then he should keep his own council.  One guy speaking out of his ass on one end of a racial spectrum does not justify some other guy on the other end of the spectrum speaking out of his ass, when in fact they both are buffoons with a sense of self importance way out of proportion to their actual worth to our culture.  To put it a tad more succinctly, one one horse's patoot does not justify the other.

budreaureye, what you are now articulating is indeed correct my pal, but may you please bare in mind...  spike lee, knows very well, that any provocative statements regarding race, that he pronounces, shall indeed become public scrutiny.  therefore, success upon his behalf.  old spike knew exactly what he was doing, in regards as per those gentrification remarks.  (and if we really look inside ourselves, we all know what he was doing as well)  spike is no bigot, he is just tired of the seemingly endless points of inequality, as per certain citizenry of this great nation.

sterling, upon the other hand...  is the genuine article!

 

[BudreauReye]

budreaureye, what you are now articulating is indeed correct my pal, but may you please bare in mind...  spike lee, knows very well, that any provocative statements regarding race, that he pronounces, shall indeed become public scrutiny.  therefore, success upon his behalf.  old spike knew exactly what he was doing, in regards as per those gentrification remarks.  (and if we really look inside ourselves, we all know what he was doing as well)  spike is no bigot, he is just tired of the seemingly endless points of inequality, as per certain citizenry of this great nation.

sterling, upon the other hand...  is the genuine article!

Actually, I agree with you and you said it a lot better than I could.  My response contained two countervailing positions, or perhaps emotions would be a better way of putting it, that did not mesh very well.  I was trying to be evenhanded, and that did not work very well.  I think most of us can agree that Sterling is showing his true character and can hardly be defended by anybody.  In a previous life, I worked in President Johnson's War on Poverty, and I worked hand in hand with the good people in several minority communities, in a very small part, trying to help people overcome what generations of racial and economic segregation had wrought.  I have to admit that it made me angry to see Mr. Lee being cast in the role of being a reverse racist because he made statements in a very common rhetorical style in order to make a bigger statement about gentrification and the greater effects of racism.  As you said, he was definitely being provocative.  I have read a bit of what Mr. Lee has had to say over the years, and while I may not agree with what I see as some of the oversimplifications of his arguments, I certainly do not see reverse racism therein.  In fact, I tend to resonate with the emotional content of what he has to say, even though I also tend to resonate with the rights of property owners to realize the benefits of their investments.  I tried to bridge a gap and bring the discussion back to Mr. Sterling where in my mind it belonged, when in fact I could not hold my passion for these issues.  This is one of those situations where I probably should have just held my tongue.  Mea culpa!  Mea Culpa!  Mea Culpa!  Hindsight is a great teacher, but sometimes it loses its' effectiveness in old age. 

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Apparently, the Clippers owner has received the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award from them in 2009, the President's Award from the same NAACP in 2008 - and get this - is set to receive the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award from the same NAACP.

I suppose this is where I get confused with the whole thing.

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/04/133170-latest-clipper-owner-race-wrinkle-naacp-scheduled-award-donald-sterling-lifetime-achievement-award/

NAACP Scheduled To Give ‘Racist’ Democrat-Backing LA Clippers Owner Lifetime Achievement Award

The NAACP is scheduled to award L.A. Clippers owner and Democrat supporter Donald T. Sterling a lifetime achievement award next month, adding to the controversy about racist comments he allegedly made to his girlfriend.

Charges of racism against Sterling are not new, having been sued by his 22-year employee and basketball star Elgin Baylor in 2009 (which was thrown out of court) and also settling a housing discrimination lawsuit.

On the other hand, he received a previous lifetime achievement award from the NAACP in 2009 and the President’s Award from them in 2008. Alice Huffman, president of the NAACP California State Conference, said in a statement, “If these allegations are proven true, we are extremely disappointed in Mr. Sterling.â€

The Clippers organization released a statement today and definitely added some twists to the story. They deny that the recording reflects Sterling’s sentiments and are investigating to see if it is his voice or if it has been altered. Furthermore, the statement said this about the woman involved:

We do know that the woman on the tape — who we believe released it to TMZ — is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family alleging that she embezzled more than $1.8 million, who told Mr. Sterling that she would “get even.â€
Obviously, it will be incredibly interesting to follow where this story goes.

Update:  African American conservatives makes a hilarious point via our friends at Young Conservatives:

I don’t know which political party Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling supports.
 
But if msnbc doesn’t focus on him exclusively for the next 2 weeks, if Rev. Al Sharpton and the NAACP don’t call for protests and demand Chris Paul and Blake Griffin quit the team, and if he isn’t forced to sell Clippers, he’s not a Republican.

 

[monarch]

Apparently, the Clippers owner has received the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award from them in 2009, the President's Award from the same NAACP in 2008 - and get this - is set to receive the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award from the same NAACP.

I suppose this is where I get confused with the whole thing.

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/04/133170-latest-clipper-owner-race-wrinkle-naacp-scheduled-award-donald-sterling-lifetime-achievement-award/

NAACP Scheduled To Give ‘Racist’ Democrat-Backing LA Clippers Owner Lifetime Achievement Award

The NAACP is scheduled to award L.A. Clippers owner and Democrat supporter Donald T. Sterling a lifetime achievement award next month, adding to the controversy about racist comments he allegedly made to his girlfriend.

Charges of racism against Sterling are not new, having been sued by his 22-year employee and basketball star Elgin Baylor in 2009 (which was thrown out of court) and also settling a housing discrimination lawsuit.

On the other hand, he received a previous lifetime achievement award from the NAACP in 2009 and the President’s Award from them in 2008. Alice Huffman, president of the NAACP California State Conference, said in a statement, “If these allegations are proven true, we are extremely disappointed in Mr. Sterling.â€

The Clippers organization released a statement today and definitely added some twists to the story. They deny that the recording reflects Sterling’s sentiments and are investigating to see if it is his voice or if it has been altered. Furthermore, the statement said this about the woman involved:

We do know that the woman on the tape — who we believe released it to TMZ — is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family alleging that she embezzled more than $1.8 million, who told Mr. Sterling that she would “get even.â€
Obviously, it will be incredibly interesting to follow where this story goes.

Update:  African American conservatives makes a hilarious point via our friends at Young Conservatives:

I don’t know which political party Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling supports.
 
But if msnbc doesn’t focus on him exclusively for the next 2 weeks, if Rev. Al Sharpton and the NAACP don’t call for protests and demand Chris Paul and Blake Griffin quit the team, and if he isn’t forced to sell Clippers, he’s not a Republican.

"the huffington post" is now indicating as per one of the "naacp" officials as stating that "the naacp has decided to relinquish the "lifetime achievement award" slated as per mr. sterling".  therefore, he shall not be receiving it.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Whether or not they give it to him once again really isn't the point, IMO. It's that they were prepared to honor this man publicly, I suppose for his efforts toward the betterment of black Americans - and now this.

It often amazes me how closely good and evil can reside.

 

[monarch]

Whether or not they give it to him once again really isn't the point, IMO. It's that they were prepared to honor this man publicly, I suppose for his efforts toward the betterment of black Americans - and now this.

It often amazes me how closely good and evil can reside.

well yes, of course they were mark, however, i am almost certain that they were highly unaware of this nba owner's callous hypocrosy vs bigotry.  the naacp, maintain's a standard, of presenting awards as per acts of continuous outward goodwill to others.  my mother, just so happens to be a vice president, as per the beaumont, tx branch.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Obviously not as this doesn't look good. No way they could have known though.

 

[Darrell McPhaul]

What he said was appalling.  I wonder what context he said it and why?

You know what else I find appalling?  My son listens to rap music and I kid you not, every other word is the "N" word.

Why isn't America and especially our black mothers & fathers appalled by this?