NBA comes down hard on racist owner: Fox News defends him

[Rhea]

Am I the only person who isn't a racist and hasn't dived into a racial diatribe in an argument?

uh, no. I have never needed racial diatribe in any heated argument ever.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Am I the only person who isn't a racist and hasn't dived into a racial diatribe in an argument?

Have you ever said ANYTHING you didn't really mean in anger?

Note, not 'didn't mean to say outloud.'
Or single words on the 'bad words to shout' list that you regret applying to your wife, boss, parole officer assailant, that just came out.
But actual statements that in no way reflected anything you actually thought?

I don't think humans do that.
Anger lowers our inhibitions, it doesn't empower our ability to write fiction.

 

[Sarpedon]

If this were a McDonald's franchise owner, no one would bat an eye at the McDonalds corporation revoking his franchise for hurting their brand with his racist comments.

The NBA is a corporation and a brand, and the Clippers are a franchise. Tarnish the brand and you are out on your ass. Its right there in the contract. The government can't limit your free speech, but if you can sign it away when you enter into a contract, and that is what he did.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Am I the only person who isn't a racist and hasn't dived into a racial diatribe in an argument?

Have you ever said ANYTHING you didn't really mean in anger?

Note, not 'didn't mean to say outloud.'
Or single words on the 'bad words to shout' list that you regret applying to your wife, boss, parole officer that just came out.
But actual statements that in no way reflected anything you actually thought?

I don't think humans do that.
Anger lowers our inhibitions, it doesn't empower our ability to write fiction.

Ya, but when lowering your inhibitions ends up with you ranting about black people, it does pretty much mean that you're a racist who realizes that you need to keep your opinions to yourself when you've got a clear head.

The statements that you make come from somewhere.

 

[J842P]

It's OK to say racist things as long as it's in private?

Plenty of room between "ok" and "2.5 million fine, lifetime ban and forced sale of a business".

What he did and what his punishment is are completely incongruous.

How so? Bigotry of this sort is not and should not be tolerated. It's a good thing.

 

[Keith&Co.]

[ The statements that you make come from somewhere.

Well, yeah.
That's my point. Derec keeps hammering on the 'said during a fight' and 'said in anger' apology, which doesn't really change anything.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Am I the only person who isn't a racist and hasn't dived into a racial diatribe in an argument?

Have you ever said ANYTHING you didn't really mean in anger?

Note, not 'didn't mean to say outloud.'
Or single words on the 'bad words to shout' list that you regret applying to your wife, boss, parole officer assailant, that just came out.

Not really. I try to say what I actually mean and feel.

I don't think humans do that.
Anger lowers our inhibitions, it doesn't empower our ability to write fiction.

I remember when Gibson did his rant, but he was drunk. Since when did being drunk cause non-racists to go into a racist rant. Racists have this manner of saying shit I would never have even considered, and I'm quite creative.

 

[doubtingt]

Didn't he just say that his gf should not be hanging in public with people she is sleeping with on the side because it humiliates him? That's how I took his comments.

No. It had nothing to do with whether she was sleeping with the people in the pics. It had only to do with the fact they they were black. He said "It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Not Magic in particular, not gang bangers, not rappers, not any particular person with black skin or any particular real or imagined sub-type of black person, but pure and simply "black people", which to all listeners capable of basic comprehension understanding to mean any and all black people.

If he views all his players as property how is that racist. Presumably not all of them are black.

His comments about players (as opposed to those about all black people) were directly about black players in response to his mistress pointing out that he has many black players. Oh yeah, and if he viewed all his players as property that itself would make him immoral scum and warrant his removal from the league. Not surprising that you wouldn't realize that.

The fact that he expressed these beliefs in private makes it worse, because it proves they are his deeply held sincere beliefs.

I think the opposite.
We should not be punishing people for private comments. Especially not those made in anger during an argument.

They were not made during an argument. They were the whole basis for the disagreement. He expressed disdain for all black people and she objected. That was "the argument". He is not being punished by any court or the government. He violated rules of a private organization, costing them $ and credibility, so he is being punished by the fine in accord to a contract he agreed to. Beyond that, the only thing happening to him is that private citizens (the NBA, fans, players) are choosing to no longer associate with him. That is their right. He has the right to be a grotesque bigot and say it anywhere he wants. Everyone else has the right (and all decent people the moral responsibility) to dissociate themselves from any person with his views. If you want to get together with Sterling start your own sports league called "Racist Misogynist Goal Post Movers", then you are free to do so.

There is also an issue of double standards. Al Sharpton is orders of magnitude more racist than Sterling and yet he was never punished for his very public thoughts and deeds. Instead, he is being rewarded by getting his own show on MSNBC.

First, Sharpton is not an NBA owner, so there cannot possibly be any double standard. Sterling was punished by the specific private organization of the NBA, so unless you can point to where the NBA should have or could have punished Sharpton, there can be no double standard. IF MSNBC hasn't punished Sharpton, then it is either because they (like all rational people) see nothing he has said equal to directly disparaging every single member of a race, or because they have different standards and motives than the NBA on the issue. The NBA makes most of its money irreplaceable black employees and a fanbase comprised mostly of people who find Sterling's extreme racism morally repugnant. Everything else aside, it is in their financial interest to kick Sterling out, and they have every legal and moral right to do so.

He isn't being punished for saying these things, he is being punished for believing these things.

So outright thought crimes then?

There is no crime. He is not being criminally prosecuted. There is no government involvement. IT is no different than if you overhead someone you know saying "Yeah, Derec is a real women hater. I am afraid for any female in his presence." You would have the right to no longer hang out with that person. That is it. That is all that has transpired here in terms of "punishment".

Personally, I think he should file a criminal complaint against the gf and sue her, TMZ and the NBA.

Good thing you are not a lawyer or you'd be sued by your clients for incompetence, because he has absolutely no legal case against the NBA. He signed an agreement that gives them the power to do everything that's been done and will be done. He also has no real suit against his mistress, because he seems to have admitted it was him, so he cannot claim slander or fraud. At most he could have her charged with illegal taping but that wouldn't result in much.

She didn't need to dig for his gold. He pays her willingly to essentially serve as an mistress/escort because no one that grotesque could get a pretty young women to hang out with them otherwise.

Yeah he was giving hr money/stuff while they were together. But she wants the gravy train to continue afterwards as well.

"afterwards"????? The relationship wasn't over. That conversation was 2 weeks ago and he is referring to her as "my girl".
If she wanted to blackmail him, why would she release the tape and eliminate her ability to threaten to release the tape? Whatever you do, don't become a blackmailer, you wouldn't be good at it.

She did the world a great favor and made it a better place. She helped expose certain evidence of a long suspected racist who acted to harm many people based on skin color. She didn't do it for society. She seems to be a rather shallow and narcissistic person, but she isn't a villain.

What did he do before that "harmed many people of color"? Honestly, I never heard of him before all this and was only vaguely aware of the Clippers.

IOW, your full of opinions but none of the facts surrounding the issue. Shooting par today, I see.
Sterling (along with his bigot wife) is a well known slum lord who discriminated against blacks and Hispanic tenants in his buildings. He has been accused of this dozens of separate times across almost 30 years and one of those times was sued and paid a $2.7 million dollar settlement. His former coaches and players have also accused him (before this recent episode emerged) of extremely racist comments and race-based termination. There is is a good reason why no one who knows him has came out in his defense or ever expressed a moments doubt that that was him on the tape or that the beliefs were at all out of character for him.

 

[Derec]

The statements that you make come from somewhere.

Apparently it came from V sleeping with some black guys like Magic and posing for photos with them. It also appears that she goaded him into saying what he said with the purpose of publicizing it.
Btw, apparently she has taken to wearing a huge visor/welding mask over her mug in public. Hilarious.

Who knows, maybe she is auditioning to join Daft Punk ...

 

[doubtingt]

[ The statements that you make come from somewhere.

Well, yeah.
That's my point. Derec keeps hammering on the 'said during a fight' and 'said in anger' apology, which doesn't really change anything.

Also, it wasn't in anger about something else. He was upset because she was allowing people to see her hanging around black people. He didn't refer to black people while being upset. Black people are what made him upset, so he referred to them. Besides, even in anger, one might refer to the person you are fighting with using a slur (racial if they are of another race), but you wouldn't suddenly demean every member of a race and say you don't want to be socially linked to black people. It just isn't something that pops out in a fit of rage. It would only be said if you meant it.

 

[Ford]

It's OK to say racist things as long as it's in private?

Plenty of room between "ok" and "2.5 million fine, lifetime ban and forced sale of a business".

What he did and what his punishment is are completely incongruous.

How so? Bigotry of this sort is not and should not be tolerated. It's a good thing.

You have to understand the mind-set at work here.

Derec is perfectly okay with a person making racist statements so long as that person is:

1. White
2. Saying them in private.

Anti-white racism is the real problem our society faces, and if a rich white man can't treat his non-white girlfriend like shit in private, then there is no justice in the world.

Here in normal people land, though, bigotry is wrong, and if you're stupid enough to say bigoted things to your half black girlfriend about black people AND stupid enough (as an 80 year old billionaire with a wife already) to be ignorant of the fact that this young lady is only after you for your money, then his punishment is just fine.

 

[AthenaAwakened]

Old man with wife and a shit ton of money buys young girlfriend who outs his ass as racist in order to get revenge, money, fifteen minutes of fame or any combination of the three.

And we should defend...

Who?

Trying to find a hero or at least victim.

I got nothin'

 

[Ford]

Old man with wife and a shit ton of money buys young girlfriend

Correction...he rented her. And as with most rentals, if you don't take care of it, you're gonna lose your security deposit.

 

[Brian63]

I have not followed the story particularly closely and its various developments in the last several days, but has there been any talk or action about involving law enforcement on this issue? Is he being charged with any crime?

Over on the Ann Coulter forum where I lurk for fun, there is a thread where they are putting him in a victim pose and repeatedly implying (not explicitly and clearly stating though, at least that I have seen) that his free speech rights have been violated:

http://chat.anncoulter.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=123987

When people react negatively to someone who espoused racist views, and not wanting to do further business with him, they are effectively persecuting that racist, eh? Or is it just if he espoused racist views in private, and did not hide them when in public like he normally does, that he is being persecuted?


I actually do think the guy deserves a bit of compassion though for his racist views, just because of his age and such views probably being more normal and established in the culture for much of his upbringing, when he was developing them. Likewise, for much of my own upbringing, I was a little anti-gay and was opposed to gay marriage to the slight extent the thought had even crossed my mind. When it first became an issue in the U.S. about a decade ago, I was opposed to it (though fully support it now). So I can relate to people sincerely having outdated views, though they generally mean well. Especially as people age, they may even suffer from increasing mental illnesses which can impact their worldviews as well. So the views he holds are disgusting, and it is right for the NBA to try and distance itself from him. We should just, on a more personal level, be a little more forgiving and understanding, and not so flagrantly insulting ourselves to people in his situation, who may even have medical conditions contributing for all we know.

Brian

 

[Derec]

You have to understand the mind-set at work here.

Derec is perfectly okay with a person making racist statements so long as that person is:

1. White
2. Saying them in private.

1. I think racism should be equally condemned whatever the race of the racist is. However, Sterling is being treated as public enemy number one while people like Sharpton, who said and did much worse things are bieng rewarded with their own shows at MSNBC. Why? Because a certain segment of our society thinks only whites can be racist.
2. I believe there is a difference between things said in private (say during a lovers' tiff) and in public (for example as a speaker at a college graduation)

White folks was [sic] in caves while we was building empires…. We taught philosophy and astrology and mathematics before Socrates and them Greek homos ever got around to it.

Also his long history of anti-white activism with him being involved in the Freddie Fashion Mart arson (he called the Jewish owner of the store "white interloper"), Crown Height Riot and of course the Tawana Brawley Hoax.

Anti-white racism is the real problem our society faces

I would say that all racism is a problem but that black racism gets downplayed and excused (or even outright denied to exist) as much as white racism gets exaggerated (like calling any opposition to Obama "racist").

Here in normal people land, though, bigotry is wrong, and if you're stupid enough to say bigoted things to your half black girlfriend about black people AND stupid enough (as an 80 year old billionaire with a wife already) to be ignorant of the fact that this young lady is only after you for your money, then his punishment is just fine.

But if you are smart enough to build your career on hatred against whites, Jews and gays you get your own show on MSNBC.

- - - Updated - - -

I have not followed the story particularly closely and its various developments in the last several days, but has there been any talk or action about involving law enforcement on this issue? Is he being charged with any crime?

The only possible crime is the issue of illegal taping.

 

[Ford]

1. I think racism should be equally condemned whatever the race of the racist is.

And yet you only condemn anti-white racism.

 

[Derec]

No. It had nothing to do with whether she was sleeping with the people in the pics. It had only to do with the fact they they were black. He said "It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Not Magic in particular, not gang bangers, not rappers, not any particular person with black skin or any particular real or imagined sub-type of black person, but pure and simply "black people", which to all listeners capable of basic comprehension understanding to mean any and all black people.

I do not disagree that he was bigoted against black people but that there was more to the reason for his comments.

His comments about players (as opposed to those about all black people) were directly about black players in response to his mistress pointing out that he has many black players. Oh yeah, and if he viewed all his players as property that itself would make him immoral scum and warrant his removal from the league. Not surprising that you wouldn't realize that.

What exactly did he say re players being property? And I would say that the only thing that would warrant him being removed from the league would be his actions vis a vis players, not what he said to his gf in private. If Clippers players had the same sort of contracts and treatment as other players in other teams then there isn't really any problem, not any rhetorical "I own them" or whatever he might have said.

They were not made during an argument. They were the whole basis for the disagreement. He expressed disdain for all black people and she objected.

Now you are splitting hairs. And she didn't only object, she taped him and sent it to TMZ.

He is not being punished by any court or the government.

He is being banned from his own property and is in the process of being deprived of the same.

He violated rules of a private organization,

Show me where in the NBA rules it says that NBA has the right to police individual owners behavior in private.

costing them $ and credibility,

What evidence do you have of that?

so he is being punished by the fine in accord to a contract he agreed to.

Citation needed.

First, Sharpton is not an NBA owner, so there cannot possibly be any double standard.

He is part of the same society as Sterling and the double standard is society-wide and not limited to NBA.

IF MSNBC hasn't punished Sharpton, then it is either because they (like all rational people) see nothing he has said equal to directly disparaging every single member of a race, or because they have different standards and motives than the NBA on the issue.

"All rational people" don't see Sharpton as a racist? Not after his speech at Kean College? Not after Crown Heights or Freddie Fashion Mart? Not after Tawana Brawley?
I know a lot of people on the Left still drink his koolaid (which allows him to insert himself in cases such as this one) but I fail to see how any rational person can not see that he is very much racist.

The NBA makes most of its money irreplaceable black employees

Irreplaceable? If all 500 NBA players got raptured tomorrow NBA could find players almost as good and would be making just as much money.

and a fanbase comprised mostly of people who find Sterling's extreme racism morally repugnant. Everything else aside, it is in their financial interest to kick Sterling out, and they have every legal and moral right to do so.

He isn't being punished for saying these things, he is being punished for believing these things.

There is no crime. He is not being criminally prosecuted. There is no government involvement. IT is no different than if you overhead someone you know saying "Yeah, Derec is a real women hater. I am afraid for any female in his presence." You would have the right to no longer hang out with that person. That is it. That is all that has transpired here in terms of "punishment".

Nice how you wave personal insults in pseudo-hypothetically.
Let's say I have a contract with that person and he says something bad about me. Does that give me the right to abrogate the contract?

Good thing you are not a lawyer or you'd be sued by your clients for incompetence, because he has absolutely no legal case against the NBA.

That would depend on the contract. I very much doubt the owners have given NBA the power to police what they say in the privacy of their own homes.

He signed an agreement that gives them the power to do everything that's been done and will be done.

Citation needed.

He also has no real suit against his mistress, because he seems to have admitted it was him, so he cannot claim slander or fraud.

He can claim violation of privacy.

At most he could have her charged with illegal taping but that wouldn't result in much.

If a person is monetarily damaged by a criminal action of another they generally can sue for damages, which are huge in this case.

"afterwards"????? The relationship wasn't over. That conversation was 2 weeks ago and he is referring to her as "my girl".
If she wanted to blackmail him, why would she release the tape and eliminate her ability to threaten to release the tape? Whatever you do, don't become a blackmailer, you wouldn't be good at it.

Huh? I never said that this is how I would have done it, so your attempt at an insult falls flat.
Maybe she's no good at blackmailing. Or she thought she'd make more by positioning herself to become the next Kim Kardasian (famous for being famous). Who knows what her thought process was, we only know that she released the tape illegally.

Sterling (along with his bigot wife) is a well known slum lord who discriminated against blacks and Hispanic tenants in his buildings. He has been accused of this dozens of separate times across almost 30 years and one of those times was sued and paid a $2.7 million dollar settlement. His former coaches and players have also accused him (before this recent episode emerged) of extremely racist comments and race-based termination. There is is a good reason why no one who knows him has came out in his defense or ever expressed a moments doubt that that was him on the tape or that the beliefs were at all out of character for him.

And yet NAACP was about to give him an award. Either NAACP are a bunch of idiots, are completely corrupt, or the claims above are not quite true. I do not know which it is. Do you have any evidence/citation for the claims above?

 

[Derec]

And yet you only condemn anti-white racism.

Only because that's the only racism that is still controversial. All other kinds of racism are rightly universally condemned.

 

[Ford]

And yet you only condemn anti-white racism.

Only because that's the only racism that is still controversial. All other kinds of racism are rightly universally condemned.

And yet you won't condemn anything other than anti-white racism.

You're fine with racism, so long as it isn't directed against white people.

 

[Bacillus anthracis]

Old man with wife and a shit ton of money buys young girlfriend who outs his ass as racist in order to get revenge, money, fifteen minutes of fame or any combination of the three.

And we should defend...

Who?

Trying to find a hero or at least victim.

I got nothin'

That's kind of been my take on this too. Yeah, the old man's a racist, but the girl must have known about it before she recorded him. She was selling herself to him, taking what he was giving, and then set him up. Hopefully the feminist movement hasn't found a new hero.

It's a bunch of seedy shit made public. Both parties are slimy.