Im Starting to Understand Mark Cubans Comment about being a "Slippery Slope" in Donald Sterling Case

He doesn't want his girlfriend to be seen with black people. Other than being a strange thing to be concerned about, I just don't get all the excitement.

All of us have an unreasonable dislike for someone. He didn't shout this, naked from the rooftops. It was a private conversation. Who among us hasn't said something even more ridiculous? More unfair? I certainly have.

It was a private conversation, that got recorded. Was it a stupid thought? In my opinion, yes. But I've heard far worse. And I am amazed at the fake outrage this has generated.

I'm white. And if a black billionaire said "I don't want you to take a picture with Claude, because he's white", I would think that it was a strange thing to say, but I wouldn't be demanding a lynching.

And the reporters have to ask question, and show fake concern...and fake anger over what someone said.

I think I get it. He's rich. Our fake outrage is a way to get back at a rich guy. If one of us would have said the same thing, it wouldn't have even made the local news.

How many 80 year old men have a prejudice? Most. And it dies with them.

How weak do you have to be for a stupid comment to ruin your life?
If he owns the team, and you don't like what he said? Quit.

All this crying and gnashing of teeth, over this non-event is so revealing about how most of us think with a mob instinct.

In doesn't matter. In three days, a congressman will say something stupid, and then everyone will be fake outraged about that.

I don't think Jay Z is still part owner of the Nets.

Is he still referring to white folks as crackers? Was that years ago or recently?

I saw his recent 10 minute rap video art performance. (he's calling it something like that)

Where he rapped his Magna Carta (ah, he's the Magna Carta of rappers) straight to and in front of plenty of white folks and a few celebs in the crowd.

I was surprised at the makeup of his audience.

One guy he tried to rap to, pretended he was on the phone.

Regarding Mayweather, he should not have said what he said about Manny and Lin.

The question is does what either of these guys have said... rise to the level of a Donald Sterling special?

So far the market forces have said no.

With Mayweather, he has irritated lots of people and lots of folks will pay to see him get his butt kicked. The wife doesn't like him because of an incident involving him and his ex.

With Jay Z, people who don't like him or his music won't buy his music anyway but I doubt they can get the friends/supporters of JayZ to stop buying his music etc - unless he's caught on tape like Mr. Sterling and his Twilight Zone.

Not many people thought about forgiving Sterling - at least not publicly.

One big problem is Sterling's comments didn't just affect him, they affect the fans of the team as well as the other owners.

The NBA is a "joint venture" between owners and they have a "constitution" they all agreed upon in order to own an NBA franchise. If other owners feel that Sterling is harming their brand, they have the right to kick him out of the league.

Right or worng, the reality is NBA free agents won't play for Sterling in the future, which is their right. Good coaches won't take the Clippers job with Sterling being the owner, either. This puts that franchise at a huge disadvantage from a competitive point of view. This isn't fair to the players already on the team, or the Clipper fans (especially Billy Crystal ).

Sterling is a pretty stubborn guy. I think he'll fight this as much as he can, unless he's 100% positive it's a lost cause.

BTW, anyone find it an interesting coincidence that the new NBA commisioner's name is "Silver"? We have "Sterling Silver" going at it.

I have a real problem with all this pc crap. It's a big ball of wax that's being used for control in ways it wasn't meant to be.

How many of you are in your 60's? I lived in MI and [deleted] or negro were words you heard, and probably used without even thinking about it. So how many years back do you go to hold that against someone? Do we have a timeline? A lot of people that used the word then wouldn't dream of doing so today. They weren't prejudice, it was just the way people talked back then. Not saying everyone who used it was not prejudice, just that it was normal language until blacks started being described as black. Okay - how long do we go back when we lynch someone for usage? Someone dug up Paula Dean saying something like that a decade or two ago, not to mention she said it about a man who had attacked her violently, and it just about ruined her life.

My other problem with this is that what this man said, he said in a place he thought he was speaking privately. It was his girlfriend that instigrammed it all over hell and back. So -- are we no longer going to be able to speak in our own homes without fear of repercussions? Should we be allowed to air something someone said privately? Is privacy completely dead now? How many of you have said things in private that you would never have said publicly? Is it our business what you said or not?

So what is the big deal if he doesn't like a race of people? Can we force people to like other people? This is America - you're supposed to be free to be a moron if you choose. You are not free to discriminate in ways that make life hell for another race. You can't stop them from owning a home they want and can afford. You can't stop them from working where they want to work, and you can't make life miserable for them living or working somewhere just because you don't like them. But can we really justify crucifying someone for not liking another race or culture?

It's pointed out that this man owned a whole team of people he might have not liked. I see nowhere that he ever abused them - and you got to face it they are getting some nice pay. So can we force him to like the workers, too? How do you do that? You can force a person via threat and fear not to voice their opinions - you can't force them to change them. So as long as he took good care of his employees, should he be crucified for something he said when he had a right to think nobody was listening? He said it to his girlfriend, not over a microphone and I don't see her upset enough to walk out on him. Maybe she is now, but it's pretty obvious since other people in her circle wanted to buy that team that he was set up. There's words for a woman like her who hangs with someone she finds to be offensive just because he's got bucks -- and they aren't racial terms.

So anyway......yeah, the guy might be a little scummy -- but what the hell is going on in this country. We just had an issue of a corporation based in Peurto Rico (BLM) using military force against a citizen on US soil -- over a tax dispute-- and racism was used to distract people to think that's okay. A complete mob mentality resulted from that video, even though the the NYT was caught in the act of having edited it. That one has a good ending because there is now legislation going on that will ban the IRS and BLM from having military authroity and weapons and is stopping the illegal federal land grab (most property being grabbed is private property).

I've also heard very famous blacks say just horrendously hateful things about whites - but they still have their positions. Why is it okay to do that but if you say twit about a black you are destroyed for life. That's called reverse discrimination and it's no more okay than any other form. Why is it being accepted?

So maybe at this point of time where the race card is being used solely as an instrument of manipulation, when the gov is pulling crap that's just plain illegal, and everyone seems to be crazy with their nose up everyone else's crack trying to rule over everyone's personal lives, maybe we need this kind of stuff to happen so we can re-examine what the hell is going on and how far we're going to go with domination of people's private lives.

On the other hand, we don't want to go down a slippery slope
that leads us to have to say "Never Again" - again.

Its a weird case as the woman was his mistress not his wife and he even sdaid " I do not care if you sleep with black men - just don't post photographs on Instagram of them"

very very strange

I read the full quote somewhere - where he explains he is from Israel and Black jews are treated worse than dirt there

This article raises some good issues on privacy and people's personal thoughts (whether right or wrong)

http://thoughtcatalog.com/gavin-mcin...ss-of-privacy/

What is absolutely freaking me out about this thread and the situation in general is that we have so many people who now think its their right to even KNOW what anyone says in private. What a bunch of control freaks. You know that privacy thing? It can work against you, too, so don't be so ready to embrace the idea of sticking your noses into people's private lives and thoughts.

People care too much about professional sports.

I think those that aren't sports fans and are only hearing about Sterling now aren't getting the entire picture. These accusations aren't an isolated instance.

Former Clippers GM Elgin Baylor has filed a discrimination suit against Sterling. In 2006(?), sports writer Bomani Jones wrote a column about Sterling's racism.

30 years ago, the NBA wanted to take the Clippers away from Sterling due to Sterling suggesting that it would be better for his team to lose, so it could get a higher draft choice. "Tanking" (losing on purpose) is something that destroys competitive balance and hurts the intergrity of the game.

Another issue is the non "star" workers, people like popcorn vendors and parking lot attendants. It doesn't matter to them if the fans that stay away are right or wrong, only that they are staying away. This would cost the working men and women money and jobs.

But in the end, Cuban can flap his jaw like he always does, but he'll vote to take the Clippers away from Sterling, just like all the other owners will. And actions still speak louder than words.

How come racist actions are only punishable when it comes from white people? How come no punishment has ever been issued to blacks that are racist? Heck, lots of black entertainers are openly racist and says pretty nasty things about other groups of people. There's even blacks who have made fortunes from preaching racist ideology about other groups....but no one checks them. This is why, even though I'm black, I have no problem with Donald Sterling. Blacks are openly racist and no one says anything to them, so this is hypocritical. I'm not gonna demand that people punish Sterling until you punish black entertainers and other blacks who say racist things about other groups. Openly racist blacks don't get attention however because those other races aren't petty enough to make a big deal out of it.

I think along the lines of the article. I don't like what he said either, but the right to privacy is one of the most basic fundamental rights. He's right, "he should've just paid her off."

Thanks, gotcha now, Steve. I connect the dots and would say he's abusive to
a lot of people just because that's what he is, AND abusive to people because
of their race (likely without racial words).

Just toadd a LITTLE humor:


Steve