Racism isn't just for red states.

I love it when certain folks have an alleged lapse in their "color aroused" judgment.


The latest is this female executive from Sony Entertainment, who, as some folks tend to do when they think that they are alone with like minded people, said some racially insensitive things about Barack Obama.   


But field, she is a Hollywood liberal who supported the president with her own money.


Yes, there is that. But I need you Negroes to understand that it's not just Southern conservatives who have "color arousal" issues.  Some of your so called liberal friends have issues as well.


Of course this executive went to the Priest of all things racial in America for absolution.
 
"Hours after Rev. Al Sharpton released a statement comparing her to disgraced L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling, Sony Pictures co-chair Amy Pascal revealed in a Q&A interview with Deadline’s Mike Fleming, Jr. that she has spoken to Sharpton on the phone, saying, “I know I screwed up.”


Sharpton’s condemnation of Pascal came after an email exchange between the Sony exec and movie producer Scott Rudin leaked as part of the larger cyber-attack on Sony Pictures from a possibly-North Korean-connected group. In the conversation, Pascal and Rudin joked about the types of movies President Barack Obama likes, with clear racial overtones.


“I’m so disappointed in myself, that I ever would have had such a lapse in my thinking,” Pascal said in her first public comments aside from a short apology statement earlier today, adding that she doesn’t want her 30 year career defined by these leaked emails.


Asked if she has apologized directly to the president, she said, “I don’t know Barack Obama. I worked really hard for him in both of his campaigns. I am inspired by him. I…I’m embarrassed, deeply.”


Yep, I am guessing that after she kissed Rev. Al's ring he gave her communion.


Lady, you are only "embarrassed" because you were exposed.


And you Negroes wonder why black actors can't find work in Hollywood.

The Reverend and the bride.

Some of my kin folks won't like this post, because tonight, unfortunately, I am going to have to "attack black".


I know I know, there is still a lot of racism to chase out there, but I will have get to that another night.


Let me start out in Los Angeles, where some of you Negroes have been apparently sniffing some fumes from the La Brea Tar Pits.


First your local chapter of the NAACP makes a mockery of themselves , and now this latest embarrassing episode.   


I am referring to Rev. J. B. Hardwick, who thought that it would be cool to invite that racist jackass, Donald Sterling, to his church this past Sunday.


 "This past weekend Donald Sterling accepted an invitation to a predominately African-American church service in South Central Los Angeles. The pastor, Rev. J. B. Hardwick, explained the invitation to Anderson saying,   "I noticed this man carrying a load or burden and my heart went out to him." [Source]


“I  look at the scriptures, The Bible and I have a great belief in the word of God. And I just can’t picture him as a person who carries hate continuously in [their] heart.” [Source]


Lord have mercy Rev., what kind of gospel are you teaching in your church?


If the pews aren't empty this Sunday morning every one of your members need to just slap themselves upside their own heads.


"At the end of the interview, Anderson asked Rev. Hardwick if Sterling discussed a monetary donation to him. Hardwick said no, only to acknowledge minutes later that Sterling did say to him, “Reverend, I would like to do something to help the community.”


I bet he would. Oh to be rich in America. You can be a racist and get absolution from the people you secretly despise by throwing money at the greedy corrupt people who lead them.


Finally, the next story would actually be funny if it wasn't so sad.


I love a nice wedding as much as the next guy, and if a couple wants to go all out and have a wonderful wedding so that they can enjoy the memories for years to come, well then so be it. But.....but.....


Let me just give you the story as the New York Daily News gave it to me:


"Shona Carter-Brooks, of Jackson, received online criticism after pictures from her wedding day showed her 1-month-old baby wrapped into her dress as she walked down the aisle. There are no reports of the child being injured. She wrote on her Facebook page the baby was awake and secured during the ceremony."


Hold up, can you run that by me again?


"A Tennessee woman has fired back at critics for the unusual way she included her baby daughter in her recent wedding.


Shona Carter-Brooks, of Jackson, Tenn., secured her 1-month-old daughter on the train of her wedding dress as she walked down the aisle. Carter Brooks, who married Johnathan Brooks at the Elam Baptist Church in Ripley, Tenn., last weekend, walked down the aisle with her daughter dragging behind wrapped in the enormous amount of material on her David's Bridal dress by Vera Wang, according to her Facebook page.


A company spokeswoman told The News it was not actually a Vera Wang dress after a close review of the photographs." [Source and more pics]


Johnathan I know that you love your wife, but when she threw out this brilliant idea during the planning stage you should have stepped in and said: Honey, maybe we should just go to the Justice of the Peace and splurge on a really nice honeymoon.


Sorry, the Brooks belong in Rev. Hardwick's church. They deserve each other.

Sterling light?

"If I see a black kid in a hoodie and it's late at night, I'm walking to the other side of the street. And if on that side of the street, there’s a guy that has tattoos all over his face - white guy, bald head, tattoos everywhere - I’m walking back to the other side of the street." 


That's Dallas owner, Mark Cuban, doing his best Donald Sterling impression.
(I have news for Cuban: If a black kid in a hoodie or a white bald headed kid with tats sees his crazy ass coming, they might switch sides of the street as well.) Although, to be honest, I am glad that he is being honest about his feelings. We don't have enough of that these days. Most people are afraid to discuss their prejudices and face their benighted state of mind, publicly.


Still, as someone who should be worldly and somewhat sophisticated, I am surprised at Cuban's simplistic views about street smarts.


The truth is we all have to practice some level of street smarts. I have been told --that even in my old age--- I look like an NFL linebacker. I am black (not beige) and I have a bald head. So I am sure that if Mark Cuban saw me on a very dark night while I was leaving the gym--- and we were both alone--- he would probably cross to the other side of the street to avoid me.


He says that he would do the same to a bald headed white guy with tattoos, and he would be just as ignorant to do that as well. Unless, of course, he was standing outside of an Aryan or Nazi training camp in the middle of Idaho.


This is also true for the black guy with the hoodie. It's all about where you are and what you are doing. Cuban should know that. And I suspect that he does. Someone like Mark Cuban will never find himself in the type of neighborhood where he would really need to watch his back. I have been in those neighborhoods, and I practice street smarts; not profiling.


But let's be honest, Cuban's views are shared by many, and I am not surprised to see that there are already op-eds  praising his stance.


"Let's be honest, white people don't write or talk publicly about race unless it's to condemn people for being racist. It's easier that way. If we all create a universe where everyone and everything is either racist or not racist, then it's about identifying your camp, you're on one side or the other, either entirely racist or entirely not racist. There's no room for nuance or awkward uncertainty. 


The company line from most white people is this: Racism is bad and we're not racist. In fact, most white people today fear being called racist more than just about anything in the world. How much so? Put it this way, if your average white person had to choose between getting arrested for a DUI or being publicly branded a racist, just about every single one of us would pick getting a DUI. That's right, we'd rather put countless lives in danger, go to jail and face criminal charges than be called a racist in America today.


That's how potent the charge of racism has become.
 
And you know who talks about race less than white people? White people involved in business. Aside from a generalized and glib stance in favor of affirmative action and diversity -- buzz words that frequently translate to insubstantial action -- most white executives would rather be waterboarded than asked for their personal views on race relations. I mean, sure, every CEO in America hates racism; we all know this, right? They abhor it deeply from the depths of their nearly all-white gated communities and the nearly all-white private schools they send their kids to and from the nearly all-white country clubs they play golf in. Why do you even have to ask? These people hate racists. 


Which brings us to Mark Cuban. 


God love Mark Cuban for being an NBA owner who didn't see the ongoing Donald Sterling mushroom cloud and think, "You know what, maybe I'll avoid talking about race today in a business interview. Maybe it's not the right time to talk about who I cross the street to avoid. Maybe it's not the right time to admit that I sometimes judge people based on what they look like."


Nope, Mark Cuban saw all this controversy and thought, "Now's the perfect time for me to talk about race in America today." [Source]


And I am glad that he did. I am glad to know that Marc Cuban is not a racist like Donald Sterling.


Nope, his racism is "nuanced and awkward."








 

More questions about a shooting in Texas, and Donald is caught on tape again.

Last night at the end of my post about the 93 year old woman, who was shot to death in Texas, I reserved judgment until I heard more about the case.


Well, I have heard more, and Officer Stephen Stem has some explaining to do.


This is a police officer with a bad history, and when I look at the totality of the circumstances I just don't see where deadly force was justified in this situation.


This comment from someone commenting on the New York Daily News website pretty much sums up my feelings:


"She's 93, probably suffering from dementia to some degree. Someone that old could also have other infirmities such as deafness or impaired sight.  She never shot at him but Stam shot her anywhere from 3 5o 5 times when she wouldn't stop waving the gun.  I wonder if this cop would have shot an elderly 93 year old white woman."


I wonder as well.


Finally, someone should just tell my man Donald Sterling to leave bad enough alone and quit with commenting on racism.


In mean this latest staged   "leaked" phone call between him and an alleged friend is beneath whatever dignity he has left. The only thing worse than a racist is a cowardly racist who won't even man up and embrace his racism.


You have to give it to the Stormfront folks and those of their ilk; at least they embrace their ignorance and wear it proudly on their sleeves. You would never hear them trying to spin their racism like old man Sterling.

"You think I’m a racist?" Sterling asks the friend in the recording that was obtained and posted by RadarOnline on Thursday. "You think I have anything in the world but love for everybody? You don’t think that! You know I’m not a racist!"

The other voice responds, "I know I, but, I but .. what about when I hear that tape though, that tape of her..."

"I grew up in East LA!," Sterling retorts. "East LA! You’d die to get out of there — I got out of East LA. I was the president of the high school there. I mean, and I’m a Jew! And 50 percent of the people there were black and 40 percent were Hispanic. You ever been to Boyle Heights (a working-class Mexican-American neighborhood in LA) ... So I mean, people must have a good feeling for me."

So he goes the some of my best friends are black route. Really?

"It breaks my heart that Magic Johnson, my — a guy that I respect so much, wouldn’t stand up and say, ‘Well let’s get the facts. Let’s get him and talk to him.’ Nobody tried". [Source]

Donald, Magic has heard all he needs to hear from you. And I am pretty sure that most of the folks in America feel the same way.

Mr. Goodell please pay attention. This is how a Commissioner should act.

Kudos to Adam Silver for acting decisively and relatively quickly to punish Donald Sterling. The NBA averted what could have been a very ugly situation.



Silver did what the previous owner, the gutless David Stern failed to do, and he should be commended.




Speaking of gutless, Roger Goodell should now confront the owner of the Washington D.C. football team about changing the disgraceful name of that franchise. 




This entire episode has been quite interesting. The public condemnation of an old racist caught being a racist has been unanimous (except for the usual racist suspects led by their television network), but I read two articles today which I thought were quite thought provoking.




The first one was from my twitter fam, Professor Rambo, writing on his fine blog, Question Authority.




Here is a snippet:




"Unlike all these morons working for and glued to the lamestream media, I’m not shocked, enraged, or horrified by the remarks made by Donald Sterling, the owner of the LA Clippers. This is the basic rundown:

Sterling calls girlfriend. Sterling tells girlfriend not to take pictures with Black men or bring them to the games. Girlfriend gets mad. Phone call is leaked. End of story.

What? Am I supposed to bitch and moan because of his racist opinions? This shit aint new to me. I live in this place called “The South”. You know, it’s interesting how the lamestream media works. Take something big, like affirmative action being banned in ANOTHER state for example. You know, the program that helps minorities with jobs and college admissions? Yeah, that thing. The media gave it a 30-minute segment before talking about that lost plane and its connection to UFOs. Think I’m lying? Check out last week’s headlines. Now, a fat slob who OWNS BLACK athletes telling his Kim Kardashien lookalike girlfriend not to take instagram pictures with black guys and WHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!! 24-hour air play, in depth analysis, interviews, CNN specials, Black in America documentaries, rallies, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton speeches, lamb sacrifices made to the Gods…well not that last one but you get the point. Why is it that racism that holds Black people back is taken lightly while someone’s comments are taken as the word of god? There is REAL racism and LIGHT racism. One stings and one kills. Our society was built upon the backs of slaughtered Africans and Natives. The definition of racism could pretty much be America. Racism has not gone anywhere, it simply hides in plain sight." [More]



The second one was from Mr. Skyhook himself:




"It's time to look at ourselves — and our collective moral outrage — in the mirror, says former NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Moral outrage is exhausting. And dangerous. The whole country has gotten a severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome from the newest popular sport of Extreme Finger Wagging. Not to mention the neck strain from Olympic tryouts for Morally Superior Head Shaking. All over the latest in a long line of rich white celebrities to come out of the racist closet. (Was it only a couple days ago that Cliven Bundy said blacks would be better off picking cotton as slaves?

And only last June Paula Deen admitted using the “N” word?)

Yes, I’m angry, too, but not just about the sins of Donald Sterling. I’ve got a list. But let’s start with Sterling. I used to work for him, back in 2000 when I coached for the Clippers for three months. He was congenial, even inviting me to his daughter’s wedding. Nothing happened or was said to indicate he suffered from IPMS (Irritable Plantation Master Syndrome). Since then, a lot has been revealed about Sterling’s business practices:

• 2006: U.S. Dept. of Justice sued Sterling for housing discrimination. Allegedly, he said, “Black tenants smell and attract vermin.”
• 2009: He reportedly paid $2.73 million in a Justice Dept. suit alleging he discriminated against blacks, Hispanics, and families with children in his rentals. (He also had to pay an additional nearly $5 million in attorneys fees and costs due to his counsel’s “sometimes outrageous conduct.”)
• 2009: Clippers executive (and one of the greatest NBA players in history) sued for employment discrimination based on age and race.

And now the poor guy’s girlfriend (undoubtedly ex-girlfriend now) is on tape cajoling him into revealing his racism. Man, what a winding road she led him down to get all of that out. She was like a sexy nanny playing “pin the fried chicken on the Sambo.” She blindfolded him and spun him around until he was just blathering all sorts of incoherent racist sound bites that had the news media peeing themselves with glee.


They caught big game on a slow news day, so they put his head on a pike, dubbed him Lord of the Flies, and danced around him whooping.


I don’t blame them. I’m doing some whooping right now. Racists deserve to be paraded around the modern town square of the television screen so that the rest of us who believe in the American ideals of equality can be reminded that racism is still a disease that we haven’t yet licked.


What bothers me about this whole Donald Sterling affair isn’t just his racism. I’m bothered that everyone acts as if it’s a huge surprise. Now there’s all this dramatic and very public rending of clothing about whether they should keep their expensive Clippers season tickets. Really? All this other stuff I listed above has been going on for years and this ridiculous conversation with his girlfriend is what puts you over the edge? That’s the smoking gun?" [More]

Two articles from two men. One a talented blogger, and the other a Hall Of Fame basketball player. Both writing what we are all thinking: Why were we all surprised?

Looking for a few good men like Muhmmad, John, and Tommie.

It is ironic that on this day in 1967 Muhammad Ali refused to go to Vietnam because of his religious convictions. He was vilified at the time, but later hailed as an American hero and is now considered a sports icon.


Every player who straps on the red white and blue uniform of the Los Angeles Clippers should consider Ali's courageous stance, and they should dig deep in their souls to try and understand their current place in America's history.


We know we will never get a John Carlos and Tommie Smith moment, but we can hope for something in that spirit.


Their gesture last night while a good start did not go far enough. They should have boycotted the game altogether and refused to play for Sterling's team until the NBA takes a strong and definitive stance against him.


Anyway, the market will ultimately dictate what will happen to Donald Sterling, and apparently the backlash has already started. It should be interesting to see where this ultimately ends. We all know that America has ADHD when it comes to our current events. I suspect that in a few months Donald Sterling will be a footnote in what has been a sad couple of weeks for racial tolerance in America.


Speaking of racial tolerance, there is not a lot of it in certain parts of Europe.
The thing about an American racist is that he knows how to behave in public. (Not the Internet) Americans tend to be polite with their racism. Doing racist things in public is considered crass and boorish.  This has not quite caught on yet in Europe. People still do racist and ignorant things, publicly.


This latest incident at a soccer match in Spain involved Barcelona star, Dani Alves, and his reaction was classic. It's probably not how I would have reacted, but I respect the man's poise.


Take a look here.


The good news: Barcelona went on to beat Villarreal 3-2.

Advertising "their ignorance."

Poor Donald Sterling. This "color aroused" episode with his jump- off has really blown up in his face. Everyone from the President to Snoop Dogg is calling him out and condemning his actions.


The thing is, though, no one should be surprised. This is not an unusual way of thinking for men in the majority population of a certain age here in America. I am dissapointed at all the people doing like Inspector Renault from Casablanca who are "shocked" to see that an NBA team owner can be a racist.


The fact that Sterling held these views has been the worst kept secret in the sports world, and yet he was allowed to continue owning the Clippers and reach into his deep pockets to purchase high priced free agents and an equally high profile African American coach. (Please don't tell me that Doc Rivers didn't know about Sterling. He ---like the LA chapter of the NAACP---should be ashamed of himself.


I was having a debate on twitter about who of our latest news making racists was more dangerous. I thought that it was Sterling, others, on the other hand, thought that it was Cliven Bundy.


I picked Sterling because of the personal power and influence that he has. The others chose Bundy because of the dangerous people around him and the political influence that he (and folks like him) has.


I suppose that you could go either way.


It's interesting to note that Cliven Bundy's racism was sure to be exposed at some point. He is clearly not as sophisticated as Sterling and not as practiced at hiding his true feelings. Sterling's racism was revealed because he pissed off his lover. Bundy's was revealed because he just kept talking.


Finally, just a quick thought before I go. I was wondering, why aren't these guys considered "thugs"?

When "jungle fever" goes wrong.

It was revealed publicly today what many of us already knew: The owner of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association is a virulent racist.


We know this thanks to his "Blackxican" (thank you tweeter fam for that word)girlfriend who taped a lovers spat between the two.




"But Field, how can he be a racist if he has a half Latina and half Black girlfriend?"




This is not an easy question to answer. It's a sick and complicated pathology that seems to dog the racist. (Please note the racist trolls that flock to this, a black blog.)




Remember Frazier Glenn? He was the Klansman and white supremacist who shot up a Jewish center in Kansas, recently. Well it seems that ole Frazier was caught and arrested "mid-act" with a black male prostitute. Then there is our friend Thomas Jefferson. He had a serious thing for his slave, Sally Hemings; he even fathered some of her children.




Anyway, this is not Sterling's first  go round with the racism rodeo. He was fined millions of dollars by the feds for housing discrimination and former NBA great, Elgin Baylor, sued him a few years back. In the lawsuit it was alleged that he (Sterling) was a racist and a sexist as well.




The NBA did nothing back then and the racist owner continued to own his team and his "million dollar slaves" that went with it. Now, unfortunately for the NBA, the chickens have come home to roost, and in the middle of what have so far been wonderful playoff games, this embarrassing revelation has come to the fore. So now the NBA is forced to address Donald Sterling.




The saddest part of this sordid episode is the behavior of the black coach Sterling hired, Doc Rivers.  Rivers who now coaches for Sterling-- and previously played for him--- said that he had no idea that Sterling had those kinds of views about black people. Yeah right! He must have had his head up his ass for the past ten years. Or, he was too busy cashing Donald Sterling's checks to notice.




Poor Rivers left Boston and came to this. Talk about "jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire."




The next few days will be interesting. The usual suspects are out threatening boycotts and marches etc. , but it won't make much of a difference. The NBA will fine or suspend Sterling, and the folks who write and spin these things will write the obligatory letters of apology.




But those Negroes who continue to cash the checks will keep doing it, and Sterling will keep his team of Negroes. Even if he doesn't respect them and continues to see them as less than equals.




“We’re playing. We’re playing Golden State, and Golden State is our enemy right now. … We heard about all of the boycotts and all of the other stuff. That’s all stuff we could do. We choose to play. … The biggest statement we can make as men – not as black men, but as men – is to stick together and show how strong we are as a group. Not splinter. Not walk. It’s easy to protest. The protest will show in our play.”


Sorry Doc, the only thing that your "play" will show is that you still work for Donald Sterling.




*Pic from TMZ.