I Was Just Thinking....

What a world we live in.

Donald Sterling, the LA Clippers basketball team owner is in hot water over racist remarks he made recently that were caught on tape. Caught by Sterling's alleged girlfriend.

Ooooh boy. This one is ugly. The tapes, obtained by TMZ.com, posted on their website on April 25, 2014, were of an alleged conversation that took place between Sterling and his alleged girlfriend. The argument on tape was about the photograph above, posted to her Instagram account. The photo has since been deleted, but the damage has been done. Sterling's reps have stated that the validity of the recording is questionable and could have possibly been tampered with. OK, if that's his story he's going to stick to it. I'm not sure this is the case but it's possible.

I listened to the entire audio of the conversation and I cannot believe what I was hearing...

The high lights/low lights for me:

DONALD: "Ya, it bothers me a lot that you want to promo...broadcast that you're associating with black people. Do you have to?"
GF: "You associate with black people."

GF: "But not in public?"
DONALD: "But why publicize it on the Instagram and why bring it to my games?"

GF: "What's wrong with minorities?"
DONALD: "Minorities are fabulous. Fabulous."

DONALD: "How about your whole life, everyday, you could do whatever you want. You can sleep with them, you can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask is that you not promote it on that and not to bring them to my games."

Here's my thing: I cannot believe that there are actually people that are this RACIST in the world today. The last time I checked, Mr. Sterling employs a team full of black professional athletes and promotes them daily. His alleged girlfriend states on tape quite emphatically that she too is of mixed race. Although she questions him on his statements, she continues to use terms of endearment like "honey" and "sweetie" when speaking to Sterling. At one point she even states that he is in love with her even though she is "black and Mexican".

Here's the other thing. I am not sympathetic to either party here..My opinion of both of these human beings is better left unsaid, but to alegedly lure someone into a taped conversation unknowingly for your own personal and financial gain is deplorable. Yet in today's tech savvy, over sharing world, it's a real possibility. Just ask Donald Sterling.

Somewhere, some how Harvey Levin is so happy he decided to stop practicing law. His pursuit of "justice" has much more meaning today.

Ignorance Is Bliss

In case you've been living under a rock, I'm sure you have otherwise heard about all the racism bru-haha bubbling over the top of the proverbial pot and kettle here in good ole' Beantown. Here at ground zero, it's all over the news. It's on the front page of every news paper. It leads every news story. Every. Single. Day.

And it makes me sick.

Then, to make matters worse, our Commander in Chief, had to put his foot into his mouth and step into this hot mess that is at debate. Barry used a bad word and made a freshman mistake.

Big mistake. Huge.
Now he's got to back pedal like a paperboy on his bike riding a flat stretch of street while watching the sunset. Only Barry's not in the clear.

The charges here are serious and the issue has been hotly contested by both parties, leaving a "he said, he did" debate for the ages. The question is, can we move forward, or does this mess send us 500 steps back?
Mother may I take 200 steps forward? Sometimes I wish it were that easy.

Do any of us really think that a brew with Barry at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue will make a difference?
It's possible.
It's interesting.
It's unconventional.
It's kind of ridiculous.
It's something, I suppose.
It's a start.

It's a travesty.

Two men, both in positions of power got into it and the rest of the world will suffer. Is this about two peacocks who didn't have enough room for both their tail feathers to spread?
Is it about who was higher on the power chain?
Is it about respect and the lack there of?

We may never find a solution or make peace with this one, but one thing's for sure; a beer with Barry is not the answer.

HERE is why. (click the linky)