Sterling Performance

Did you see this?  This scumbag, racist, sexist, rich, old, white guy?  He physical appearance confuses me.  Maybe botox and plastic surgery?  He is a hot mess.  If you didn’t hear about it, Donald Sterling is the owner of the LA Clippers.  His “girlfriend” recorded a bunch of mind-numbing, increasingly-annoying arguments.   This was reported with all the journalistic integrity that TMZ can muster.  Then re-reported on all the other news networks, with the same journalistic integrity.  

In order to write my take on this situation, I listened to all of the recordings obtained by TMZ.  My suggestion: don’t waste your time, energy or computer speakers.  First, the arguments remind me of high schoolers and the fact that they are grown ass adults, just makes me nauseous! Listening to the recordings is exhausting, only because it is obvious this guy is a scumbag and this woman is recording him with the full intent of cashing out, big time. I don’t fault her too much.  I do fault her for allowing herself to spend time - in any capacity - with such a person.   

His whiny manipulative arguments of why he does not want HER to publicize that SHE associates with black people or minorities.  While she herself is both a black/Latina with whom HE publicly associates.   He assures her that he is not racist or doesn’t hate black people, after all he says, “I support them and give them food, and clothes, and cars, and houses.”  WHAT? It’s not like he does it out of the goodness of his heart.  They are getting PAID for doing their jobs.  They are not being GIVEN anything! 

Then this misogynistic, prick goes on to tell his “girl,” “I don't want to change. If my girl can't do what I want, I don't want the girl. I'll find a girl that will do what I want! Believe me. I thought you were that girl—because I tried to do what you want. But you're not that girl.”   This guy is a waste of space.  He thinks “his girl” is an appliance and if it doesn’t work the way he thinks it should he just takes it back and gets another one.  It is obvious that he does not view women as equal or even human! Oh did I mention that he is married?  

Some are saying that he was illegally recorded and she was just doing this to get paid.  Absolutely, I agree, but that does not take away from the fact that he is a sexist, racist, misogynistic, ignorant mother-fucker.  Although he was illegally recorded, I am sure he has not hidden his views very well throughout his 70 plus years of life.  

In fact in 2009 Sterling paid out $2.7 MILLION for a housing discrimination in a case brought by the Department of Justice.  It was the largest payout ever or since.  The quotes in the sworn testimony are even worse than his girlfriend’s recordings.  Here is just a sampling from the lawsuit: 

"Cultivating his image, [former employee] Davenport said, meant no blacks, no Mexican-Americans, no children (whom Sterling called 'brats') and no government-housing-subsidy recipients as tenants. So according to the testimony of tenants, Sterling employees made life difficult for residents in some of his new buildings. They refused rent checks, then accused renters of nonpayment. They refused to do repairs for black tenants and harassed them with surprise inspections, threatening residents with eviction for alleged violations of building rules. ...

"When Sterling first bought the Ardmore, he remarked on its odor to Davenport. 'That's because of all the blacks in this building, they smell, they're not clean,' he said, according to Davenport's testimony. 'And it's because of all of the Mexicans that just sit around and smoke and drink all day.' He added: "So we have to get them out of here.' Shortly after, construction work caused a serious leak at the complex. When Davenport surveyed the damage, she found an elderly woman, Kandynce Jones, wading through several inches of water in Apartment 121. Jones was paralyzed on the right side and legally blind. She took medication for high blood pressure and to thin a clot in her leg. Still, she was remarkably cheerful, showing Davenport pictures of her children, even as some of her belongings floated around her. ...

"Davenport reported what she saw to Sterling, and according to her testimony, he asked: 'Is she one of those black people that stink?' When Davenport told Sterling that Jones wanted to be reimbursed for the water damage and compensated for her ruined property, he replied: 'I am not going to do that. Just evict the bitch' ."

It’s funny that the NBA did not place any penalties on Mr. Sterling after that housing discrimination lawsuit?  I wonder why?  OH, maybe because it was hardly reported.  But if you click on the quotes above it links to an ESPN Magazine 2009 article.  So it is not as if it was hidden.  It is not as if ANYONE who knows this guy could ever accuse him of being a decent human being. Maybe because it takes someone to illegally record a conversation then leak it to TMZ for anyone to take notice?  Has it come to this?  OR MAYBE, the reason the NBA did not do anything about the guilt in the past lawsuit, was because what Mr. Sterling did - in the housing department case - he did to poor people.  You can treat poor people like shit and get away with it, but if you say something about a rich person, like Magic Johnson or Matt Kemp, you get held accountable.   I hope that is not the case.  I would like to think that racism and sexism is not overlooked if you are rich.  If only!

But as I grow older I have seen proven time and time again that if you are a lifelong asshole, chances are it will catch up to you.  Karma takes her time. She is in no rush.  Maybe that is why the Clippers suck.  Maybe that is why he is now losing his team. Maybe that is why he looks like .... I still can’t figure it out.