Is It Okay For People To Be Racist Privately?

This is related to the Donald Sterling thing, but I thought I would post it here since the question goes beyond the bounds of sports.

I think that Donald Sterling is a POS, but let's take a step back here. We're talking about trying to remove this guy as owner of a team for something he said privately. This could set a really dangerous precedent and I'm just not sure that it's right. Does privately-expressed racism really harm anybody? Shouldn't we be more concerned with Donald Sterling's anti-discrimination lawsuits? Is articulated racism really worse than denying someone housing on the basis of their race? Why, then, are people so up in arms right now when nobody seemed particularly concerned about Donald Sterling before?

Discuss.

 

i guess it's technically probably ok for him to be racist publicly, as long as he's willing to accept whatever consequences come from it....*

it just seems like when you have these kind of beliefs privately, at some point it seems like it comes out to bite you publicly in the end. but i get where you're coming from.

*I'm not saying racism is ok from a moral standpoint. just from a freedom of thought/speech type angle.

 

People are allowed to be idiots. I think you're right that it sets a dangerous precedent.

 

I'm assuming the anti-discrimination lawsuits weren't on TMZ. . . that's all I got. Clearly, they are worse. And I'm also wondering where exactly the line is between "piece of shit" and "piece of shit that should be kicked out of the NBA." I'm pretty sure saying racists things on the phone is not the line. Housing discrimination probably is over it.

 

Protecting idiots from their idiocy just breeds even more idiocy.

See Volnation for proof.

 

I would be alarmed if he were receiving punishment from the government. The free speech of the rest of the public shouldn't be infringed upon, though. If that free speech includes boycotting his games, he's damaged the NBA which also has consequences via contract which he is a part of.

 

People are entitled to whatever personal views they wish so long as they stay private and cause no damage. This is now a situation where the toothpaste is out of the tube, no matter whose fault.

 

Dem hoes ain't loyal.

 

I actually don't read TMZ, so I don't know, but Bill Simmons had mentioned them in columns. And Peter Keating did a number on Sterling in a piece on espn.com some years ago.

 

Simmons was so outraged he's been a Clipper season ticket holder for years. He might be the most worthless human being on the planet. He's Clay Travis with a better publicist.

 

This. Speech is protected in the public arena, but one is not protected from the consequences that might arise in the private arena. If he were the CEO of Walmart and he had said these things, he'd be shown the door as well.

 

Not many people paid attention to Sterling because the Clippers spent most of his tenure as owner losing 60 games a year.

 

Can you fire the owner of, technically, a privately owned company?

The guy's a piece of shit, no doubt, but taking his team away seems illegal. Let the fans, sponsors, players etc choose not to play/pay him.

 

The nba shouldn't do anything. Let his team and it's lack of sponsors die on the vine and he'll be forced to sell. Forcing the situation is the epitome of nanny state .

 

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=10854439

Do they really think this does anything? It's like the social media "wear an x to end slavery" type movements.

 

Anyone who followed the idiot is only surprised it took this long for him to do something that outraged everyone .

 

The NBA cant do anything.

 

Sam Walton wouldn't be shown the door. Firing an employee is one thing. Forcing someone to sell their business is quite another. The chick fil a guy is an idiot, but no one suggested the govt take his company.

 

I didn't say he was outraged. I said he brought it to my attention. And I read him regularly, so I have to disagree.

 

It's happened in MLB and the NFL. Being an owner is akin to joining a club. If you do something that embarrasses the club, don't be surprised if you get kicked out.