7 Lessons From the Donald Sterling Circus
May 8, 2014
Before I get started, let me say at the outset that I’m
not defending Donald Sterling. He doesn’t need me or anyone else to
defend him, because he’s entitled to think and say whatever he wants to —
anywhere, anytime, and certainly in his own home. Whether he’s a saint
or a sinner is irrelevant to me.
Unfortunately for those who demand that Donald Sterling be tarred and
feathered in front of the Staples Center at high noon, it’s not likely
to happen. Dorky Adam Silver (commissioner of the NBA) jumped at the
opportunity to play the role of tough guy for the Robespierre-crazed
masses, but it was mostly for show. As an attorney, he certainly must
know that there is nothing in the NBA’s bylaws that comes close to
covering what an owner can and cannot say in his own home.
If Article 13 (the
provision that deals with termination of an owner’s franchise) of those
bylaws is what Silver is counting on to force Sterling out of the
league, he’s going to look quite foolish if The Donald pulls out all
legal stops and starts filing lawsuits en masse, which history tells us
he is wont to do.
Even if Sterling is a “racist” — a word I put in quotes because its
meaning has become so diluted as a result of shameless overuse by those
(both in and outside of the government) who continually profit by
stirring up ill will among races — there’s nothing in the termination
clause of the NBA bylaws that allows the league to force him to sell his
team because one person, or even one million people, are offended by
something he said in the privacy of his home.
Donald Sterling is no Boy Scout, to be sure, but his remarks were nothing compared to the daily rants of race hustlers like
Al Sharleton (credit Chris Plante), Jesse Jackson, Harry Reid, Joe
Biden, Jeremiah Wright, Spike Lee, and a growing number of professional
athletes.
If everyone is going to be punished for every offensive comment they
make, either in or outside of their home, we’re all in big trouble.
Back in 2001, I recall negotiating a business deal over the phone with a
doctor from Kentucky who, at one point during our discussion, casually
said to me, “Look, I don’t want you to think I’m trying to Jew you down,
but …”
First of all, I wasn’t recording him. Second, while his remark
caught me by surprise, I let it pass, said my goodbyes, and decided not
to deal with him again. No fuss … no muss … next subject. Would the
same people who are calling for Donald Sterling’s head demand that the
American Medical Association strip that Kentucky doctor of his license
to practice medicine?
While his remark was a turnoff to me, I believe he has every right to
say whatever he wants, and let the marketplace decide his fate — i.e.,
let individuals choose whether or not they want to use his medical
services, do business deals with him, or be involved with him socially.
The marketplace is the only perfect arbiter on earth.
And how about Daniel Snyder’s refusal to refrain from using the word
“Redskins” as his team’s nickname? Can the NFL’s other owners vote to
force him to sell his team if they believe his attitude is racist?
Where does it stop?
In any event, I’m not interested in opining on the merits or lack
thereof of Donald Sterling’s case. That will be up to the courts and
the race-fixated mobs who roam the country in search of the next great
“social-justice” issue. (Yes, the mobs will have a big influence on the
outcome of any such court proceedings, just as they always do in the
United States of Lawlessness.)
Personally, whenever there’s a big media blitz about some perceived
wrongdoing, I prefer to ignore the hysteria and think about what I can
learn from the situation that could be useful to me. Off the top
of my head, following are a handful of lessons that I believe are worth
gleaning from the Sterling media circus — lessons that you can use to
improve yourself and your own life.
- People say negative things behind your back all the time. If you
don’t already know that, wake up! If you do know it, don’t let it
bother you. Whenever I hear that someone has said something
unflattering about me, I opt to take the rationally selfish approach and
do my best to ignore it — especially when I know it’s patently false. I
hope, for your sake, that you do the same. - Don’t buy into the hate-speech scam. People have opinions, some of
which you may like, some of which you may not like. Best to leave all
that nonsense up to the PC Police, who achieve mental orgasms by
harassing (perceived) evil speakers. You don’t have time to get bogged
down in group protests if you’re interested in bettering your life. - “They” say that hate speech is bad, but what’s worse is the idea
that someone actually believes he has the moral authority to decide what
constitutes hate speech in the first place. Of course, if someone
hurls a remark directly at you, and you, in your sole judgment, consider
it to be “hateful,” that’s your prerogative. As an individual, you
have a right to make a determination about speech that is aimed
specifically at you. But before you get yourself all worked up over it,
remember what mom taught you about sticks and stones. - Learn to reject hypocrisy and hypocrites. In the Sterling saga, the
hypocrisy is so thick it’s stifling, as you already know if you’ve been
following the story at all. The world is full of hypocrites,
especially in politics (which is really what hate speech is all about).
Best you focus on policing yourself to make sure that you are not
guilty of hypocrisy. - Never forget that friends and sweethearts have a way of becoming
enemies. Make sure your mouth understands that. Talk is not cheap. On
the contrary, it has proven to be quite capable of destroying lives.
Think before you open your mouth. - In the same vein, be vigilant about not making The Big Mistake. We
all make little mistakes on a daily basis, but be careful about making a
mistake so big that it can threaten your very survival.In Donald
Sterling’s case, maybe he’s a terrible person — I have no idea — but I
suspect his remarks (which, while not nearly as bad as those that have
been made by some of his most vocal critics) were nothing more than the
angry rants of an old guy who was mad at his middle-school
girlfriend.This is where mom’s advice comes in handy again: If you
can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all.
There’s a reason why aphorisms like this have been around forever:
They’re true. Instead of wasting time fretting over Donald Sterling’s
remarks, concentrate on what comes out of your mouth. - The best protection against becoming Sterlingized (a form of
sterilization performed by the loud crowd) is to follow a simple rule:
Live every moment as though the whole world were watching and write
every e-mail as though the whole world were going to be reading it —
something politicians never seem to learn.
their fundamental beliefs, no matter how misguided you may think they
are. Why? Because you will fail, and you’ll waste a lot of valuable
time in the process. It’s called opportunity cost.
Use your time to focus on your own life. The only person over whom you have total control is you. Put
your efforts into purifying your own life, and forget about the Donald
Sterlings of the world and the rabble-rousers who live for the thrill of
trying to destroy them.
