Different shades of color

(Sorry if this belongs on the OT page, but it is sports-related so I'll try it here.)

I've been quietly listening to this whole Donald Sterling / Magic thing.  I hear a lot of talk, but most people seem to be missing the point here:   this is not a strictly black and white issue.  There are many shades of gray that need to be recognized.

In my 47 years, I've seen racism, I've felt racism, and I've done, said or thought things that would fall below the line.  Sometimes racism is blatant, but most of the time it's subtle.  And that's the point I'd like to see more of these talking heads make - that "racism" is not absolute.  Most of us are racists, but to varying degrees!  If you miss the days of slavery (like Rancher Bundy), that's different from not wanting a family of color to move in next door.  They're both racist, but to different degrees.  In the most absolutely definition, 99% of us would fail the test.

It just feels wrong that we've made an 80 years old fart the poster boy for racism now.

I would agree that most of us have prejudices.  I'm not sure that most of us are racist... at least what I understand the term to mean.  I don't judge an entire race.  I may judge people (of any shade) based on first impressions.

News must be slow on the missing airline front. Need something fresh to pile drive into the ground. Donald Sterling step on up! I must say one thing- the radio jocks have done a good job impersonating his nasally, whiny, accent.

SawGreen wrote:I would agree that most of us have prejudices.  I'm not sure that most of us are racist... at least what I understand the term to mean.  I don't judge an entire race.  I may judge people (of any shade) based on first impressions.

Good point.  If the prejudices fall along racial lines (e.g., schools with higher population of Black and Hispanics cannot be very good schools), then that line between prejudice and racism gets pretty fine.

If you consider only what Sterling said on that audio, he only showed his prejudice towards a race.  His comments didn't rise to the level of racism.  But that's what everyone is calling him, probably because of the other things he's said and done.

I disagree. I believe most people are not racist. To actually believe one race is "superior" to the others or that one race is "inferior" to the others is kind of a strange position that even ignorant white red necks or ignorant black thugs wouldn't seriously take.

Prejudice, on the other hand, is rampant... and it's the prejudice that gets mistaken for "racism".

But calling someone you disagree with or offends you a "racist" gets a lot more done if you're trying to ruin someone else's life.... so that's what everyone goes with.