Posted on 05/04/2014 9:48:54 PM PDT by Nachum
Personally? I think racism — true racism: the devaluation of people because of their skin color or bloodlines — is an intellectual nonsense and a moral transgression.
The arguments about dysfunction in minority communities won't wash, and neither will any of the half-baked genetic claptrap. Read Zola or Dickens and you’ll see that the pathologies of industrial poverty are no different in today’s inner cities than they were in the slums of the past. Read the racist tracts from those days and you’ll find the same hateful pseudo-scientific theorizing about the Irish and the Jews that is now sometimes turned against blacks or Mexicans. With leftists constantly mouthing charges of racism to silence the opponents of their destructive policies, it’s easy for real racists to convince themselves they’ve got the contrarian inside track on some naughty, censored truth. Sorry, it’s all a bunch of old trash.
As for the morals of it: man was made in God’s image. That’s why the command to love your neighbor is “like unto” the command to love God. To denigrate someone for the nature of his creation is to spit in God’s eye — never a smart move, trust me. Of course, if you don’t believe the above premises, then feel free to hate anyone for any reason you like. Knock yourself out.
Having said all this, I should also say that I have several friends who are avowedly racist. They sincerely believe that some races are genetically and morally inferior to others.
Every now and then, a person who knows me well enough to understand that I take this whole love-your-neighbor business seriously in my own hilarious way, asks me why I tolerate these views in my friends. But the answer is simple. I love my friends; they advocate
(Excerpt) Read more at truthrevolt.org ...
You’re completely missing the point. Their right to free association is in petitioning the government together. If a whole town agrees to stay off the public transportation grid as part of their choice to freely associate only with themselves, that may be a little odd, but within their purview.
To selectively only allow in public transport from whiter and more affluent areas, but not poor, black, high-crime areas is somewhat different. It is a form of ‘redlining’, and something that we socially, if not legally, don’t approve of—at least to the level of public expression.
Even still, that’s not the same as Sterling’s antebellum desire for his paramour not to be seen publicly with black men. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that a majority black league of players, its other owners, and its sponsors doesn’t want to be associated with such an owner.
The NBA owners did not "petition the government together". They simply acted in their own interests, based upon their evaluation of possible blowback from sponsors.
To selectively only allow in public transport from whiter and more affluent areas, but not poor, black, high-crime areas is somewhat different. It is a form of ‘redlining’, and something that we socially, if not legally, don’t approve of—at least to the level of public expression.
So only certain forms of "free association" are acceptable to you. Only forms that are "socially acceptable". And my point is, what happens if the standards of "social acceptability" change, to the point where redlining becomes something that the majority is no longer bothered by? Will you accept the new standard of social acceptability?
So you think radical leftwing bleeding hearts make up a large portion of the fans? Really.
First, I was in that instance, I would have thought obviously, referring to your example—not the NBA owners.
Second, I wasn’t commenting on my take on your hypotheticals at all—simply describing what they entailed.
From a demographic survey of sports fans:
The NBA has the youngest audience, with 45 percent of its viewers under 35. It also has the highest share of black viewers, at 45 percent—three times higher than the NFL or NCAA basketball.What business could survive alienating 45% of their customers?
Except by alienating 55%???
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