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Tag: Racism

  • Justin Bieber Was Apparently Always A Douchebag

    There are so many reasons to be annoyed with Justin Bieber’s entire existence, but leave it to the pop idol himself to add one more.

    And boooooy is it a doozy!

    London magazine The Sun got a hold of and recently released a video of Justin Bieber making racist jokes.

    I don’t mean the sort of “you could argue he didn’t know any better” variety of racist humor. Oh no, Justin Bieber went for gold in the Idiot Olympics.

    The obnoxious teen said to a friend (off screen),

    “Why are black people afraid of chain saws?”

    The person responds by trying to tell Bieber not to give the answer. Of course, the “Baby” singer elected to ignore the warning.

    The punchine?

    Chain saws sound like, ““Run n****er, n****er, n****er, n****er, n****er.”

    It’s not confirmed, but some are saying the female laughter heard at the not-so-funny joke is none other than Bieber’s own mother.

    If so, it’s absolute proof the apple never falls too far from the tree.

    The first part of the video features a punchline to another “joke” about Father’s day and black people.

    It must be said this proof enough that Bieber’s apparent evolution into an annoying douchebag was no evolution at all.

    Instead, what we’ve witnessed is nothing more than the sound of the mask hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

    Beneath the mask was someone who should have never been allowed to leave YouTube, let alone amass a following of impressionable youngsters.

    His young fan base should by now be realizing Bieber was never someone worth their time and money. Of course, there are always those less intelligent and ignorant fangirls who will cling to their favorite artist no matter how sleezy he reveals himself to be.

    To this group of fans I can only say this: Let him go.

    As you grow and mature into adults who will disavow ever having been a fan of his, you’ll learn that there are far more important things in this world than standing up for tools like Justin Bieber.

    If you can’t imagine life without being crooned at by the teen pop flavor of the moment, allow me to present you with Austin Mahone.

    Bieber’s heartbroken fanbase, meet Austin Mahone.

    Austin Mahone, meet Bieber’s heartbroken fanbase.

    You all play nice!

    As for Bieber (and his inevitable and pathetic attempt to back pedal)…while I won’t sign any petitions, I won’t be sad if someone decides to send him back across the border in a Fedex package.

    Image via YouTube

  • Donald Sterling Wants ‘Another Shot’

    Donald Sterling hopes the world can forgive him.

    More specifically, he wants a second chance. While most people have no remorse for the conflicted LA Clippers’ owner, he hopes other NBA owners and those he offended can eventually forgive him. During the second part of his interview on Anderson Cooper 360, he made his sentiments quite clear.

    “I want to show all of the people that are associated with basketball and the world I’m not a racist,” Sterling said during the 80-minute interview, which aired Wednesday evening. Sterling also shared his perspective on race relations in the United States. The 81-year-old business magnate feels that Americans handle racism better than most foreign countries.

    “I don’t see it. I’m not an African-American,” the former lawyer and billionaire real estate investor, said. He also gave an example of his point of view with a reference to last month’s Jewish Center shootings near Kansas City, MI. “You know, take Judaism … I don’t think the Jews have any problem. I mean there’s a couple of people that they killed that are Jews coming out of a synagogue.”

    http://youtu.be/HnCaLeS64PM

    He also recounted his years as a lawyer, and his professional interactions with people outside of his race. In his profession, he stated that race was not a factor, as he only judged people based on their legal expertise.

    “I wouldn’t think he (a black attorney) was any different than a white  lawyer. … I think America has worked well with that. Maybe not as well as the African-Americans would like, but I’m a Jew. I watch what’s going on with us, too,” Sterling explained. “I think it’s better than it’s ever been. Doesn’t mean there isn’t anti-Semitism, there is … a lot of it, especially in the South. But it doesn’t matter.”

    Throughout the interview, Sterling was also very apologetic for his actions. He claimed that he was “baited” into making the “terrible remarks” that were recorded. He also noted that he generously supports minorities. The millions he’s pledged over the years have been given to a number of foundations for good minority causes. “I support minorities, God has been so good to me,” he said. “I’m so lucky, and so I want to give, and that’s what my life is all about. Giving and helping wherever I can.”

    “I’m apologizing and I’m asking for forgiveness,” he said. “Am I entitled to one mistake? After 35 years. I mean, I love my league, I love my partners. … It’s a terrible mistake, and I’ll never do it again.”

    Image via Anderson Cooper 360, Facebook

  • Donald Sterling Claims He Isn’t Racist, Questions Magic Johnson’s Integrity

    Guess what? Despite being caught on tape telling his girlfriend not to bring any black people to his games, disgraced Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling insists that he is not a racist. Instead, Sterling says he was “baited” into making the remarks.

    “You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want,” Sterling said during his racist rant that was caught on tape last month. “The little I ask you is not to promote it on that…and not to bring them to my games.”

    That might sound a tad racist to the average person, but during an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Donald Sterling says those comments don’t reflect how he really feels about black people and offered up an apology.

    “I’m not a racist,” Sterling said. “I made a terrible, terrible mistake. And I’m here with you today to apologize and to ask for forgiveness for all the people that I’ve hurt.”

    Even though Sterling apologized, he doesn’t accept full responsibility for his comments as he maintains that he was baited into making them. When Cooper asked Sterling if he was set up, the disgraced owner said, “Well yes, I was baited. I mean, that’s not the way I talk. I don’t talk about people for one thing, ever. I talk about ideas and other things. I don’t talk about people.”

    By not talking about people, Sterling is referring to the part of the rant where he complained about Stiviano’s public relationship with Magic Johnson. “Admire him, bring him here, feed him, f**k him, but don’t put [Magic] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me,” Sterling said.

    After making the apology–and saying that he doesn’t talk about people–Sterling launched into an attack on Johnson and questioned the former NBA star’s integrity. “What has he done? Can you tell me? Big Magic Johnson, what has he done?” Sterling asked. “He’s got AIDS. Did he do any business, did he help anybody in South LA?”

    “What kind of a guy goes to every city, has sex with every girl, then he catches HIV?” Sterling continued. “Is that someone we want to respect and tell our kids about? I think he should be ashamed of himself. I think he should go into the background. But what does he do for the black people? He doesn’t do anything.”

    Johnson, who previously tweeted that he was happy about Sterling being banned from the NBA, didn’t have much to say about being slammed in the Anderson Cooper interview.

    According to CNN, Sterling was wrong about Johnson not doing anything. In addition to raising HIV awareness, Magic Johnson started a foundation that has raised $20 million for charity.

    In the meantime, while Donald Sterling is recovering from another embarrassing rant (and hopefully disappearing into the background as he says Johnson should do), his wife Shelly Sterling is fighting to keep her 50 percent stake in the Clippers. “I don’t know why I should be punished for what his actions were,” Shelly said. Check out more of what Shelly has to say about the situation below.

    Image via YouTube

  • North Korea’s State Owned News: “Obama is a monkey”

    Propaganda is usually more eloquent, combined with images of gallantry and false promises through meaningless slogans; a rhetoric that allows for no free thought or discussion – ‘you’re either with us or against us.’

    North Korea spares no elegance when it tries to make a point, whether it’s a myriad of empty threats, execution by flamethrower, or bombardments from its state-run media front; Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), currently threw out some bigoted comments describing President Barack Obama as a “wicked black monkey.”

    “Divine punishment to the world’s one and only delinquent Obama”, published in Korean on May 2nd, came just in time with Obama’s state visit to South Korea. The article is composed of essays penned by four different people, despite the style being indistinguishable. If it wasn’t labeled a government publication, it’d pass as satire:

    “You can also tell this by his appearance and behavior, and while it may be because he is a crossbreed, one cannot help thinking the more one sees him that he has escaped from a monkey’s body,” it stated.

    The written diatribe lists Obama as a monkey four times, as well as calling him a “clown”, “dirty fellow” and somebody who “does not even have the basic appearance of a human being”; it geared towards the United States as “paper tiger” – its strength as a nation being largely a “myth.”

    “It would be better for him to live with other monkeys at a wild animal park in Africa … and licking bread crumbs thrown by onlookers,” wrote steel worker Kang Hyok at Chollima Steel Complex, author of one of the four essays.

    Another author, a military officer named Han Jin-Sung, wrote with more madness:

    “These Yankees have no idea who they are dealing with, and we will teach them the true taste of fire and war. Our nuclear strikes of justice and our powerful baptism by fire will decimate America, that devil’s den, without a trace — that is our resolution.”

    The articles have drawn criticism from the White House’s National Security Council, which said they were “particularly ugly and disrespectful.”

    State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said on Thursday that the North Korean dispatch was “offensive and ridiculous and absurd.”

    “I don’t know how many words I can use up here to describe the rhetoric … It’s disgusting,” Harf told reporters at the Foreign Press Center in Washington.

    Yoo Ho-yeol, a professor of North Korea studies at Korea University in South Korea said that North Korea is trying to garner attention by publicizing such controversy, and that the government will distance themselves from it, attributing the remarks to their citizens who ultimately penned the piece.

    “If it was to publish such a report in the voice of the authorities it would entrap them, whereas reporting the story under some ordinary citizen’s name will give them leeway,” said Yoo.

    The published pieces are particularly a response towards President Obama’s recent visit to South Korea, where he and South Korean President Park Geun-hye held a summit in Seoul last month. During his visit, Obama said at a joint news conference with Park that he’s considering further sanctions against North Korea, and that the U.S. will not hesitate to engage in military action to defend its allies.

    Politics explode.

    Images via Wikimedia Commons (1), (2)

  • Michael Jordan Used To Be Racist

    Michael Jordan Used To Be Racist

    Michael Jordan made a name for himself in the sports world, but it wasn’t easy.

    The college basketball star, and legend of the NBA, admitted in his new biography Michael Jordan: The Life, written by Roland Lazenby, that he used to be racist against white people.

    After being called a n**** by a girl at school in 1977, Jordan said he threw a soda at her and was basically against all white people. “I threw a soda at her,” the excerpt read. “I was really rebelling. I considered myself a racist at the time. Basically, I was against all white people.” After being suspended from school, Jordan’s mother encouraged him to let go of his hate.

    After listening to Jordan’s story, Lazenby revealed to Sports Illustrated that most of Jordan’s animosity came from where he lived. Jordan grew up in a small town in Northern North Carolina, where the Ku Klux Klan had a strong presence.

    “I’ve been to North Carolina hundreds of times and enjoy it tremendously, but North Carolina was a state that had more Klan members than the rest of the Southern states combined,” Lazenby said. “As I started looking at newspapers back in this era when I was putting together [Michael’s great-grandfather] Dawson Jordan’s life, the Klan was like a chamber of commerce. It bought the uniforms for ball teams, it put Bibles in all the schools. It may well have ended up being a chamber of commerce if not for all the violence it was perpetrating, too. A lot of the context just wasn’t possible to put it in a basketball book. A lot of it ended up being cut.”

    While Jordan, now 51-years-old, says he is no longer racist, there are some people who still have an issue with race today. Just last week, Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, made racist comments that grasped the attention of millions of viewers. When Jordan heard what Sterling had said, he criticized him saying that he was appalled that ignorance still exists.

    “I look at this from two perspectives — as a current owner and a former player. As an owner, I’m obviously disgusted that a fellow team owner could hold such sickening and offensive views,” Jordan said. “As a former player, I’m completely outraged. There is no room in the NBA — or anywhere else — for the kind of racism and hatred that Mr. Sterling allegedly expressed.”

    “I am appalled that this type of ignorance still exists within our country and at the highest levels of our sport,” Jordan continued. “In a league where the majority of players are African American, we cannot and must not tolerate discrimination at any level.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Donald Sterling Is Sorry, Just Not For His Racism

    Anyone who listened to the audio recording of Donald Sterling’s racist rant knows that this man is anything but in touch with the reality of an ethnically diverse world. He rejects the idea that people outside of his “master race” deserve to be treated fairly and with dignity and respect.

    Having admonished his mistress for associating with black people openly (including NBA great Magic Johnson) or bringing such persons to his Los Angeles Clippers team’s basketball games, it’s not surprising a major backlash would follow.

    Now Sterling is out-and-out banned from the NBA in every possible way. He has also been fined $2.5 million.

    Does he regret what his racist behaviors have cost him in terms of money and reputation?

    Well….apparently not.

    According to an exclusive quote given to DuJour.com by the billionaire, the biggest regret that the 80-year-old has is that he failed to pay off his former girlfriend V. Stiviano.

    Stiviano had been recording Sterling and as part of the lawsuit against her, she was ordered to turn over the tapes she had. This included the audio recording of Sterling’s rant.

    What Stiviano didn’t count on is that other snippets of audio, which had been turned over to a friend “for safe keeping” would be sent to TMZ.

    Sterling must feel that if he’d given her more cash, his sugar baby would have hit the bricks and never bothered to record his less than flattering commentary about other ethnic groups.

    It was recently reported that Sterling has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The timing of the announcement is suspect, but it certainly suggests that Sterling has something far more serious to worry about than an NBA ban.

    He may also be forced to sell the Los Angeles Clippers in the near future. Big names ranging from Oprah Winfrey to Matt Damon have been linked with a possible purchase.

    As for the Clippers, they will play the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of their playoff series tonight.

    Image via YouTube

  • Banana-Thrower Arrested for Racial Insult

    We recently told you about the racial insult involving Brazilian footballer Dani Alves. During a match in Spain, someone threw a banana onto the pitch in front of Alves. The implication was that the darker-skinned Alves was a monkey.

    In an act of defiance, Alves picked up the banana, broke off a piece, and ate it. Fans cheered, sports commentators played the footage of the incident over and over.

    In the wake of the incident, the person who threw the banana was banned from the arena for life. But Alves said he thought that wasn’t enough. He felt that the man should be shamed publicly. Alves even launched a hashtag campaign that resulted in hundreds of people posting pictures of themselves eating bananas, presumably in solidarity with Alves.

    Well, it looks like this thing is going to the next level.

    Police have now confirmed that they have arrested one David Campayo Lleo, age 26, who actually worked for the Villareal team Alves was playing against when the incident occurred.

    The charges against Campayo Lleo are related to racist provocation. If found guilty, he could face up to one to three years in prison.

    The idea that someone could be arrested and imprisoned for speech sounds bizarre to people in the United States.

    Recently, Americans watched with puzzled curiosity as American singer Bob Dylan narrowly avoided hate speech charges in France over something he said in a Rolling Stone magazine interview there. This was not something that would happen in the U.S., where free speech is the rule.

    Another example is the Donald Sterling incident recently. Sterling was banned from the NBA for life as a result of his personal racist comments. He may face fines and consequences from the organization he works with. But all that is a civil matter, much of it in-house. Sterling could never be arrested for saying he did not like black people.

    Image via YouTube

  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Sterling Only Part of Problem

    In a recent Time Magazine “op-ed” piece, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went ballistic on the Donald Sterling situation. A former coach for the L.A. Clippers, himself, Abdul-Jabbar is in a position to know of what he speaks.

    “Racists deserve to be paraded around the modern town square of the television screen so that the rest of us who believe in the American ideals of equality can be reminded that racism is still a disease that we haven’t yet licked.”

    But Abdul-Jabbar did not just excoriate Sterling himself. He took to task everyone who has been ignoring Sterling’s open racism for years.

    “He was discriminating against black and Hispanic families for years, preventing them from getting housing. It was public record. We did nothing. Suddenly he says he doesn’t want his girlfriend posing with Magic Johnson on Instagram and we bring out the torches and rope. Shouldn’t we have all called for his resignation back then?”

    Then Abdul-Jabbar touched on a topic that people have been whispering about in comment sections, but has never quite made the headlines:

    The smoking gun that finally led to Sterling’s lifetime ban from the NBA was something that never should have been made public. It was a private conversation between two people, with the expectation that it would remain private. It was not part of some back room deal under investigation. It was the very kind of material that the American public has been screaming from the rafters should not be made available to the likes of the NSA.

    But we got our hands on it through the media. And we’re lapping it up.

    Abdul-Jabbar asks, “Shouldn’t we be equally angered by the fact that his private, intimate conversation was taped and then leaked to the media?”

    “So, if we’re all going to be outraged, let’s be outraged that we weren’t more outraged when his racism was first evident. Let’s be outraged that private conversations between people in an intimate relationship are recorded and publicly played.”

    An interesting perspective from a man who could very well feel that the ends justify the means in cases like this. And while Abdul-Jabbar certainly has no love for the likes of Sterling, he lays it out clearly that there is so much of this that is disgusting.

    “I hope whoever made this illegal tape is sent to prison.”

    Strong words from the man who used to have to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes.

    Image via YouTube

  • Donald Sterling Officially Banned from NBA for Life

    Donald Sterling Officially Banned from NBA for Life

    CBS News reports that L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling is now officially banned for life by the NBA.

    NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced the banning on Tuesday.

    “The views expressed by Mr. Sterling are deeply offensive and harmful,” Silver said. “The man whose voice is heard on the recording … is Mr. Sterling. “The hateful opinions voiced by that man are those of Mr. Sterling. Effective immediately, I am banning Mr. Sterling for life.”

    Silver also announced that he will fine Don Sterling $2.5 million and try to force a sale of the L.A. Clippers.

    “As for Mr. Sterling’s ownership interest in the Clippers, I will urge the Board of Governors … to force a sale of the team and will do everything in my power to make sure that happens,” Silver said. “…This has been a painful moment for all members of the NBA family”

    Folks were quick to respond to the banning announcement.

    Donald Sterling was recorded talking derisively about black people, saying that he did not want them brought to his basketball games. Team members and many others have protested Sterling’s continued ownership of and affiliation with the Clippers and the NBA, as a whole.

  • Shelly Sterling Gives Unconvincing Condemnation Of Husband

    Donald Sterling’s wife Rochelle “Shelly” Sterling had come out in full force to condemn her husband for his racist remarks that were recently caught on tape.

    “Our family is devastated by the racist comments made by my estranged husband,” Shelly Sterling said to TMZ, “My children and I do not share these despicable views or prejudices.”

    She also told TMZ that the Sterling family would not “let one man’s small-mindedness poison the spirit of the fans and accomplishments of the team” and that they intend to “stand by and support” the Los Angeles Clippers team.

    She was on hand to support the Clippers in the absence of husband Donald. Many noted that Shelly Sterling wore all black as she sat watching the game. As part of their silent protest, the Clippers team wore black wristbands and black socks.

    Was Sterling part of this silent protest herself?

    Regardless of whether she was or wasn’t, it must be said that the statement released to TMZ rings about as hollow as mistress Vivian Stiviano’s denial over releasing the audio.

    Both women claim that Donald Sterling is indeed the man in the recorded conversation that has caused such an uproar. Yet it cannot be overlooked that both women were willing to have an extended association with the man despite his ugly views and behaviors.

    In the case of wife Shelly Sterling, she’s been married to him for over fifty years. A cynical person would view this situation as proof positive that some women will put up with or associate with just about any class of slimy individual for the sake of money.

    In that regard, Shelly Sterling is almost the perfect portrait of a textbook political wife. She looks the other way until it damages her personal brand. It is when the action is too controversial that some attempt at distancing occurs.

    However, Sterling may be looking to “stand by her man” after all.

    It’s already being reported that Sterling is backtracking her initial opinion and was recently seen out with husband Donald:

    Rumors of a divorce are already on the rise following the audio leak. However, it could be that Sterling is not eager for a lifestyle to which she’s become accustomed to come to an end. In that regard, her and Stiviano may have yet something else in common.

    Good for Sterling if she plans to finally leave the man that’s been openly cheating on her for years. Good for her for calling his remarks “despicable” because they are.

    However, remarks like those made by Donald Sterling should be opposed because they are wrong; not just when they stand to make one look bad by association.

    Image via YouTube

  • Los Angeles Clippers: Major Announcement Coming

    A hugely controversial audio clip that multiple parties are now claiming is Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling may force the NBA to send a strong message to the unpopular sports figure.

    It is being reported that a huge announcement is to be expected on Tuesday courtesy of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

    Silver faces his first real test since being appointed to his job as commissioner and not many are sure what sanctions he has the power to hand out.

    It’s possible that Silver could suspend Sterling for an indeterminate amount of time or fine him up to $1 million.

    These actions can be taken without the approval of the NBA owners as a group.

    Since the racist rant surfaced just a few short days ago, it has cast a dark shadow on more than just the Clippers team—The world of professional basketball has been negatively impacted as a whole.

    Numerous sponsors, including CarMax and Virgin America, have announced that they are severing ties with the troubled Clippers franchise. These losses are said to not only impact the Los Angeles team, but also have monetary consequences for the entire NBA.

    Perhaps such a potential for widely felt monetary issues is what has motivated the NBA to step up efforts to investigate the charges against Sterling and to speak up about findings so soon.

    It’s hoped by many that Silver will somehow ban Sterling from NBA events. Many onlookers, including star Lakers player Kobe Bryant, feel he should no longer be the owner of the Clippers.

    The Clippers team staged their own silent protest ahead of Game 4 in their series of games against the Golden State Warriors.

    It’s possible that their promising season could be railroaded by the negativity associated with their club owner. They are certainly going to have to work harder and focus to get through the upcoming games.

    All eyes will be on Silver tomorrow, as many can only speculate what the NBA has in store for Sterling and the Clippers.

    Image via YouTube

  • Marge Schott: The Donald Sterling Prequel

    Donald Sterling is in hot water. It looks like there is little question now that the Los Angeles Clippers’ owner did indeed say what everyone thinks he said about black people. As the hours pass, one person after another pipes up to condemn his statement, distance themselves from him, or point out that this is not the first time he has run his mouth like this.

    Magic Johnson has come forward and said that Donald Sterling should no longer own a team in the NBA.

    Al Sharpton has called on the NBA to remove Sterling or face a protest march.

    The Clippers themselves have staged their own symbolic protest, with more perhaps to come.

    But Donald Sterling is not without precedent. Anyone remember Marge Schott?

    Marge Schott has long since become a punchline, but back in the 1980’s, she was the esteemed owner of the Cincinnati Reds. In the 1990’s, she still owned the Reds, she just wasn’t as esteemed anymore.

    You see, Marge Schott had a bit of a tendency to run off at the mouth. Former employees said that they heard her refer to certain players on the Reds team as “million-dollar niggers.” One said that she told him that “sneaky goddamn Jews are all alike.” She kept a Nazi swastika in her home.

    Apparently she thought that Hitler was an ok guy in his early days, kind of like Bob Dylan before he went electric. In a 1992 interview with The New York Times, she said that ”Hitler was good in the beginning, but he went too far.”

    She once told a former employee of the Oakland A’s, “I once had a nigger work for me. . . . I would never hire another nigger. I’d rather have a trained monkey working for me than a nigger.”

    She used a “cartoonish Japanese accent” when describing her meeting the prime minister of Japan.

    But Marge Schott continued on as owner of the Reds! In fact, she did not sell out until 1999. She was not allowed to be in day-to-day management capacity with the team at the arena, but no one could force her to sell.

    Donald Sterling may have one tough road ahead of him. America’s fuse has gotten shorter, in some respects, since the days of Marge Schott. Let’s see how long he lasts and what kind of deal gets cut.

    Image via YouTube

  • The Jungle Book Too Racist To Recreate?

    The Jungle Book Too Racist To Recreate?

    Director Jon Favreau is planning on taking on the challenge of recreating Rudyard Kipling’s original story, and one of Disney’s timeless classics, The Jungle Book.

    Favreau has already been in talks with some amazing A-list stars for the project including Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) , Scarlett Johansson (Avengers: Age of Ultron), and Idris Elba (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom). Elba has already agreed to play the part of Shere Khan the tiger, and if negotiations prove positive, Nyong’o will play the part of Bagheera the panther and Johansson will play the part of Kaa the snake.

    While it may seem that Favreau has a good start on his project, he may soon run into troubles, as The Jungle Book has long been criticized for having racial undertones. While the book was written in the late 1800s, Disney’s film adaptation wasn’t released until 1967, right in the heart of the Civil Rights movement.

    Oh so now the jungle book is racist. This has to be a joke…

    — Reid Gillam(@oohGillam) April 28, 2014

    Many scholars have researched the book and movie and have noticed several things that can be considered racist; the main subject being King Louie. “One of the main reasons that The Jungle Book needs to be rebooted is to fix the things that became controversial not long after it was released in 1967,” explained Robert Thompson, pop culture expert and media professor at Syracuse University.

    “The first Disney ‘Jungle Book’ was based on Kipling; the next one will be based on the movie, so it’ll be another generation removed from Kipling, which will help,” Thompson continued. “King Louie was going to be a problem either way. The original choice would have been offensive – Louis Armstrong animated as an ape. The choice they went with had a minstrel show feel to it, also offensive.”

    King Louie was thought to be an African-American who sang the song I want to be Like You to the young boy Mowgli. Critics say that he is singing the song because he wants to be Caucasian like Mowgli; however, as many fans of the movie have pointed out, Mowgli was not white.

    Do you think the movie is racist, or are people simply looking too far into things? Leave your comments below.

    Image via movies.disney.com

  • Los Angeles Clippers Team At Odds With Owner

    As the NBA probe into the controversy surrounding Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling continues, it is obvious that the situation has had a negative effect on the very team he owns.

    If true, it’s amazing and sad that a man can boast such low opinions of minorities and yet not realize that these same people make up a large percentage of those who work for him.

    Not just the players on the court, but the staff off of the court as well. There are many jobs that are involved in the maintaining and support of a basketball team. It truly takes all kinds of people to make an NBA team function at its very best.

    As for the players for themselves, even though their coach Doc Rivers did his best to shield them from the media frenzy, it was to be expected that they would
    respond in their own way to the alleged words of owner Donald Sterling.

    When the team warmed up, they wore their Los Angeles Clippers shirts inside out. All team members wore black wristbands and black socks.

    Their message was clear: that they were one team and supportive of each other regardless of their individual ethnicity.

    Owner Donald Sterling was not at the game, but the silent protest went on anyway and he was most definitely the target of the message.

    Unfortunately for the Clippers, the act of unity did not serve to help them overcome the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors beat the Clippers 118-97 in Game 4. The playoff series now stands at 2-2.

    Some are already speculating that the Clippers could see their season go on a downward spiral following their owner’s remarks.

    Perhaps this won’t be the case.

    What is certain is that the pressure is on the NBA to respond to these allegations and to set a standard for professional basketball that goes beyond such bigotry.

    A show of support from the organization itself could help to repair the shattered morale of the Clippers team.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Donald Sterling Being Probed By NBA

    Donald Sterling Being Probed By NBA

    If TMZ’s shocking audio release is indeed of Donald Sterling making racist statements about blacks, he may be in hot water with the NBA.

    NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced on Saturday that there would be a probe launched into a recording that allegedly features Sterling insisting that his biracial girlfriend stop using her Instagram account to draw attention to the fact that minorities have anything to do with his sports team.

    “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people,” said the man thought to be Sterling.

    It’s important to remember that the NBA team owner’s girlfriend V. Stiviano is herself half-black.

    The fact that Sterling could make such comments about minorities and date a woman of color is quite the disconnect.

    It’s possible that following this scandal, Stiviano may move on from the controversial sports figure.

    In truth, accusations of racism are not new to the Los Angeles Clippers owner. Sterling has been sued multiple times for racial discrimination. In addition to reportedly making negative comments about blacks, Sterling is also said to have made negative comments about latinos and Koreans.

    In the now viral audio recording, it’s thought Sterling even dissed NBA legend Magic Johnson.

    What’s most unfortunate is that the Los Angeles Clippers, a team that has been laughably bad for some time, actually have had a brilliant season.

    Some fear that the team that has worked so hard will be made to suffer due to the ignorance and hate of the owner.

    Having an actual recording available means it’s for Sterling harder to deny the racist allegations made against him in this situation.

    It also means that continuing to have a man like Sterling visibly associated with modern professional basketball could be bad for the entire sport.

    Image via YouTube

  • Donald Sterling: Los Angeles Clippers Owner’s Racist Rant Angers Many

    TMZ released an audio clip of a racist rant yesterday that was allegedly made by Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. In the clip, which has outraged the masses, we hear a man telling a woman that he doesn’t want her to bring black people to any of his games or post photos of Magic Johnson on Instagram.

    Among other things, Sterling allegedly told his girlfriend V. Stiviano, “You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that…and not to bring them to my games.” According to TMZ, a photo Stiviano posted to Instagram of herself with Magic Johnson sparked the rant. You can hear the male in the audio clip say, “Don’t put him [Magic] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don’t bring him to my games.”

    Listen to the racist rant allegedly made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling below.

    Magic Johnson has tweeted about the rant, and as you can tell, he was not happy to hear about the comments:

    LeBron James has also chimed in on the situation, and says that if Sterling really made the comments, he wants to see the NBA ban him. “If the reports are true, it’s unacceptable. It’s unacceptable in our league,” James said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re white, black, Hispanic, whatever, all across the races. It’s unacceptable and as a commissioner in our league, they have to make a stand, and they have to be very aggressive with it.”

    Sterling has denied that he is the person making the rant in the clip, but due to his checkered past regarding racism claims (including refusing to rent apartments to black people), not many people are buying the denial. Sterling and the Clippers organization released a statement saying that they don’t know if the audio is legitimate, but that it doesn’t represent how Sterling feels:

    We have heard the tape on TMZ. We do not know if it is legitimate or it has been altered…Mr. Sterling is emphatic that what is reflected on that recording is not consistent with, nor does it reflect his views, beliefs or feelings. It is the antithesis of who he is, what he believes and how he has lived his life.

    The timing of this controversy with owner Donald Sterling couldn’t be worse for the Los Angeles Clippers, as they are in the middle of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Clippers will play Game 4 of the first round on Sunday night; the Clippers lead the series against the Golden State Warriors 2-1.

    Image via Twitter

  • Clippers Owner: Don’t Bring Black People To My Games

    Come reader, as we glimpse into the vain and amoral ponderings of the filthy rich and the honesty among the people that love them.

    Donald Sterling is the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Los Angeles Clippers owner. In 1981 he bought the Clippers for $12.5 million – a team now worth $575 million according to Forbes. Sterling is a billionaire and rather racist.

    Sterling’s self-respecting and obviously not-in-it-for-the-money girlfriend V. Stiviano describes herself on her Instagram as a: “Artist, Lover, Writer, Chef, Poet, Stylist, Philanthropist.”  Her website, vstiviano.com, looks like this:

    The darlings of TMZ Sports managed to get their hands on a recorded conversation planned by Stiviano that took place on April 9th. Stiviano and her boyfriend, Mr. Sterling, got in a heated argument in which he voiced his opposition of her taking pictures with minorities and Magic Johnson. Highlights of the recording include Sterling saying:

    “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?” (3:30) – Ironically, Stiviano is a both black and Mexican.

    “You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want.  The little I ask you is not to promote it on that … and not to bring them to my games.” (5:15)

    “I’m just saying, in your lousy f******* Instagrams, you don’t have to have yourself with, walking with black people.” (7:45)

    Pictures like these are what Sterling is upset about:

    This isn’t the first time Sterling’s racism peered its ugly head. ESPN reported in November 2005 he wound up paying a fine of $2.73 million to settle claims in regards to discriminatory rental practices. In February 2009 he was sued for employment discrimination on the basis of age and race; that same year in August, the Los Angeles Times reported that he was sued again by the U.S. Department of Justice for housing discrimination, unwilling to rent to non-Koreans in Koreatown, Los Angeles, and to African Americans in Beverly Hills.

    More money more problems.

    Update (2014.04.28): DeadSpin recently acquired extra audio of the conversation above. Assumingly, Stiviano is selling it to the highest bidder:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tof8ty3xzY

    Now, what Sterling is suggesting is a racist culture in the elite that is unchangeable by the will one. It is deep rooted and still manages continuation in modern times; inescapable.

    Images via YouTube, NBA.COM, vstiviano.com, twicsy (1), (2), (3)

  • Steve Israel: GOP Base Is Unfortunately “Animated by Racism”

    Steve Israel, Democratic congressman of New York and chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told CNN’s “State of the Union” that “to a significant extent, the Republican base does have elements that are animated by racism. And that’s unfortunate.”

    Israel has not been the only high ranking Democrat to call out the Republican Party on racism. “I think race has something to do with the fact that they’re not bringing up an immigration bill,” Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told ABC News, “I’ve heard them say to the Irish, if it were just you, this would be easy.”

    Republican Greg Walden was quick to deny the accusations, calling them “both wrong and unfortunate,” according to the Associated Press.

    Despite Walden’s denial, racism remains an ugly topic for GOP lawmakers. Michael Tomasky of the Daily Beast pointed out how many Fox News articles are plagued with racist comments made in the support of Republican policy. “Now I don’t know if the people making these comments and the larger group they represent constitute 5 percent of this base or 15 or 50. It depends in part on how you define ‘base,’” Tomasky wrote, “But look at the matter this way. Say you were a Republican political consultant. Would you ever in a jillion years suggest that your candidate take on racism within the GOP as a speech topic? You most certainly would not. Your candidate would be dead immediately.”

    One use of race in Democrats’ rhetoric may be due to anticipation of midterm elections this fall. “Very risky to accuse the GOP of outright, overt racism,” an anonymous Democratic strategist told the Washington Post, “midterms are about motivating your base, so perhaps that is what’s going on. I think more Democrats should take their cues from President Obama, who to my knowledge has never accused his opponents of being racially motivated.”

    According to the Washington Post, Democrats face an uphill battle in the polls. They speculated that a house changeover would be unlikely and asserted that several senate seats held by Democrats remain vulnerable.

    “There are still deep elements of racism in this country, and that element has indeed energized the GOP rank-and-file base,” wrote Susan Mulligan of US News & World Report, “Most Republicans in Congress oppose Obamacare, and it’s not because they have some racial issue with it; it’s because they believe it’s unwarranted and unwise federal government involvement with health care. But [racists] will vote for the GOP candidate for senator because the Democrat voted for the African-American president’s signature law.”

    Image via CNN, YouTube

  • Human Barbie Valeria Lukyanova Accused Of Racism

    Valeria Lukyanova, better known as Human Barbie, has surprised people yet again with her comments.

    Michael Idov from GQ flew all the way to Ukraine, where Lukyanova is based, to conduct an interview. Lukyanova was consuming carrot juice with chutney, and nothing else. A few months ago, she declared that she will be converting to breatharianism, where she will not drink or eat and only thrive on sunlight and air. That decision surprised many, but the 28-year-old Barbie dropped another bombshell much to the surprise of Idov.

    In the interview, Lukyanova said that the popularity of plastic surgeries nowadays can be blamed on “race-mixing.” “Ethnicities are mixing now, so there’s degeneration,” she said. Lukyanova also said that there were more beautiful women in the 1950’s to the 1960’s who did not go under plastic surgery. “And now, thanks to degeneration, we have this.”

    Lukyanova has admitted to having her breasts enhanced. She also uses contact lenses and makeup in order to achieve her Barbie-like facial features. However, she insists that her tiny waist is all natural and the result of her diet and exercise regimen.

    Idov was so surprised at Lukyanova’s comments and even called her a “racist space alien.”

    The interview also tackled the subject of having a family. Lukyanova is against having kids, as she said in other interviews. “The very idea of having children brings out this deep revulsion in me,” said the Human Barbie.

    Lukyanova continued to say that she would rather die from torture rather than have a family, as that lifestyle is the worst.

    This is not the first time the Human Barbie has said things that may be shocking to some. She has also mentioned that she is able to communicate with aliens non-verbally, and that humans are the least sophisticated civilization. “We’re on the lowest level of evolution.”

    Valeria Lukyanova: Human Barbie

    Image via YouTube

  • Valeria Lukyanova Is To Be Pitied And Ignored

    What can I say about a so-called “Human Barbie” that is determined to exist on sunshine and air? Only that this should be enough for the average human being to disregard anything this individual has to say.

    That’s right: Please ignore the living crap out of Valeria Lukyanova.

    She needs a good psychiatrist and medication. What she doesn’t need is for her vapid opinions to be given any kind of weight.

    The fact that Lukyanova needs help is a conclusion I reached when I heard from her own mouth the hallucinations and delusions she suffered from as a child. In the documentary “Space Barbie”, she discussed being sent to a medical professional.

    Her trip to see a professional about her issues should have resulted in the beginning of serious treatment.

    Any responsible doctor upon hearing her symptoms would have moved forward with some kind of care options, medicine, etc.

    However, from what Lukyanova revealed, the man in question only enabled her potentially harmful delusions of grandeur.

    This is a young woman who by her own admission would rather die young and beautiful than live long enough to see a wrinkle (and I don’t think she was kidding). She is claims that she is the reincarnation of various wise and powerful beings, yet she exists in a bubble of racial ignorance and intolerance.

    Her opinions on the universe and spirituality are sprinkled among displays of hyper self-consciousness. For instance, she freaked out when she was filmed without a belt because God forbid the audience think she not have a waist.

    Lukyanova is simply a deeply disturbed narcissistic personality at best and a Grade A troll and attention whore at worst. Therefore, when she says things like “interracial couples have made the human race uglier“, it’s not worth the energy to get angry.

    I mean….look at her. She has gone through so many transformations (digital and surgical) to look like a walking piece of plastic. What does her inauthentic representation of herself have to do with people finding love across racial and ethnic lines?

    Nothing.

    In fact, with all the reasons people give for plastic surgeries, you’ll be hard pressed to find “race mixing” anywhere near the top of the list.

    It is a ludicrous statement made by a sad, self-loathing individual. She’ll never know one tenth of the happiness of the couples she’s slandering.

    Eventually people will grow bored of this individual and her irrelevant opinions, but don’t wait. Take the initiative by ignoring this person and her pointless opinions today.

    She’s clearly as hollow as the dolls she is supposed to emulate and is to be pitied rather than quoted.

    Image via YouTube

  • Paula Deen Closes Restaurant Without Notice

    “Uncle Bubba’s Seafood & Oyster House,” a restaurant owned by Paula Deen’s brother, Bubba Hiers, closed its doors on Thursday. Deen, a television host and celebrity chef, is part owner of the restaurant. Employees of the Savannah, Georgia restaurant showed up for work and were surprised to see the restaurant closed. The appliances were also being removed from the restaurant.

    The restaurant is known in Savannah for serving fresh seafood. It is located by a marsh, which provides a scenic atmosphere for diners. One of its best dishes is char-grilled oysters. The restaurant also features weekly live band performances.

    “Uncle Bubba’s Seafood & Oyster House” posted a message on their Facebook page saying, “Thank you for 10 great years. Uncle Bubba’s is now closed.”

    The restaurant is at the location where Deen’s racism scandal took place. A former manager of the restaurant, Lisa Jackson, accused Deen and her brother of sexual discrimination and the usage of racial slurs. Deen eventually admitted to using racial epithets, which caused her to lose endorsement deals that amounted to millions of dollars. The lawsuit has since been dismissed, but Deen’s reputation has been permanently tarnished.

    The sudden closing of the restaurant left the relatives of employees disappointed. One relative said “My mother put in some hard work for years with you and she finds out when she shows up for work this morning.” Another user said “My mother worked there for 8 years and no one called her!”

    An official statement from Deen’s side states that employees will be given severance according to their tenure and position in the restaurant. The decision was said to have come from the owner himself, Hiers. The statement also said that the management will be doing their utmost to help find jobs for the employees within other restaurants in Savannah.

    Paula Deen: “I’m Not A Racist”


    Image via YouTube