Writer Billy Gardner examines racism and discrimination in pop culture.
By: Billy Gardner
Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Clippers Owner has been in the news for his alleged racist remarks. Audio exists where he says to his mistress about former NBA player, Magic Johnson, “…admire him, bring him here, [have sex with] him.. You can do anything. But don’t put him on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don’t bring him to my games. OK?” The now infamous comments sparked outrage across the league. The news came out Tuesday afternoon that Sterling would be suspended indefinitely from the NBA. This story raises questions about our own bias.
Do you look down on people because they are white, black, asian, latin? Does somebody’s sexuality, gender, religion, or culture cause you to think a certain way about them? Does the way someone dresses or the way they look cause you to have preconceived notions about who they are as a person? Be Honest.
Discrimination is real and the best way to combat it is to address the issue head on. Many of us who discriminate do so unknowingly. While amongst students, one could be heard questioning “Forest Park Students go to Washington University?” as if to say it is a sub-par institution. In other cases, people will act in a politically correct manner when surrounded by those who are different than them, but around others they will make racist or bigoted jokes and remarks quite openly. Have you done this?
Although we would like to believe otherwise, prejudice and alive and it is very real. Some people are effected more heavily by these biases. But, it is important to be open and honest with each other and with ourselves so that we can work in unison to alleviate this issue from society. There may always be bigots and ignorance in our world, but hopefully we can continue to weed these negative thoughts and ideas from society by punishing acts like Donald Sterling’s.
