Social Media Lynchings

Let’s be clear: Donald Sterling, owner of the L.A. Clippers, is foolish.  He obviously has deep-rooted feelings towards minorities, feelings that don’t seem to be particularly kindhearted.  But if you listen to the tape his mistress clearly goaded him into discussing a topic that he wasn’t comfortable talking about, with her or anyone else, let alone for the world to hear.  What happened to privacy?  Are we to police every dark thought?  And if so, how many of us would be immune?

It seemed to me that Mr. Sterling was upset that his girlfriend was making public her relationship with black men in general and Magic Johnson in particular.  Furthermore, and reading between the lines here, it sounded like he was being ridiculed by his friends or colleagues that his girlfriend was taking up either social or sexually with men of color, which alludes to the stereotype of black men being well hung and thus good lovers.   Mr. Sterling said that he didn’t care if she fed him or fucked him, just don’t bring him to his games, which sounded to me like the desperate pleas of a cuckold wishing to avoid the public shame.

Yes, he is a foolish man, for his outdated and misguided views of race, but more so for taking up with that girl in the first place, who history won’t remember despite her wicked attempts.  She cornered him, sweet talked him, knew what he might say and was intent to capture it on tape to ultimately destroy him.  She was cunning, fully aware of the trend or fad in social media.  It’s a typical group-think response, and whoa to the social commentator who takes the opposite view.

Society has embarked upon a mission of persecuting dissenting opinions, however unenlightened, and thus exposing our own biases and prejudices, the consequences of which will be silence and backlash from those who have been oppressed against.  No, better to expose the man’s hatred, and then shame him with forgiveness than to banish him from the very sport that he has helped along the way to prosperity.

But those are not the days that we are living in, are they?  No.  In the name of righteousness we condemn.  In goodness we ruin.  It won’t end with Mr. Sterling, either, for someone else will come along and utter something ridiculous, in private or in public, it won’t matter.  We have formed our posses, and we have called them Twitter.  With this we will rally our men and our women, for we are outraged, empowered and bloodthirsty.  Yes, not a posse at all but a pack of hungry wolves, stalking through the cold mountains until we are sated.  Be careful lest you stray from the pack.  Hide your thoughts, words and ideas, pretend not only in public now but in private, because the walls have ears.  The world is listening, waiting, and the world is hungry!