Mark Cuban: "Were all Bigots"

Mark Cuban is one of those guys whose interest in business and entrepreneurship has handicapped their ability to think objectively about things like this.

Essentially, he doesn't seem to regard Sterlings remarks with indignation. Instead, he gives us a scenario where he himself would base his actions on bigoted thought processes. In a sense, I agree that were always being affected by implicit thought patterns, some of which are "racist" or stereotyped. But that isn't really the question, is it? The question is, what kind of world Mark Cuban wants to live in. By making that statement, he's confessed his own beliefs about human nature. Criticizing, or debarring, a bigot like Donald Sterling appears to people like Mark Cuban as "hypocrisy".

To make things simple, Mark Cubans own "entrepreneurial" (read: extremely competitive for gain) spirit allows him to degrade human awareness to only those things which benefit the self. This issue - condemning a man whose views reflect a FALSE i.e hateful, gratuitous, ignorant - belief system, signifies a deeper collective wish in people: that we can make this world better.

If people were perhaps a little more scientific minded, they would be impressed by the knowledge human beings have gained of their own neurological anatomy and its functioning. Everything we used to frame in philosophical and ideological i.e wholly abstract terms, can now be put into biological terms as well. It's both humbling and exciting. The brain is so finite, yet our capacities as thinking and feeling beings is unlimited.

One of the important findings of neuroscience is neuroplasticity. This essentially means that a change in behavior-environment index will instigate a neurochemical transformation in the brain. The anatomy of the brain literally changes moment by moment. This allows us to conceptualize a "change of belief" as a change in BRAIN CONSTITUTION. The brain changes when we change a behavior, which implies that the mental experience can move from a state of "racism" to a "compassionate love". The former individual, with a gradual opening up, can move from a donald sterling to a pope Francis.

This is why Donald Sterling is wrong, and why Mark Cuban is wrong. It is superstitious to think human selfishness cant be overcome. We can see in the brain that changes in belief literally change brain structure. And, if Mark Cuban decides that "inevitability" is not his primary defense, and instead argues that people shouldn't tell one another not to do - i.e an extreme libertarian position - then he merely shows that he's a sociopath. If the concept of responsibility doesn't mean anything to you - and if you only act responsibly to avoid penalty, then there is something wrong with your brain.

I'm not sure if Mark Cuban is a sociopath. Sometimes, people can be selfish because they are unable to move out of that "pleasure" zone because doing something right would force them to experience an unpleasant (in comparison) emotion. I suspect that this is whats happening in the minds of people who struggle with narcissism. They're so focused on their own mental perspective that they don't allow themselves to cogitate other minds. If their own experience involves "acting on the object in the environment for pleasure", they will feel weird and awkward connecting with their environments in the mode of I-Thou. That's not to say that they aren't capable of experiencing emotions like love, compassion, empathy, gratitude. It's just that these emotions just dont seem to stick and become "automatic" responses like in the minds of emotionally balanced people. Before you call this genetic, consider the positive feedback effects of the environments they interact in. To really change, you need a new environment. A simple choice could change that environment, which in turn could elicit the positive feedback effects of positive emotional growth.

If people are bigoted, they shouldn't be. By Bigot, I mean an unreasonable discrimination of people based on skin color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, political beliefs etc. Would it be bigoted to cross the street when a guy with tattoos over his body crosses the street? In one sense, yes, and in another sense, no. People who dress that way tend to be a part of gangs, which means they might be violent. And since "self preservation" can be such a strong instinct within us, we'll make the discrimination against walking past the tattooed hispanic lookiing guy. Is this wrong? No. This situation is far too gray to call right or wrong. Different people can look at the same situation differently. And it mostly depends on the initial feeling upon seeing the guy. If you're feeling good, you'll want to "advocate" for the persons possible goodness and so walk by him, and maybe give him a smile. But if probability and frequency of attacks from people like this is your first thought, and its reasonably justified to react this way, then you'll discriminate and cross the street.

The sad and frustrating fact of discrimination is that it promotes discrimination. When people prejudge one another and treat one another in a closed way, as if they were "workin them", it causes people to want to respond in the same way.

There's an interesting parallel here with physics. A basic law of Newtonian physics states that every action will have an equal and opposite reaction. This is sort of how people are when they're relating to each other in automatic "programmed ways".
If someone looks funny at us, when they look at us again we'll respond with a similar reaction. To "equalize" it, as it were. On the other hand, when we mindfully attend to our own awareness, we can recognize that people aren't completely determinative. In a sense, the Christian or Buddhist ethic of pacificism reflects something about quantum mechanics. Quantum Mechanics is the core reality underlying classical physics. In the same way, a "possibility of responses" underlies a response pattern that is largely dependent upon external stimuli. Since the latter scenario is highly contingent upon how you respond, it could actually be wise to walk past people with a sense of serenity and goodwill because your basic facial patterns and way of carrying yourself will affect their minds, in all probability, as non-threatening and therefore safe.

We'll every situation in life go good? No. There is a lot of trust and love for other people in this perspective. You can't always know how people will respond. But you should feel a sense of connection with other people, because liek you, they are "time beings", sentient creatures like yourself experiencing the same existential reality. Were alive and we know it.

If you think racism to be a thing of the past. Look at the penetary system anywhere on this planet! You'll quickly realize racism to be real once you're stripped of your personal freedoms and made to share a cell without rights. I'm impartial since I'm a hybrid, but racism has actually expotentially increased, not diminished! Most racists now hide behind anonymity and use passive aggressive ploys to avoid detection and mingling with other races.

We're all racist to some sense, some are just more flaggerent and hating. If you're isolated in a specific demographic location, you're probably a racist.

Any group of people that are led in there daily lives by adversity will outshine those who have no adversity in there lives any day of the week. It is something that has been shown to be true all throught our human history. Being humble and overcoming is our true nature. To destroy or to not make any attempt at understanding and forgivness will be a poor choice of roads to follow in the long run. We want to be around people like us no matter who we are. Basically we are all racist and if the nsa ever done a greatest hits montage we would all be indicted by something. Even if that something is looking down on others for actions unbecoming.

So this guy, Cuban, is he Cuban? jk

So Cuban fears whites and blacks, based on what he said? What if someone was racist or bigoted towards him? Would he cry? I'm telling you, these NBA team owners seem to be a racist bunch. How many more will come out? Now the players & fans know the truth.

Good thing I dont have this problem.

And yea, racism hurts. # its everywhere. Job applications, police reports, facepalm. Damn it gets old.

No one should have to justify their existence.

Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team, is Jewish.

Here's the main snippet of his controversial statements.

“I also try not to be a hypocrite. I know I'm prejudiced. I know I'm bigoted in a lot of different ways,” he said. “I've said this before. If I see a black kid in a hoodie at night on the same side of the street, I'm probably going to walk to other side of the street. If I see a white guy with a shaved head and lots of tattoos, I'm going back to the other side of the street. If I see anybody that looks threatening, and I try not to, but part of me takes into account race and gender and image. I'm prejudiced. Other than for safety issues, I try to always catch my prejudices and be very self-aware.”

Cuban later recounted a story from the 1960s when his uncle served as a superintendent in the Washington, D.C., area. He recalled sitting down with his uncle and being told that everyone was equal, and it was never acceptable to treat people differently based on their creed, race, gender or ethnicity. At the same time, though, it did not mean that certain negative thoughts won't appear from time to time.

link

My opinion is that his comments and point of view are quite valid. The fact that he even backpedaled on his statement of a 'black kid with a hoodie,' before he could be ripped to shreds for even hinting Trayvon Martin, proves a big point on how racial prejudices are treated.

The guy is telling it how it is, yet he's still a racist, bigot. We're not all perfect. We're not all Buddhists monks. It's pretty much impossible to grow up without some sort of bias or prejudice, and that was his point. Even 'tolerant' people are racist and bigoted towards racists and bigots. Pretty sweet, huh?

Maybe if people and the media weren't making such a big deal about it, it wouldn't be such a big deal. It cheapens the entire scenario. Maybe the new slogan should be "No Tolerance for No Tolerance."

Cuban is crapping his pants because he watched a multi-billion dollar portfolio fall to pieces on a week and the damages arent even over yet.He knows he could easily be next.

It obviously looks like the old fellow was well set up to take this fall.

I believe that for one man to possess more wealth than his immediate family can use in their natural lifetimes is a Crime Against Humanity and I believe that every billionaire is murdering people by proxy every single day via resuorce suppression,when the money and assets are owned by individuals then they must starve to death and poison and harm humans every single day they hold those assets out of Global circulation.Does this make me bad?Maybe to some people.

How many broke poor humans make very much worse statements and no one even bats an eyelash,as they say with money easy come easy go.

Heads up Cuban they are coming for you next,it is not a good time to be a Money Monger even if the laws support you,ha ha ha ha Cuban is a survivor he saw how fast they dismantled another rich cat,ha ha ha ha,time to become a philanthropist Mark my buddy ,and GO HARD!Ha ha ha.

I mean this sounds crazy but could you imagine if Shark Tank or whatever the show Cuban is on was used one day in a court of law to prove Crimes Against Humanity?You know the greedy buggers are all out to rape the world for resources and money,it seems to me the world is changing as we realise how few have screwed us all into a corner,the man in Africa is no worse off than the man in America or Canada or Russia or Cambodia,or China ,NONE of those men have a say in their worlds.We CANT CHANGE ANYTHING until there are Global laws against resource hoarding via money influence or products.

Free enterprise was never suppossed to go beyond Country borders and when it DID there was no GLOBAL vote supporting it,so any influences based upon Free enterprise and a business system from one country CANNOT have influences which extend beyond their borders.Not without a Global vote which we have never seen.

The World did not give a few select countrys the Humanitarian right to hoard global resources and control the species this way.

a reply to: Astrocyte

Did you watch the actual video of him speaking? While I agree with some of what you said, I wouldn't go as far as call him a sociopath or someone who does not believe people can change. In his video he says he prefers to handle racism in a different way when he finds it in his own businesses. His practice kind of goes along with what you said, someone can go from a Donald Sterling to a Pope Francis. Cuban prefers to send people to sensitivity training for a first offense to try to change their views. He did not go into detail about what he would do after that. But I believe this proves he believes people can change.

a reply to: dfens

He's Jewish? Hmm. I did not know that.

I wonder if being taught from the Talmud(assuming) has anything to do with his racism towards whites, blacks? Now we have two Jewish ball team owners who have said similar things, can we go for a third? Most of the Jewish folk that I lived around in DC were the exact same way. They were very open about their racism. What I'm pondering is if religion plays a role in creating racism at a young age?

My question is why does Al Sharpton get a free pass by calling Jewish people "white interlopers" ?

a reply to: dfens

I've tried to say this before, but I was called racist.

Mark Cuban should speak for himself.

I admit, I judge people...but not on their skin color. I judge them on their behavior.

Even Cuban, based on his comments, isn't judging solely based on their skin color...for Cuban, he is judging them based on how they are dressed...which is part of their behavior.

lol, He is just mad because his precious Mavs lost to my Spurs!!

originally posted by: thesaneone
My question is why does Al Sharpton get a free pass by calling Jewish people "white interlopers" ?

Yes, he gets a pass. Because as the MSM portrays racism, only whites are racist.

originally posted by: thesaneone
My question is why does Al Sharpton get a free pass by calling Jewish people "white interlopers" ?

And when they if ever sat down to think about it they realized that Jews, the race, are white for the most part. lol. I knew a black guy, good friend and relative, he asked me once how whites seemed to be able to tell each other apart for all this white on white historical bigotry. lol

Cuban is right we are all bigots. But bigots not necessarily against any racial, sub-cultural or “other” group

In other words if we weren’t bigots we couldn’t distinguish and separate what we define as evil…or dangerous to us. We wouldn’t be able to protect ourselves from it

In an instance of a black boy in a hoody, if we are brainwashed to believe that people in hoodies may mug us then that is indeed a form of bigotry based on self-protection not racism.

Marc Cuban’s statement IS NOT RACIST at all.

What sort of bigot pays guys millions of $ a year to play basketball? Seems we could use more bigots like that. Beats the heck out of picking cotton for nothing.