Spike Lee: Sterling Has ‘Mentality Of A Slave Master, Sees His Players As Slaves’

In the latest in this drama, lauded filmmaker Spike Lee, who is known for his on the edge depictions of racial relations has come out firing that embattled Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling is akin to a plantation owner. Lee is quoted as saying that Sterling has the "...mentality of a slave master. He sees his players as slaves."

Of course, Mr. Sterling in my opinion made a very stupid statement and is paying for the consequences (minus the mob rule mentality of it all; he is an idiot in my estimation). That doesn't mean he treats his players like slaves or even has a plantation mentality as Mr. Lee has so conveniently alluded to.

My guess is the Mr. Lee saw the opportunity to jump on the publicity band-wagon that is this convoluted circus regarding this subject and has needlessly interjected his opinion into the matter. Magically, Mr. Lee also recounts a 2011 conversation (why didn't Lee speak up then if he is so outraged?) in which Mr. Sterling supposedly stated that without basketball, these players would be out of a job; which if we look at that argument objectively, it is quite true since their job at the moment is basketball.

Moving onto the heart of this post, Mr. Lee continues on to state that he wishes the other color players (white) would speak up. He is quoted by CNN with "Outside from Dirk Nowitzki, I really never heard from the white players..." Why does it matter if they speak up? They are not apart of this fiasco and drama and it would be better in the long run to shut your mouth unless you have some pretty solid evidence pertaining to Mr. Sterlings' attitude towards black people.

In my estimation, Mr. Lee is setting up all the "white" players -- on that note, why does it have to be white? I am sure that there have been plenty of "black" players that are remaining out of the circus; but that doesn't matter to Mr. Lee. He is setting the "white" players up in the league for a world of hurt if they don't make a statement; even if they don't want to be involved in a matter that has nothing to do with them.

That is race whoring at its finest and Mr. Sharpton should take note.

Lets tone down the rhetoric on this I would say.

Yes hes a bigot,

Yes his views are unpopular,

and frankly his movies are crap.

What was that about the clippers?

a reply to: ownbestenemy

These kinds of people, and believe me they're everywhere, and not all are necessarily rich, think that the people that work for them are their slaves. I remember when I was in college there was a business teacher whose class emphasized the need for a "superior" attitude. Labor vs management, it's an old story.

BTW, didn't Spike Lee do time for tax evasion?

a reply to: benrl

Agreed that the rhetoric needs to be toned down, but the usual has come out, six-shooters on their hips, waiting for high-noon to strike so they can gun down anyone who speaks in any fashion other than their own narrative regarding this situation -- that is the point I was making regarding Spike Lee and his interjection regarding this. He hold no bearing in the situation except that he is a black man (as far as I have researched, be owns nothing in terms of the NBA).

Will Spike Lee also come out and seek "black" players to denounce Charles Barkley in his claim that the NBA is a "black" league?

Unless rational minds come to bear, this will just be another racial point in which "white" people just cannot talk about it because its not theirs to talk about. Sad really.

originally posted by: ownbestenemy
a reply to: benrl

Agreed that the rhetoric needs to be toned down, but the usual has come out, six-shooters on their hips, waiting for high-noon to strike so they can gun down anyone who speaks in any fashion other than their own narrative regarding this situation -- that is the point I was making regarding Spike Lee and his interjection regarding this. He hold no bearing in the situation except that he is a black man (as far as I have researched, be owns nothing in terms of the NBA).

Will Spike Lee also come out and seek "black" players to denounce Charles Barkley in his claim that the NBA is a "black" league?

Unless rational minds come to bear, this will just be another racial point in which "white" people just cannot talk about it because its not theirs to talk about. Sad really.

I agree, was kinda my point.

I view the likes of Sharpton and Lee, as opportunistic charlatans,

Like PETA, when they jump on board, it tends to only hurt the cause they support.

The comment of the Owner are one thing, a bigoted man expressing his view, no need to make it more than it is.


People are calling for him to lose the team over it, Calling him a Slave owner, etc.

While I agree, his comments are repugnant, and the players need to make a choice if they want to work for a bigot, beyond that, its all just divide and conquer to rile up the masses.

a reply to: windword

I don't seek the argument regarding "rich" versus "poor", but I can see the connection you make with management versus non-management (I despise management v. workers; it implies that managers do not work and that is wholly inaccurate).

Regardless though, Spike Lee's interjection is purely, as I have speculated, to create a perceived notion that Mr. Sterling is a "plantation owner" and has invoked some serious rhetoric for his own gain while simultaneously placing the "white" basketball players in an unneeded light to "speak up".

Wow..I had forgotten all about SPIKE. I wonder what took him so long to speak up? BTW.. the NAACP is still conducting business with Sterling even though they have rescinded his "Lifetime Achievement" award. Amazing how money trumps morals and beliefs so often. To be honest, if Sterling would pay me several million dollars, I'd be his slave too.

I will go ahead and say most NFL owner's also share this mindset. Much more so than the NBA.

If my boss wants to pay me millions and call me his slave, I am okay with that.

originally posted by: jrod
I will go ahead and say most NFL owner's also share this mindset. Much more so than the NBA.

If my boss wants to pay me millions and call me his slave, I am okay with that.

Mindset of what though? That they are "slave owners" or that they have bigoted thoughts that were expressed in private and were unknowingly recorded?

I have bigoted thoughts; though they are not usually expressed. They are my own. My actions upon them are a different story though as I approach each situation with impunity and discretion while checking my bigoted views of the world (they include white, black, brown, yellow, green, red.....)

This one instance, while ugly and repulsive to the masses, doesn't indicated plantation status or slave owner mentality; it exhibits a man that is Man. Mr. Lee is just riding the coat-tails and I am guessing will have a movie out in 6 months that covers this ordeal...

originally posted by: carewemust
Wow..I had forgotten all about SPIKE. I wonder what took him so long to speak up? BTW.. the NAACP is still conducting business with Sterling even though they have rescinded his "Lifetime Achievement" award. Amazing how money trumps morals and beliefs so often. To be honest, if Sterling would pay me several million dollars, I'd be his slave too.

And thats the rub isn't it?

Millionaire slaves... Its a hard sell, and Lee is trying too hard.

Its a bigot making bigoted comments, no more, no less.

And Spike Lee has the mentality of a hateful racist. What's new about that?

Anybody remember Marge Schott?
Comments one time, shame on her, comments a dozen times...yeah, bu-bye.
I guess baseball is different.
Does anyone know if Spike Lee goes to baseball games?

Malcolm X was a great movie. Even white people need to watch it. By the end, they wont feel offended and realize why he was killed.

By coming down so hard on Sterling, based solely on his words, the NBA has opened the door for any organization who wants to be the "judge and executioner" of employees based solely on what employees say to others..be it in public or private.

Sterling had to be punished, but it seems that a more legal form of due-process should have been used. The same due-process his players would demand if Sterling caught and punished one of them for saying bad things about Italians, Orientals, or any other ethnic group.

I hope this precedent doesn't backfire on the "little" people across the country who demanded Sterling's head, based solely on his spoken words. From what I heard today, he committed actual crimes and was fined $3 million for putting African Americans in sub-standard rental units a few years ago. The NAACP gave him some kind of award the next year...go figure.
-cwm

originally posted by: Deny Arrogance
And Spike Lee has the mentality of a hateful racist. What's new about that?

Nothing new; but the flippant (just as your post was) aspect of his interjection should be highlighted.

originally posted by: ownbestenemy

originally posted by: Deny Arrogance
And Spike Lee has the mentality of a hateful racist. What's new about that?

Nothing new; but the flippant (just as your post was) aspect of his interjection should be highlighted.

I did not mean any disrespect to you, only to Spike Lee. I think your thread is newsworthy and I am glad you posted it.

I watched the press conference today where Clippers Coach Doc Rivers was point blank asked if he or his players ever witnessed any outrageous racist behavior from Sterling. He replied "it hadn't happened to us. We hadn't seen it. So, the answer would be no." So I don't see where spike lee gets off claiming they were slaves when they themselves never felt that way.

www.cbssports.com...

a reply to: ownbestenemy

FFS's, some assclown makes a comment and it's like beiber and bradjolina in the entertainment news, it instantly becomes more important than anything else (and no offense to OP, not attacking the messenger). We have bigger problems, like criminals in government, crap laws, police out of control, garbage foreign policy, Obama and "things" in the background waiting to pounce like Billary. This is all just part of the ole divide-n-conquer theme that has been running for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

The PC crowd is always spouting tolerance, yet they have none. The hypocrisy just gives me worms.

Cheers - Dave

Can everyone just accept that people are going to say racist s#!t when they think no one is looking, and everyone does it from time to time, but it doesn't make you racist. If people would just own up to it then I could finally hear about Spike Lee being out of the job of trying to start drama.

a reply to: ownbestenemy

Spike lee is the actual slave masters and he is enslaving his own race. Selling them out for money and fame. The message this man and other black leaders are putting forward are actually enslaving the black culture.



Many black people are waking up to this simple but true fact. The men they follow only push the self imposed chains harder down on the backs of the black culture. The men they follow now are all sell outs.

a reply to: ownbestenemy

I wonder what he thinks about MLB and NHL players who are predominately white? Are they slaves as well? This whole fiasco is becoming even more ridiculous by the day. No knock to you OP but I really wish people wouldn't stir the pot by entertaining this nonsense.

spike lee, the chump that gave out the wrong address in the zimmerman case?

the race monger?

glad i never seen any of his movies.