Punishing Racists

Donald Sterling, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers professional basketball team, made racist comments to his “girlfriend.”  He has been fined $2.5 million dollars and banished from basketball.  I do not know when or where he made the comments, I just know that the comments were taped and the tape got out.  Listening to the tape it sounds more like a private argument rather than an official statement.  And yes, the comments denigrate African Americans.  And yes, I abhor racism and the mental attitude that lumps groups of folks together by race or ethnicity or religion or gender or sexual preference or religious beliefs or even political perspective.  To judge a large group of people identifiable by some external characteristic is to prejudge, it is prejudicial, it is an example of prejudice.  I oppose such prejudice.  Such an attitude is inhumane; it denies the sacredness of each individual human being.  It is a group judgment, by definition a form of discrimination.

So, is it OK to discriminate against racists?  Is it OK to punish any person who articulates a racist view of the world?  Shall we banish them from their own business and fine them?  Or, is such action the height of blind hypocrisy? 

I believe our most sacred right, our most important human liberty, is the right to think for ourselves, to reach our own conclusions about the world, to determine our own belief systems.  I believe any infringement on our right to individual thought and belief is the ultimate authoritarian intrusion on humanity.  I oppose discrimination based on characteristics determined at birth.  I oppose discrimination based on characteristics that emerge later and are chosen by the person.  I also oppose any effort to discriminate against a group because of their beliefs.  I deeply believe that everyone has the right to think and feel and believe whatever they choose to think, feel or believe.  I may totally disagree with them, but I also totally agree with their right to be wrong, at least in my opinion.  Otherwise, we adopt “right think” and the powers at be are allowed to persecute those who do not subscribe to such thoughts.

The right to believe whatever we choose to believe is an absolute right; it should have no limits or exceptions.  If you believe the world is flat, that is ok.  If you believe Zeus rules the universe that is ok.  If you believe a spaceship is coming to take us away, that is ok.  If you believe the earth is 6,000 years old, that is ok.  On and on it goes.  What is not an absolute right is to act on beliefs in ways that hurt the rights of others, or in ways that simply hurt others.  You can believe in Zeus, but you do not have the right to attack non-believers.  You can believe some races are inferior to others, but you may not act in ways that discriminate based on race.  Your right to believe is sacred, in my opinion.  Your right to act on those beliefs is limited.

I personally believe that when we encounter beliefs that demonstrate ignorance, demonstrate prejudicial thinking we should confront those beliefs.  We should engage folks who think in those ways in an effort to enlighten them.  I do not believe we should punish them for their beliefs.  If we can do that to anyone based on some belief, what is to keep us from doing that to all who share a certain belief?  It scares me.

To my knowledge, Donald Sterling holds prejudicial, racist-like beliefs.  To my knowledge he has not acted on those beliefs.  There is no evidence that in his ownership of the Clippers he has discriminated against African Americans because of their race.  In fact, the evidence is he has promoted African Americans in his business practice.  Show me an example of his behavior that discriminates and I am all for sanctions against such behavior.  Show me an example of his expression of his discriminatory belief system and I am reluctant to issue sanctions just because, to my belief system, he is wrong minded.  Expression of my beliefs is also a right. 

As Americans I believe we have the right to be stupid, the right to be bigoted, the right to be Muslim or atheist, the right to hold minority political views, etc., etc.  I do not believe we should punish folks for expression of those beliefs.  I do believe we can punish those for acting on those beliefs if such actions harm others.  I do not believe we should punish racists because they think like racists.  I do believe we can limit their actions based on those beliefs; we can issue sanctions against such actions.

Donald Sterling is not my hero, not my model.  I disagree with him totally on his racial perspective.  However, I absolutely will defend his right to hold such a perspective, to think such thoughts as long as he does not implement those beliefs or practice those beliefs.  To punish racists is not much different from punishing non-Christians, punishing Democrats, or punishing anyone who holds a belief contrary to the current majority.  It is un-American to be a racist.  It is also un-American to punish folks for simply thinking that way.  I will pray for them, but I would not fine them or banish them.