What if Donald Sterling said don't associate with autistics?
ASPartOfMe
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In case you have been very involved in a special interest the last few days the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team Donald Sterling was caught on video criticizing his girlfriend for being in a picture with former Basketball superstar Magic Johnson. He did not like that she associated with a black person. A massive uproar ensued and within days of the video becoming public the National Basketball Association banned Sterling from any league activity for life and announced their intention of trying to force him to sell the team.
What do you think the reaction would have been if Sterling had been caught on videotape criticizing his girlfriend for associating with an Autistic person instead of a black person?
In my opinion Sterling would have said he was sorry if anybody was offended by his remarks. The league would have said the remarks were “unfortunate” . Sterling would do a couple of public service announcements for Autism Speaks and he would be praised by the media for being a stand up guy. ASAN unnoticed by all would send 5 pickets to the next Clippers home game
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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
He still would have been criticised but I doubt he would have been given a life ban. Given the size of the black minority and the history they've been through in America the reaction isn't surprising. It's probably the size of America's black community and its lobbying strength and cultural ties and importance to the sport that helped get the clown kicked out. An example of a much smaller minority with less of a voice is of course native Americans who still have a football team named after a racial slur against them.
Well, in all honesty, it would be a bit different. I'm not saying it's not bad. He said don't associate with black people when he owns a team and makes money from a large amount of black people playing a sport. Also, since (well, maybe) none of the people on the team are autistic (as far as we know), I highly doubt that it would "hit home" for them. People tend to only care about things that directly effect them.
I think what happened is a great step forward for the black community. For the same reaction to happen if someone said something similar of autistic people, the general public would first have to admit we are treated poorly.
ASPartOfMe
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I give a Ratt's ass about the reaction to his remarks that is why I started the thread.
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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
I'd say something close to this. It would have been mentioned, but people wouldn't have been as up in arms about it
Thank you for saying this! The Boycott Autism Speaks movement has received no media attention and has accomplished nothing, largely due to Autism Speaks' thuggery to silence all dissent. There's no easy way for me to say this, but people on the spectrum will never achieve social equality until we recognize the simple fact that nonviolent protest doesn't work and take up arms against Autism Speaks. We should be willing to use terrorist tactics (bombings, assassinations, etc.) to achieve our goals. And don't cite Martin Luther King as an example of successful nonviolence. He was just a figurehead, Malcolm X and the Black Panthers did a lot more for the black community than MLK did.
ASPartOfMe
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Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 65
Gender: Male
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Based on his last interview I have to change my opinion. Same thing that did happen to him would have happened to him but at a later date. Guy is so much of a bigot at his very core that he would have eventually been caught saying bigoted things against a group that it is unacceptable to say bigoted things about.
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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
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