Donald Sterling



By now, I’m sure you have heard a tape recently leaked to TMZ and Deadspin, or read a transcript of the recorded conversation, in which an unknown man condemns his girlfriend for associating with black people. It is, in fact, the top story in the news as we speak. However, at this early juncture, we must keep in mind that the the recording of this anonymous individual remains unauthenticated. But while it is as yet impossible to say who that voice actually belongs to, I have to admit that the person in question certainly made some compelling points.


The bottom line is that there’s a significant chance we may never know with certainty the identity of the man in that recording. Audio forensics is an imprecise field and the quality of the recording is not superb. However, the one thing we can say with certitude about that anonymous voice is that it is a voice of reason. Indeed, within moments of listening to the audio, I was struck by the speaker’s commanding tone and his courage to speak difficult truths.

I must say, it is hard to listen to this man’s words and not be left in a state of awe at his evident intelligence and his unassailable rationale.


Though it is not always easy to understand the voices amid the crackling and hissing of the tape—which, again, will likely render it impossible to ever positively identify the speaker—I nevertheless found myself convinced by the carefully elucidated and levelheaded thesis that African-Americans are, in many senses, individuals who should be treated as simple commodities in a marketplace to be used for one’s own monetary benefit. Unfortunately, it appears we likely will never be able to properly attribute such a well-constructed argument for a tiered class system among races—a hierarchy, if you will—to its rightful owner. And that’s a terrible pity.

I would probably say it was when I heard this voice of logic flatly state that black Jews are rightfully treated like dogs that I first thought to myself, “This mystery man sounds like he knows what he’s talking about!” When you listen, what you’re left with more than anything is a sense that these are the words of a sage elder. Whoever he is, and wherever he may be, I’d go so far as to wager he’s been around long enough and seen so much with his observant eyes to know that there are indeed certain social rules we cannot change, and should never even try to change, and that one of those rules prohibits whites from being seen with blacks in public. This is sound reasoning from a clearly one-of-a-kind intelligence, and I for one am deeply moved by his illuminating words.


For all we know, he may be—and I’m speaking purely hypothetically here—a very successful real estate developer just trying to maintain respect and standing amongst his peers. Who’s to say? In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this unknown individual, based on the solidity of his reasoning contained in this tape, also advocated maintaining property values by, say, cleverly arranging his rental process such that black families and families with children could not live in his buildings.

Now, that’s exceptionally inventive and sensible if you ask me.

And, while we can only go by what we hear on this recording, it certainly sounds like he had his female interlocutor’s best interests at heart when he very patiently and magnanimously told her she could sleep with men of whatever race she wanted so long as she kept them off her Instagram and away from his business. By that measure, this man is not only remarkably knowledgeable, but also exceedingly generous. In fact, I listened several times and I cannot believe how inflexible this anonymous woman remained even when he compromised and permitted her to associate with light-skinned blacks like Matt Kemp despite how much—and I’m guessing here—it likely killed him inside.


After listening to that shrill woman stonewall him, one can only speculate that someone like that wouldn’t hesitate to bleed even the wisest and most giving man of his hard-earned fortune while he, in his compassion, attempted to hide the affair from his wife of over 50 years to spare her any hardship. Doesn’t your heart go out to this unknown man who is willing to give so much for others? Wouldn’t this awful woman want to comfort him and care for him as he is clearly of a much higher status than her, and he so beneficently afforded her a luxurious lifestyle? That part of the audiotape is truly upsetting.

On the whole, however, one finds oneself utterly captivated by this anonymous man’s clear-eyed view of the world and his willingness to confront hard truths. Further reflecting upon his views, I find myself hoping with all my heart that this unnamed individual will step forward and reveal himself as the true visionary that he is. However, if I had to guess, this great man will remain anonymous, as most heroes do. I would go so far as to say that, as much as it may pain him, he’s probably following his lawyers’ advice to stay away from NBA games and work from his computer at home—though that, of course, is mere speculation.


So for now, I suppose, we must embrace the fact that we will never know who this figure is. But as an 80-year-old man in his golden years, it brings me great joy to know that there remain men out there like this anonymous hero, who are brave enough to speak the truth and make the world a brighter, more enlightened place.