Patterico's Pontifications

4/26/2014

Illiterate USA Today Writer Expounds on Possible Racism by Clippers Owner Donald Sterling

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 3:16 pm



TMZ has a clip of possibly racist comments by a person who most people appear to assume is Clippers owner Donald Sterling. I’ll leave it to the rest of the world to furiously debate whether the comments are actually racist, or taken out of context, or worse than things said by Spike Lee or Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson, or whatever. Sorry, I have just gotten bored by that kind of thing. This post is only tangentially about that (although I expect the discussion in the comments will be all about that, which is fine). What I want to know is this: if you’re hired as a sports writer for USA Today, do they not require that you be fluent in the English language? Here is their story about the incident:

In an audio obtained by TMZ and posted on its web site, the person said it bothers him that she posted photos of herself with black people on her Instagram account. After a recent Clippers game, the woman took a picture with Johnson.

“Don’t put him on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. … And don’t bring him to my games, OK?” the person said on the audio recording.

“Yeah, it bothers me a lot that you want to promo, broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?” person also said.

Here’s more about whether “person” made these remarks “in an audio” obtained by TMZ:

Johnson responded on twitter Saturday: “LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s comments about African Americans are a black eye for the NBA.”

If I logged onto Twitter (yes, it’s capitalized, USA Today editors), I might ask Magic Johnson why it has to be a black eye. Seems kind of racist to me. But there I go, getting distracted from my main point: the illiteracy of the writer and his editors. Let’s get back to that, shall we?

Civil Rights Leader Jesse Jackson has called for the Clippers to boycott, while other prominent African Americans have taken strong stances against Sterling’s comments as well. Well-known rap artist Snoop Dogg posted a profanity-laced video on his Instagram account condemning Sterling.

In March, Sterling’s wife, Rochelle, filed a lawsuit alleging the woman, identified as V. Stiviano, had an affair with her husband, according to Los Angeles’ CBS affiliate reported in March.

I think it’s wonderful that Jesse Jackson now has a capitalized title: Civil Rights Leader. Is this perhaps some new “race czar” position that was announced by Obama while I was hibernating? Anyway, editors, could y’all re-read that last paragraph, slowly and out loud? And after you do that, read this one:

The league might have to consider that Sterling was speaking privately and quite likely did not know was being recorded.

Well, if you insert an unnecessary word or two in one sentence, you just have to take out a necessary word in another, and that way it all balances out.

Sorry, I know this post is silly and trivial, but as I read this article I just noticed one goof-up after another, and I couldn’t help myself. Anyway, y’all need a post to discuss the all-important Latest Racial Outrage (capital letters intentional!). So here you go!

P.S. It probably is worth pointing out, in light of pieces like this one that suggest that all public racists are Republicans, that Sterling has a record of monetarily supporting Democrat candidates like Gray Davis and Bill Bradley.

Birthing “Art”

Filed under: General — Dana @ 11:14 am



[guest post by Dana]

Last night while at a small dinner party, I was introduced to an art history professor who is also the director of a center on campus devoted to art and faith and the intersection therein. He was an unpretentious and charming conversationalist, and we had a lively discussion about the relationship of artist and viewer, and the unique form of communication art is. Whether the intended thought or message is actually received by the viewer, or whether they give a dismissive glance and move on, a response has been elicited. Mission accomplished, I guess.

So, it was a bit coincidental that upon getting home last night, I found that performance art is in the news this week. Not being a fan of that particular brand of art, I was nonetheless drawn in by the introductory statement, which was bizarrely compelling in its insufferable arrogance and delusions of relevance. It took crazy to a whole new level. A mesmerizing train wreck: I just couldn’t look away. And then I had to watch the performance, if only to have my reaction confirmed. First the statement: A Milo Moiré Performance @ The Opening of Art Cologne.

An upright standing nude on a loft… One with ink and acrylic fueled egg… A preserved canvas…

What the spectators are about to expect, is the compressed birth of a piece of art.
Slowly the egg leaves the natal canal of the artist and smashes on the canvas, red colour flows out. The next egg contains another colour and so bit by bit, accompanied only by loud “Plops”, an abstract art work originates — archaically, uncontrollably and intuitively. At the end of this almost meditative art birth performance the stained canvas is folded up, smoothed and unfolded to a symmetrically reflected picture, astonishingly coloured and full of strong because universal symbolism.

The “PlopEgg Painting” itself releases a loose chain of thoughts — about the creation fear, the symbolic strength of the casual and the creative power of the femininity. A comparison to wild associations arises and by the intensity of the seen and experienced, one becomes clear: the art needs like so often the corporeity to be able to manifest itself.

Milo Moire’s performances start with daydreaming, with (every)daily, personal physical experiences which condense by wild associations to an internal whole piece of art about to mature and enter the world. The corporeity becomes the need for her artistic expression to make the happened – also for the spectator – experienceable. Milo Moire describes her art, as an „art led by intuition. To create art, I use THE original source of the femininity — my vagina”.

Milo Moire opens her performance cycle “The PlopEgg Painting Performance # 1 – A Birth of a Picture” on the famous art fair Art Cologne — a place at which the art gets involved in the flirtation with big figures. The hashtag 1 stands for the first Art-Birth-Picture. Other performances should follow worldwide.

Within the context of art (performance), commerce (art fair) and opinion creation (media) a deliberate-accidental creation act happens, which instantly provokes ambivalent interpretations. “In my art i try to create mental doors”, the artist says. And there is always at least one door left to pass through a mirror.

With that, I can only say as I typically do when confronted by something so mind-bogglng, my gender and our modern culture is in worse shape than I thought.

The Guardian puts it in its place,

And yet it’s not a strong statement at all. It is absurd, gratuitous, trite and desperate. Anywhere but an art gathering, this would be regarded as a satire on modern cultural emptiness.

So once again, in an insatiable quest for relevance, women are compelled to confirm the desperation of the gender. It’s all become boringly pedestrian. And I’m not sure if that is a good thing or not.

–Dana

Video below. NSFW.

UPDATE BY PATTERICO: I think maybe we’ll just give you the link instead. Now, if you want to watch it after the above description, that’s on you.


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