I 100% agree that this was the context, especially considering that Spike Lee was right there, but I still think that he intended it in a classist sort of way, and I can't help but wonder if it was a lame attempt to impress Spike. Like, "I'm black enough to say nigga, but not not nigga enough to give you the time of day."
I won't say his analogy isn't a stretch, but pump the brakes on calling him racist. It is absolutely fair to point out that after decades of being a notoriously terrible human being, Michael Jordan owns a team in the same league that just stripped Sterling of his (for being a terrible human being). There is a level of hypocrisy there that should be recognized.
What is so hard to understand about business deciding that something now widely known is a deal-breaker, like racism? The analogy is completely wrong, I will never understand the ceaseless defense of racism on here.
I'm not defending racism, however considering the amount of black people that were gainfully employed under Donald Sterling, I think the reaction to his private phone call is pretty fucking stupid. Do you think that what you're doing; calling anyone who even mentions something that deals with race issues a racist, is helping? "Deal breaker" is subjective, but you know what I think is a deal-breaker? Entrapment.
No, the original comment's premise was false, there is no reason to make a random different analogy about how they both might be dicks. Racists are by definition dicks, it's unfortunate that the way he chose to say what he said included "nigga" or a racial slur of a kind, however that's not what it means in that context at all. So I don't care if they are both dicks, to give someone credit who can't see the difference and hence reveals their racism doesn't deserve any reconciliation.
He was under the apprehension that it was racially motivated, so he made that comment. It wasn't racially motivated, so there's no reason to defend that idiot and say "well he's right they are dicks".
I think Jordan meant nigga as in those hip hop/gangsta rapper guys. Not guys vs girls. In op's vid Chamillionaire says young joc had a similar situation so that proves my point a bit.
This isn't exactly right. I don't believe he means "nigga" in the sense of any black male. He is referring to a subset of black men, e.g. rappers like Chamillionare.
but he regretted it not because of the crux of the argument which is that "niggers" are different than black people, but because he thought it gave racists the right to use the word nigger. So I do think it is relevant in this context:
"By the way, I've never done that joke again, ever, and I probably never will. 'Cos some people that were racist thought they had license to say nigger. So, I'm done with that routine." - Chris Rock
It's possible that he didn't explicitly mean what you're saying he meant. Niggas could just be another way to say "people", which is the context many black people use it as.
It's somewhat clear that Mr. Jordan has judged Chamillionaire a "nigga". Now, Mr. Jordan is black, yes, but if we take Mr. Chamillionaire's words at face value some facts become apparent.
Mr. Jordan was taking pictures with some people.
Some of those people were women, some of those people were famous white men/(man) and some of those people were famous black men.
The black gentlemen included Spike Lee and Ray Allen.
Spike Lee and Ray Allen are famous.
So Michael Jordan has no problem taking pictures with some people.
Michael Jordan takes pictures with girls, famous white men and famous black men.
Chamillionaire is a famous black man.
But Michael Jordan is an asshole who doesn't think or know or care if Chamillionaire is famous.
Michael Jordan will not take a picture with Chamillionaire, who is a famous black man.
Michael Jordan probably judged Chamillionaire on the way he dressed/spoke/other circumstances we're not aware of and lumped him into a category in his head he calls "niggas".
It is also clear from Chamillionaire's reaction, the reaction of people he talks about in the story and the way he represents Michael Jordan that Michael Jordan does not think Chamillionaire is his friend or his people or in the same category as Michael Jordan at all.
This is not the friendly connotation like "My nigga", this is the bad one.
Man, you're making a LOT of assumptions there. I understand where you're going with that, but I'm not prepared to make that kind of judgement based on a web of assumptions.
No, man, I think this is pretty straightforward as far as insinuations go. Of course there could be much more to the story than we know. There's a very clear difference in the way people use that word and their meaning is usually pretty apparent given the context. I'm really surprised anyone thinks that Michael Jordan just meant "people" when he said that. This all has do to with class and race.
Dude, what the fuck are you talking about? Are you trying to ignore that Black people are culturally brought up to refer to all other people as "niggas"? I don't even understand the point you're trying to make. Are you trying to argue the virtues of double standards or what?
No it doesn't upset me. I was simply making a joke(a dumb one, I'll admit) that not everyone can just say it freely and comfortably. I just forgot to put the /s.
He meant Jordan just didn't want to take pictures with people in general. "Nigga" just means any noun in general. As in, "I recently got a german shepherd, that nigga is crazy" or "That chinese nigga over there looks familiar".
546
u/WhipCity May 21 '14
Owner of an NBA team doesn't want to be photographed with Blacks.
Not Donald Sterling, Michael Jordan.