Donald Sterling's Entitled Mentality

Billionaire Donald Sterling's emotional rant epitomizes the paternal attitudes of Cliven Bundy who famously wondered whether black folks weren't better off as slaves picking cotton and Paul Ryan's "tailspin of culture" remarks that "generations of men not even thinking about working or learning the value and the culture of work." Like Bundy's wonderings, Ryan wanders into the genetic superiority red herring by referencing Charles Murray, who held that that the reason "we still have poverty in the United States is that a lot of poor people are born lazy." Shades of Ann Richards silver-spooning Bush, who was "born" that way.

The argument of nature vs. nurture excuses the racist institutional system from providing the best to all of its citizens and makes the under-served scapegoats.

Little did Donald Sterling realize that he is among the under-served. In his rant, Sterling revealed that there's more than racism going on with Donald Sterling; his illogic exposed it. One thing is the "entitled mentality vs. the entitlement mentality." His rant to Stiviano exposes his attitude that he is "entitled" to treat his players as recipients of his largesse instead of what they are: men who play sports and earn their wages. In his mind, Sterling considers his players to have the "entitlement mentality" as he quite clearly lists what he "gives" to his players. After all, from Sterling's perspective, his wealth, prominence and color "entitle" him to discredit his players from wage earners to welfare recipients.

Sterling: "Who gives it them? I give it to them!"

V. Stiviano: Do you know that you have a whole team that's black, that plays for you?

Sterling: You just, do I know? I support them and give them food, and clothes, and cars, and houses. Who gives it to them? Does someone else give it to them? Do I know that I have — Who makes the game? Do I make the game, or do they make the game? Is there 30 owners, that created the league?

"...Sterling replies. "And I'm just saying that it's too bad you can't admire him privately. And during your ENTIRE FUCKING LIFE, your whole life, admire him -- bring him here, feed him, fuck him, I don't care. You can do anything. But don't put him on an Instagram for the world to see so they have to call me. And don't bring him to my games. OK?"

These are the words of an 80 year old racist who wasn't even making sense and may be in early stages of Alzheimer's. Where's the sense in his words? According to the CDC, "Starting at age 65, the risk of developing the disease doubles every five years. By age 85 years and older, between 25 and 50 percent of people will exhibit signs of Alzheimer’s disease."

Getting upset about a picture posted on Instagram and some phone calls shows that the Sterling isn't stable.

Sterling feels that he's entitled to give Stiviano "permission" to do anything with Magic but just don't do it publicly (asserting his "power" over her). It's not unusual that when people begin to recognize that they are losing control of their cognitive abilities, they try to control something or someone else. It's ironic that Donald Sterling is under-served in terms of his mental health needs.