Discretion being the better part of valor, I wrote a blog
post this week and decided, oh! Hell no! can’t post that!
It concerned the recent frisson around Donald Sterling and
Magic Johnson. There were two main
points, one mild but rather controversial and the other one heartfelt and also
rather controversial.
As I was writing about Donald Sterling, I kept expanding the
disclaimer to avoid misunderstandings regarding my motives. I’m no apologist for racism, and whatever the
man has actually said there are many in a position to know who firmly believe
that the man has some funny ideas on the subject. Mostly because too much of a disclaimer is
often a sign of guilt, or at least a sign of a guilty conscience, I decided to
forget it.
Magic Johnson was the object of the second point. My feelings about Magic are on record herein,
and they haven’t changed. (An old post
on the subject, “Magic Johnson Is Not Who You Think,” has had ten hits in the
last week, since he’s in the news and all.)
But people obviously love Magic, people including Anderson
Cooper. They love Magic with an
uncritical love that borders on adoration.
Maybe it’s not my place to explain to people just how cosmically wrong
that is. I don’t have to join them in
their worship, but neither do I have to rub my opinions in their faces. It would just make me look like a cranky
outlier. Let people be people, let them
have their heroes. Worse people than
Magic Johnson have huge fan bases. He
did beastly, reckless things, but at least he’s no O.J. So forget that one too.
Former President of France Nickolas Sarkozy once told
another head of state that he had just “missed out on a wonderful opportunity
to shut up.” Self-censorship can be your
friend!
