Monday, May 19, 2014

Sterling and Bundy: And the Racist Beat Goes On - Higher Education

Sterling and Bundy: And the Racist Beat Goes On - Higher Education: It was just a year ago when millions of Americans were reacting to the crass, old-style racism of former celebrity chef Paula Deen. If you followed the story, you know what happened to her career in the aftermath. That being said, earlier this year, she inked a $75 million dollar deal with an investment company to oversee what remains of her former empire. I guess it safe to say that Deen is yesterday’s news.

Now, we are being inundated with the racism of a clueless rancher and NBA team owner. To be honest, there was and has been so much intense coverage of Cliven Bundy and Donald Sterling that I had initially decided that I was not going to discuss the issue. The story had been covered from so many angles that it seemed that all bases had been covered.

Bundy is the anti-government cattle rancher whose actions sparked armed confrontation against federal agents. He denounces minorities for receiving welfare and other government benefits, yet he has been a prime beneficiary of government subsidies for more than two decades. The situation seems to have subsided for the moment.