You may have heard about Donald Sterling's non-apology apology on CNN — but I'm even more intrigued by a recording (purportedly of Sterling) released Friday by Radar Online.
According to that recording, Sterling's explanation for his alleged racist remarks to his girlfriend (which were caught on tape) goes like this:
The girl is black. I like her. I'm jealous that she's with other black guys. I want her. So what the hell, can I in private tell her, you know, 'I don't want you to be with anybody'?" the man purported to be Sterling says in the new tape, according to Radar Online.
"I'm trying to have sex with her. I'm trying to play with her," the man also says. "You know, if you (are trying) to have sex with a girl and you're talking with her privately, you don't think anybody's there. You may say anything in the world. What difference does it make? [CNN]
Assuming this is legit, it makes Sterling sound pathetic — which may be precisely why this seems a somewhat plausible explanation.
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We know men lie about sex. But why lie about being a racist? Here's a theory: Evincing jealousy (being honest) would make Sterling appear weak to his girlfriend, while feigning racism merely implies that (Sterling thinks) he's superior — and that the other men are somehow inferior.
That's not to say this is rational or excusable. And the fact that Sterling seems to have a history of racial insensitivity makes one less inclined to cut him any slack. But maybe, in his warped mind, pretending to be a racist was better than admitting he was a cuckold?
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