Because Cooning Is Hurtful to ALL People

There is no justification in moral or ethical terms that the NAACP can offer to explain, edify, rennder meaningful how the fuck it considered the reprehensible humanity of Donald Sterling worthy of not merely one Lifetime Achievement Award -- nay, nay this organization of Emperors sans Clothes chose to twice award his lack of effort to be human. In case you haven't kept up it's important to note that Sterling's history is so deeply sordid and unabashedly nasty that he has been twice sued successfully by the Justice Department for his illegal, immoral, utterly hateful and predatory business practices against minorities. TWICE. The judge in one of the cases cited that the award settlement amount was in fact one of the largest in history for a case of its nature. 

So. Let's get some things clear. 

Just to clarify the NAACP has not been an active relevant force in Black American politics for many, many decades. It was begun in (oohh dates!! Dates & historians ought to go together like cheez and crackers right?? (cheez...and crackas?! hmn *headshake*) Anyway yes it was founded in 1909 by historian/sociologist/philosopher/Super Brainiac WEB Dubois who was one the most extraordinary, brilliant minds of the 20th century. The organization grew to have an immense strength and ultimately enormous power by the collective solidarity becoming one of the premier forces of the Civil Rights movement (which it should be added did not begin only just when Dr MLK was born. The roots of the Civil Rights movement, direct and indirect protest stretch well before the 20th century down into the abolition movements of the 19th century etc)

However since the Civil Rights Era of the mid 20th century the inflluence and relevance of the NAACP as a tool and force of collective bargaining has waned consistently. While membership and activism in the NAACP was once thriving and healthy today it is by no means a reflection or voice for anyone other than the elite cadre of folk within its own ranks.

The NAACP does not represent the nation of Black Americans today in the way that it once did despite the fact that they are given a disproportionate amount of media attention. In truth and fact they are a group of elites who take care of themselves and who don't reach out beyond their protected group for any reason. The NAACP does not speak as the single mouth of our wide and diverse population.

At best it's an organization that functions to give status to the elites cadre who belong and thereby also functions as a social club that basically protects its own. 

The NAACP has a voice so muted in the black community that it could easily be forgotten about if not for the flashy televised NAACP Image Awards and other celebrity flavored candy on which it thrives. As for real nourishment of the activist spirit, or progressive race dialogue you'd best look elsewhere. 

In this it does great disservice not only to black folks as a nation but it has abandoned its role in multi-racial solidarity and leadership in order to support its own comfort. And so it is that their cooning hurts us all.

The NAACP's founding by WEB Dubois and its history are venerable, honorable and important to American history. It's simply tawdry, embarrassing, shameful that the institution has abandoned its purpose as envisioned  at its birth to free ALL people of ignorance, oppression, and discrimination thereby increasing humanity and mercy in the American experiment. Instead in the lure of money, fame, status and power it lies giant and grotesque to look at fat off of rich pickings, disinterested in real influential leadership, utterly  ineffectual.