Donald Sterling may have been forced to sell the Los Angeles Clippers, but at least he won something! Although I’m not quite sure this list is something you want to be at the top of…
In a survey from E-Poll Market Research, it was found that 92% of America disliked Donald Sterling, making him the most hated man in the country. Sterling squeaked by infamous Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff to top the list, so you know this is quite the accomplishment.
Here was the entire list of the Top 10 most disliked individuals in America according to the poll:
1) Donald Sterling – 92% dislike
2) Bernie Madoff – 90% dislike
T3) OJ Simpson – 88% dislike
T3) Conrad Murray – 88% dislike
5) Justin Bieber – 86% dislike
6) Phil Spector – 83% dislike
7) Aaron Hernandez – 81% dislike
8) Michael Lohan – 76% dislike
9) Eliot Spitzer – 73% dislike
10) Jon Gosselin – 71% dislike
Ok, a few things about this poll we need to discuss, America.
Donald Sterling is not a great representative for the human race, but really – the most disliked man in America? He’s a racist, senile billionaire who yes, has done a lot of terrible awful things that actually harmed people’s lives. That’s why he should be disliked ahead of an audio tape. But to say he should be more disliked than O.J. Simpson? To rank him ahead of Aaron Hernandez – a professional athlete who is accused of not one but now three murders? Ahead of BIEBER?!?
For that matter, this list of most disliked people really shows how much our priorities are messed up as an American society. Where are the terrorists? Where are the Kim Jong-un’s of the world? Instead, we have the likes of Michael Jackson’s doctor, Michael Lohan (?!?) and Jon Gosselin.
Jon Gosselin? What is this, 2009? He had a lot of kids and a reality show one time. Do you know what Jon Gosselin has been up to since moving back into anonymity? He was recently fired from his job waiting tables in rural Pennsylvania. THAT is the 10th most hated man in America? I understand the desire to have consistently good service, but a crappy waiter is the 10th most hated man in America? Really? 71% of Americans can’t even be aware that Jon Gosselin is still alive, let alone work up enough outrage to actually hate the man.
What this poll shows is the power of mass media and the power of crowd psychology. Sterling has been everywhere over the last three weeks – from ESPN to CNN to SNL. Not only is Donald Sterling the flavor of the month when it comes to terrible people, but it’s trendy to hate him. When Justin Timberlake goes on an award show and says he wants to thank everybody in the world except for Donald Sterling (instead of say Boko Haram or something) then you know hating Donald Sterling has become a cultural phenomenon.
It’s almost become a game as people try to compete over who can disapprove of Donald Sterling the most to increase their own popularity amongst the crowd. The crowd wasn’t there when Sterling settled the largest housing discrimination lawsuit in history. All the Twitter one-liners taking their swings at Sterling weren’t there when Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor filed his own discrimination lawsuit.
But now that the crowd has turned their eyes towards Donald Sterling, it’s honestly a surprise that he could draw 8% support.
[ESPN]
