Michael Richards' Racism Revealed!
Actor Michael Richards, best known as Kramer on the hit TV show Seinfeld, was caught (via a cell phone camera) committing a vicious verbal racial assault against a Black man. The incident took place on Friday night at the Laugh Factory Comedy Club in Los Angeles.
During his racist rant, Richards told a Black, male heckler that:
--The man was a “nig*er” (shouted at the man far too many times to count)
--50 years ago the Black man could have been “hung upside down with a f*cking fork sticking out of you’re a**!”
-- The verbal attack was justified because “that’s what happens when you interrupt a White man!”
-- That he was rich and could have the Black man followed by the police and arrested.
Anyone who’s seen the video on www.TMZ.com probably was in a state of shock. We know that in fits of rage, and sometimes just because, there are White people who will boldly call a Black person a “nig*er,” but to see the outburst on tape and to see how easily Richards brought up a longing for the days of public lynchings was a bit unexpected. You’d expect a White person to look to their left, look to their right, and then whisper such vile language. You don’t expect a White person to say this sort of thing while standing on a stage, with a microphone in their hand, in front of an audience that was comprised of many minorities.
I am very proud of this audience because they did not sink to the level of dirty water established by Michael Richards. They could have responded to his attack with even nastier language. And, no, Richards being called a “cracker” by one Black audience member does not equal what came out of Richards’ mouth. Or, they could have bum-rushed the stage and beat his a**! Or, they could have waited outside the Laugh Factory and beat his a**! But, they didn’t.
As angry as they were, they exercised their right to make Richards as insignificant as possible—they walked out on him. The sight of Blacks turning their backs on a White man, who was disrespecting ALL OF THEM, almost brought tears to my ears. They stripped Michael Richards of any power and superiority he felt he had over them. Michael Richards bragged that he was White and rich. In the end, at least for a moment, he was rendered invisible.
Richards claimed, on an appearance of Late Night with David Letterman, that the heckler caused him to fly into a “rage.” BULLSH*T!!! Every comedian deals with hecklers. Hecklers are part of the business. Most real comedians have responses ready for hecklers or they can think of a response on the fly. But, not Richards. Richards wasn’t bothered by the heckling, per se. What bothered him was that a “nig*er” was interrupting a White man—just like he said.
Richards told the truth on Friday night. But, today, he’s doing damage control. He’s sorry? Now? Well, Richards went on stage at the Laugh Factory on Saturday night and claimed he would apologize for what he’d said the night before. That apology never came because Richards never intended to apologize. He just wanted to get back in the spotlight.
It wasn’t until the video appeared on the TMZ web site that Richards suddenly felt “shattered” over what he said to the “Afro-Americans.” Video does that sometimes.
Richards claims, “I’m not a racist…” But, now we see him for who he really is. I’m glad I was never a fan of that show! What do you think about the situation?
During his racist rant, Richards told a Black, male heckler that:
--The man was a “nig*er” (shouted at the man far too many times to count)
--50 years ago the Black man could have been “hung upside down with a f*cking fork sticking out of you’re a**!”
-- The verbal attack was justified because “that’s what happens when you interrupt a White man!”
-- That he was rich and could have the Black man followed by the police and arrested.
Anyone who’s seen the video on www.TMZ.com probably was in a state of shock. We know that in fits of rage, and sometimes just because, there are White people who will boldly call a Black person a “nig*er,” but to see the outburst on tape and to see how easily Richards brought up a longing for the days of public lynchings was a bit unexpected. You’d expect a White person to look to their left, look to their right, and then whisper such vile language. You don’t expect a White person to say this sort of thing while standing on a stage, with a microphone in their hand, in front of an audience that was comprised of many minorities.
I am very proud of this audience because they did not sink to the level of dirty water established by Michael Richards. They could have responded to his attack with even nastier language. And, no, Richards being called a “cracker” by one Black audience member does not equal what came out of Richards’ mouth. Or, they could have bum-rushed the stage and beat his a**! Or, they could have waited outside the Laugh Factory and beat his a**! But, they didn’t.
As angry as they were, they exercised their right to make Richards as insignificant as possible—they walked out on him. The sight of Blacks turning their backs on a White man, who was disrespecting ALL OF THEM, almost brought tears to my ears. They stripped Michael Richards of any power and superiority he felt he had over them. Michael Richards bragged that he was White and rich. In the end, at least for a moment, he was rendered invisible.
Richards claimed, on an appearance of Late Night with David Letterman, that the heckler caused him to fly into a “rage.” BULLSH*T!!! Every comedian deals with hecklers. Hecklers are part of the business. Most real comedians have responses ready for hecklers or they can think of a response on the fly. But, not Richards. Richards wasn’t bothered by the heckling, per se. What bothered him was that a “nig*er” was interrupting a White man—just like he said.
Richards told the truth on Friday night. But, today, he’s doing damage control. He’s sorry? Now? Well, Richards went on stage at the Laugh Factory on Saturday night and claimed he would apologize for what he’d said the night before. That apology never came because Richards never intended to apologize. He just wanted to get back in the spotlight.
It wasn’t until the video appeared on the TMZ web site that Richards suddenly felt “shattered” over what he said to the “Afro-Americans.” Video does that sometimes.
Richards claims, “I’m not a racist…” But, now we see him for who he really is. I’m glad I was never a fan of that show! What do you think about the situation?
posted by S. Mary Wills at 2:40 PM
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