Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Sticks and Stones

What Michael Richards said was obviously wrong. We all agree on that. He played the race card because the men who taunted him happened to be black. There is no evidence these individuals made any mention of race to Richards, who is white. Richards exploded with a racial tirade for reasons known only to him. However, the people who heckled him are also to blame. Richards may or may not have been funny, but he was doing his job. I realize comics get heckled. But from what I hear, these men did it over and over for an extended period of time. Maybe they should have been asked to stop or leave. Even so, Richards reaction was at best unprofessional and at worst incredibly stupid. First off, I am not black. I cannot fathom what it is like to be called a "nigger." That being said, maybe the real problem is how people react to perceived threats and insults in today's society. Too many are so easily offended and "disrespected." I believe that if someone is insulted by what someone else says or does, they have the choice of getting mad or letting it go. It's called anger management. I have been through it, and I am better off for it. I am overweight, and it really used to bug me when someone called me fat or worse. Now I ignore it. I have worked on my personal self-esteem, and although I still have a ways to go, it is much higher than in the past. I am a valued and important human being, regardless of how others feel. Not everybody is going to like you or agree with you. Maybe as a society we should recognize this, and words like nigger will lose their power to offend.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

From what I heard, between the news reports and from the victims .. Kramer's targets were among a group of about 20 people who entered the small club and very rudely and disrespectfully made allot of noise and talked loudly over his routine .. I personally think it should be automatic to show some respect for the entertainer and keep the noise down while they are trying to do their job .. Obviously, Richards first impression of them was the "black-not-give-a-shit-about-the-white-guy" attitude, which frankly is so common in our society .. and he decided to fire back at them .. to a certain point, I see how he feels .. but he most certainly handled it wrong .. maybe he could have paused and asked the bouncers to shut them up .. but now, he's the one apologizing, and they are the ones demanding money .. looks like nothing much has changed ..

cube said...

I heard they were very rude and referred to him as a cracker. He should've found a funny way to deal with it & thus avoid the media firestorm. However, I think he's apologized enough & should say so.