People are where they are, though. 25 years ago, I did make racist comments. This is not a right/wrong issue as much as it is about degrees. Apparently many of us have degrees of racism lurking beneath the surface where we may not recognize them. We accept our own level of racism and tend to associate with people who are where we are, which reflects to us a sense that we are "right". There are tests that measure the degree of unconscious racism that we are unaware of. Author Malcolm Gladwell, who happens to be bi-racial, talks about taking such a test in his book "Blink". Apparently as a bi-racial man, he scored as having somewhat of a preference towards white people, which is not unheard of given the majority of people surrounding us are white. We are molded by our environmental stimulus, and if it's mostly generated by white people...well, there's some strong environmental bias we are internalizing.
Since we all make mistakes, we have to accept the consequences of our actions. Michael Richards has called himself out. And for me, personally, if he is owning up to rather than defending his behaviour, that is the key. What more can a person do?
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
When a white guy says to a black guy,"Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a fucking fork up your ass" and follows it by pointing and shouting "nigger" over and over again, streets don't factor into it. Richards went beyond the pail.
There's not really much analysis necessary. What he said was brutal and, without a doubt, far more racist than anything I've ever heard coming from a black comedian. Besides, comedians of any ethnicity that use racial epithets are at least trying to be funny. Richards was not.
When a white guy says to a black guy,"Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a fucking fork up your ass" and follows it by pointing and shouting "nigger" over and over again, streets don't factor into it. Richards went beyond the pail.
There's not really much analysis necessary. What he said was brutal and, without a doubt, far more racist than anything I've ever heard coming from a black comedian. Besides, comedians of any ethnicity that use racial epithets are at least trying to be funny. Richards was not.
exactly....
KKKramer may never find work again......
Take me piece by piece..... Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
I'll never understand that whole "we enslaved them so we owe them" line of thinking. Does anyone here own a slave? Did anyone here have parents that owned a slave? What about grandparents? How far back do we go? Are we going to be obligated to continually pay for our ancestors bad judgment? What if my ancestors NEVER owned slaves, never cared where a black man drank from or what part of the bus he rode? Do I get a free pass from being "whitey"? I even understand up until the civil rights movement that blacks were treated like substandard people but that isn't the case in today's society. I'm amazed at the number of black people that think that white people owe them something because their grandparents couldn't eat at the same restaurant as ours in the 50's. Racism is racism regardless of what color you are.
I'm in no way saying what Richards did was right..he obviously completely lost it up there but I had to comment on the several posts about whites having to accept racism from blacks because of history.
Sometimes controversy actually increases a person's fame. This could go either way. Especially since most of us, while judging harshly, know who we really are at heart--we've all got our own glaring and painful flaws.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
When a white guy says to a black guy,"Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a fucking fork up your ass" and follows it by pointing and shouting "nigger" over and over again, streets don't factor into it. Richards went beyond the pail.
There's not really much analysis necessary. What he said was brutal and, without a doubt, far more racist than anything I've ever heard coming from a black comedian. Besides, comedians of any ethnicity that use racial epithets are at least trying to be funny. Richards was not.
Yes that's right, but I also think the some comedians over use racial epithets because they are lazy. D Chapelle was not one of them. He used them to smack his audience in the face with not just comedy, but with a larger more important critique on American culture.
"Underneath this smile lies everything - all my hopes, anger, pride and shame."
Sometimes controversy actually increases a person's fame. This could go either way. Especially since most of us, while judging harshly, know who we really are at heart--we've all got our own glaring and painful flaws.
However, this is the one kind of controversy that is bad, really bad. No one will now be seen with him and he'll be black-listed (no pun intended) from most comedy clubs.
"Underneath this smile lies everything - all my hopes, anger, pride and shame."
However, this is the one kind of controversy that is bad, really bad. No one will now be seen with him and he'll be black-listed (no pun intended) from most comedy clubs.
Maybe. There are always those who thrive on ignorance, though. Or the anti-PC folks (who have a point to a degree). He may develop some kind of distorted cult following for this.
Also, like I say, while we're all pointing the "bad"-finger, on another level we all know we've got our own skeletons in the closet. He will be expected to own his accountability--fully. And yet, if we want to continue to demonize him past that, it's because we deny our own issues and make the "other guy" wrong. Let's uphold one person as the symbol of our own repressed shame. He's wrong; we're right. It doesn't surprise me because it's where we are in general with our mass denial.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
While Michael Richards, aka Kramer, made a living out of playing a character who was nuts, this video goes above above and beyond anything you ever saw in a Seinfeld episode - not in a funny/good way though. Mel Gibson will now have to come up with a new routine to top this performance.
Taken from: http://www.tmz.com
"WARNING: WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS PROFANE AND RACIAL
Michael Richards exploded in anger as he performed at a famous L.A. comedy club last Friday, hurling racial epithets that left the crowd gasping, and TMZ has obtained exclusive video of the ugly incident.
Richards, who played the wacky Cosmo Kramer on the hit TV show "Seinfeld," appeared onstage at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood. Kyle Doss, an African-American, told TMZ he and some friends were in the cheap seats and he was playfully heckling Richards when suddenly, the comedian lost it.
The camera started rolling just as Richards began his attack, screaming at one of the men, "Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f***ing fork up your ass."
Richards continued, "You can talk, you can talk, you're brave now motherf**ker. Throw his ass out. He's a nigger! He's a nigger! He's a nigger! A nigger, look, there's a nigger!"
The crowd is visibly and audibly confused and upset. Richards responds by saying, "They're going to arrest me for calling a black man a nigger."
One of the men who was the object of Richard's tirade was outraged, shouting back "That's un-f***ing called for, ain't necessary."
After the three-minute tirade, it appears the majority of the audience members got up and left in disgust."
Attempts to reach Richards' reps were unsuccessful."
Well, there was an incident after the storm where a few hundred black men, women, and children attempted to cross a bridge from New Orleans to the West Bank (less damaged - More "white"). They were stopped at gunpoint by law enforcement and forced to stay in the city.
Maybe it was racial, maybe it wasn't. It sure smelled of it though.
Well, there was an incident after the storm where a few hundred black men, women, and children attempted to cross a bridge from New Orleans to the West Bank (less damaged - More "white"). They were stopped at gunpoint by law enforcement and forced to stay in the city.
Maybe it was racial, maybe it wasn't. It sure smelled of it though.
I actually don't think that it was racist. If it was it was awful. I've seen a short documentary that included this item. I blame the poorly informed media for attepting to sensationalize the situation (even more than it actually was). The people of that other town were fearful of looters and people with guns comeing to kill and steal. It's what they heard on the news.
Not a good way to handle that at all though that's for sure. Poor decision by some scared people.
really? tell the african-american katrina victims that.
What about the white katrina victims? Are you trying to tell me that there weren't any?
Could the racial disparity of Katrina have anything to do with the fact that the population of NO was probably 70% African-American? Of course not, its always a discrimination factor. Lets not take into account any other circumstances.
What about the white katrina victims? Are you trying to tell me that there weren't any?
Could the racial disparity of Katrina have anything to do with the fact that the population of NO was probably 70% African-American? Of course not, its always a discrimination factor. Lets not take into account any other circumstances.
i already answered that question. poor white people don't count either in this disposable society.
I even understand up until the civil rights movement that blacks were treated like substandard people but that isn't the case in today's society.
Are you saying that racism does not exist currently in America?
... its always a discrimination factor. Lets not take into account any other circumstances.
Are you saying because there are other factors that discrimination therefore is a non-point? Or do you agree that discrimination is real and does happen currently?
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
I actually don't think that it was racist. If it was it was awful. I've seen a short documentary that included this item. I blame the poorly informed media for attepting to sensationalize the situation (even more than it actually was). The people of that other town were fearful of looters and people with guns comeing to kill and steal. It's what they heard on the news.
Not a good way to handle that at all though that's for sure. Poor decision by some scared people.
Don't get me started on the sensationalization. The riots, the rapes, the looting, the "crime wave" that spread to Texas were blown so far out of proportion it still pisses me off just to think about it.
Bad stuff happened. Less bad stuff happened than is typically expected in situations like this. Far, far less happened than was reported. The reports on the suffering (for lack of a better word) were pretty much on the money - but the criminal exaggeration took away from the real problems.
As for the bridge incident, whether it was racially motivated or not is debatable. Personally, I think it was racist on some level. The fact that most that were still in the city were black added, in a sick way in my opinion, to the believability of the exaggerated reports - which led directly to the bridge incident.
i just watched his apology on youtube. he didn't look very good and didn't look like he really had prepared any formal apology (i'm not saying that is good or not). but he sort of went off on tangents, like our aggression against other nations? wtf does that have to do with you losing your cool and calling some hecklers n's?
dave asked him if he would have gone off as much if the hecklers were white and he said his act is very spontaneous and he goes in and out of character so he doesn't really know how he would have reacted. again, wtf?
he probably feels really bad or stupid, but he didn't look very good on letterman.
...dave asked him if he would have gone off as much if the hecklers were white and he said his act is very spontaneous and he goes in and out of character so he doesn't really know how he would have reacted. again, wtf?
in and out of characters? sounds like a bad excuse, like my dog at my homework. Let's say that he was truefull about going in and out of character, he shouldn't even mention it because it at least sounds like he's making excuses. He should just have said, "I'm sorry, very sorry and there is no excuse for what I said."
"Underneath this smile lies everything - all my hopes, anger, pride and shame."
...dave asked him if he would have gone off as much if the hecklers were white and he said his act is very spontaneous and he goes in and out of character so he doesn't really know how he would have reacted. again, wtf?
in and out of characters? sounds like a bad excuse, like my dog at my homework. Let's say that he was truefull about going in and out of character, he shouldn't even mention it because it at least sounds like he's making excuses. He should just have said, "I'm sorry, very sorry and there is no excuse for what I said."
maybe the character he was in right then was of the grand wizard?
Comments
Neither do I, but don't go getting all high and mighty on the guy...I'm sure you have used some kinda slur your past...
Ever said...'That's gay'? I used to a bunch, and I still catch myself every so often. Very little though.
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
People are where they are, though. 25 years ago, I did make racist comments. This is not a right/wrong issue as much as it is about degrees. Apparently many of us have degrees of racism lurking beneath the surface where we may not recognize them. We accept our own level of racism and tend to associate with people who are where we are, which reflects to us a sense that we are "right". There are tests that measure the degree of unconscious racism that we are unaware of. Author Malcolm Gladwell, who happens to be bi-racial, talks about taking such a test in his book "Blink". Apparently as a bi-racial man, he scored as having somewhat of a preference towards white people, which is not unheard of given the majority of people surrounding us are white. We are molded by our environmental stimulus, and if it's mostly generated by white people...well, there's some strong environmental bias we are internalizing.
Since we all make mistakes, we have to accept the consequences of our actions. Michael Richards has called himself out. And for me, personally, if he is owning up to rather than defending his behaviour, that is the key. What more can a person do?
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
excellent point. it seems to be a one way street.
There's not really much analysis necessary. What he said was brutal and, without a doubt, far more racist than anything I've ever heard coming from a black comedian. Besides, comedians of any ethnicity that use racial epithets are at least trying to be funny. Richards was not.
KKKramer may never find work again......
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
I'm in no way saying what Richards did was right..he obviously completely lost it up there but I had to comment on the several posts about whites having to accept racism from blacks because of history.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
Yes that's right, but I also think the some comedians over use racial epithets because they are lazy. D Chapelle was not one of them. He used them to smack his audience in the face with not just comedy, but with a larger more important critique on American culture.
However, this is the one kind of controversy that is bad, really bad. No one will now be seen with him and he'll be black-listed (no pun intended) from most comedy clubs.
Maybe. There are always those who thrive on ignorance, though. Or the anti-PC folks (who have a point to a degree). He may develop some kind of distorted cult following for this.
Also, like I say, while we're all pointing the "bad"-finger, on another level we all know we've got our own skeletons in the closet. He will be expected to own his accountability--fully. And yet, if we want to continue to demonize him past that, it's because we deny our own issues and make the "other guy" wrong. Let's uphold one person as the symbol of our own repressed shame. He's wrong; we're right. It doesn't surprise me because it's where we are in general with our mass denial.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
really? tell the african-american katrina victims that.
I was just thinking the same thing.
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
What about the white ones?
No one cares about the white ones silly....
What the hell is wrong with people.
the poor white ones? they don't count either in this culture.
so what? who cares? racism is alive and well!
Maybe it was racial, maybe it wasn't. It sure smelled of it though.
I actually don't think that it was racist. If it was it was awful. I've seen a short documentary that included this item. I blame the poorly informed media for attepting to sensationalize the situation (even more than it actually was). The people of that other town were fearful of looters and people with guns comeing to kill and steal. It's what they heard on the news.
Not a good way to handle that at all though that's for sure. Poor decision by some scared people.
What about the white katrina victims? Are you trying to tell me that there weren't any?
Could the racial disparity of Katrina have anything to do with the fact that the population of NO was probably 70% African-American? Of course not, its always a discrimination factor. Lets not take into account any other circumstances.
i already answered that question. poor white people don't count either in this disposable society.
Are you saying because there are other factors that discrimination therefore is a non-point? Or do you agree that discrimination is real and does happen currently?
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
in perspective.. who cares!
Bad stuff happened. Less bad stuff happened than is typically expected in situations like this. Far, far less happened than was reported. The reports on the suffering (for lack of a better word) were pretty much on the money - but the criminal exaggeration took away from the real problems.
As for the bridge incident, whether it was racially motivated or not is debatable. Personally, I think it was racist on some level. The fact that most that were still in the city were black added, in a sick way in my opinion, to the believability of the exaggerated reports - which led directly to the bridge incident.
there needs to be a pirate state!
dave asked him if he would have gone off as much if the hecklers were white and he said his act is very spontaneous and he goes in and out of character so he doesn't really know how he would have reacted. again, wtf?
he probably feels really bad or stupid, but he didn't look very good on letterman.
maybe the character he was in right then was of the grand wizard?
kkkramerica industries.
LOL
See you in Hawaii.