What is Digg?221 Comments
- inkswamp, on 10/12/2007, -3/+100> It's not about the words used, it's the context in which
> they were used.
And that's what complicates this. The context here is a comedian on stage being goaded by people in the audience to the point where he felt the need to lash out and try to attack them personally. It's very hard to say if he's a racist who has been unmasked (which seems very Hollywood-ish and unlikely) or just a frustrated guy on stage going for the heckler's throat. If it had been a fat white woman heckling him, he probably would have said some very hurtful things about her weight. I think he saw the skin color as the quickest way to piss off the people heckling him and he went right for it. I'm not defending that. It's still very shameful, but I find the concept that this is his "true" personality coming out to be a little farfetched, especially because of the context. Had this happened on the street, under normal circumstances, then sure... that sounds like the real personality coming out. But a performer, on stage, trying to get a reaction out of the crowd? Hard to assume anything about this. - attila, on 10/12/2007, -18/+72I think you're still missing the point... It's not about the words used, it's the context in which they were used. Surely you can see the difference when someone says to a friend "what's up dog (dawg)?!" and when someone says to a stranger: "you're a dog." -- The first, having a jovial connotation that is understood by both parties and the latter carrying a predominant, negative connotation in context. I thought this was simple to understand. If you've seen the video and have a basic understanding of context and connotation, you should clearly see that he, Michael Richards, wasn't joking around but meant the words to hurt whomever in the audience he was talking to (and probably far from his mind, how the rant would hurt others who heard it).
- guytoronto, on 10/12/2007, -9/+48We get it. Richards went over the line. He has to make serious amends. Can we move on now?
- misterpony, on 10/12/2007, -1/+31Patrice O'Neal (black comic) had a different take last night on Hannity & Colmes. I didn't get to see all of it and can't find it anywhere online, so if anyone can find it and drop a link, that'd be helpful.
Patrice said something to effect that he's glad Richards did what he did, maybe more people will admit they have the same thought and he'd rather see people be honest, so everyone can be honest and say what you really want to say. Patrice said the word has more meaning among white people who are afraid of seeing the differences between blacks and whites and that the word doesn't hold the same power as it did 50 years ago. Also, Patrice specifically asked Hannity if he ever thought of the N word, and Sean refused, saying he never ever thinks like that. The look Patrice gave him was priceless.
Feel free to correct me if I missed something or add a link. - jknevitt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+29The two targets of Richard's tirade were on NBC Today this morning. Their (white) lawyer immediately launched into a spiel about how much they were going to get Richards to pay as compensation. While Richards was a jerk, and was way out of line, I think their lawyer is equally as bad -- now it's just going to look like a case of two black men trying to cash in on it.
- appetite, on 10/12/2007, -5/+33I think this whole ordeal is part of the Youtube phenomenon. Every week, we have a new 'shocking' video that really just shows reality--reality that we aren't used to seeing on TV.
In my opinion, Richards is not a racist--he just divebombed with a bad joke then further dug a hole for himself once he realized it and scrambled off stage.
But some people want to call people out as racists as if it's some disease or possession by the devil. Show me racists actions and I'll agree there's a problem--but until then, spare me the witchhunt. - fletchowns, on 10/12/2007, -27/+55He said "50 years ago we'd have you upside down with a fork in your ass"
He never says anything about hanging from a tree. This article is BS. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+29When you get in a rage, the things you say and do are NOT a sign of your true character!!
Each one of us here has said something horrible to either our partners, friends, or family in a fit of rage.
By that logic and reasoning, each one of us is a horrible person deep down. In reality, when someone gets angry, they want the person at the other end of their verbal attack to be hurt or upset in the same manner they are.
Had he been found to donate money to the Klan, or attend meetings, fine. But Richards, if anything, has an anger problem. Have you ever seen "Man on the Moon" about Andy Kaufman? During the live Friday's skit, Richards f'n flipped out and walked off stage.
It's rage and anger problems, not racism. Doesn't make what he said right in any way, but it's inside all of us no matter how you look at it. - IWriteCode, on 10/12/2007, -1/+27If you listen to what he said it was as if he was trying to make a bigger point about society, but he wasn't able to put it together. "This shocks you, this shocks you.." as if to make a point to the audience. And then "still those words, those words...", "that's how you get back at the man". Using "the man" as more of a societal representation of white people and not himself personally. I don't think he is racist, but is poor at trying to make social commentary which many comics do.
The audience member was just as wrong by replying with cracker and white boy, and then a personal attack. People just need to get over it, Micheal said he was sorry, and it wasn't a lame sorry where he apologized if he offended anyone, he personally said he was wrong and apologized. And further, as you can obviously see his communication skills need work as evident from his Letterman appearance.
I'm part Cherokee, redskin, Indian or whatever you want to call me, but I don't have thin skin and whine like many do out there. Integrate into society, move on, and realize we're all Americans. Whatever happened to the old children's rhyme, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me."? - appetite, on 10/12/2007, -2/+27I'm getting sick of all these "video bites". Show me the whole damn video for once before we pigpile on someone like he's got the last PS3 from Walmart.
I want to see his whole act that night. Was he shouting the whole time? That might change the way that clip looks. Did the heckler do something outrageous? That would further add context.
Youtube is becoming a Mecca for sofa-chair judges and juries.
To all the pseudo-wannabe journalists: if you're going to videotape me like an undercover Big Brother with your Razr-cam, please don't edit the video to only the juicy incriminating parts when you post it to Gootube.. Otherwise, it's the equivalent of telling your mom your sister punched you without mentioning that you gave her a wet willy and flushed her Rainbow Brite down the toilet. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+22"He was just saying ***** in a very offensive way."
I dunno. He did, but at the same time... other comics do the same with the audience.
Ever see Lisa Lampanelli? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Lampanelli
She's a 100% insult comic.
She'll pick random people outta the audience and just SLAM the ***** outta them. To the point where, even while I'm laughin, I think, "Damn, how hasn't she been heckled back for this?!" I'm sure she has at some point, but some of the things she says is just... "Wow, did she just say that and not get the ***** beat out of her?!"
For ex, she'll pick a laughing asian man and say, "See, Chang Chong over there agrees with me! Don't ya, small penis man?" She'll point out black men and women and make horrid, but funny, racial and stereotypical comments about them. I mean, "Chang Chong" might not be entirely as racist as flat out saying, "Look at Mr. Chink over there," but it's of the same nature.
I think Richards was attempting to do the same, but just completely failed.
People are just sensitive to the word *****, and it's just worse when a white person does that against a black person, it just generates an, "Oh my god.." response. - bjkrautk, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17Why's it gotta be a "Black out" before someone does something bad? Just once, can't it be a "White out?"
[/ChrisRock] - elk1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14I think that the idea that your true self comes out when you are overwrought with emotion, or it is even mentioned here drunk is total *****. I think he felt hurt and got defensive and tried to inflict some pain upon his "attackers." he didn't go for the jugular with his rebuttal, he went for the balls. he took the lowest possible route, which he assumed would be the easiest way to hurt his "attackers" and you know what it worked. those people were offended by what he said.
I in no way condone his actions and feel it was a disgusting reaction that was completely unprofessional and hurtful, but i don't think this is a glimpse into the true nature of Michael Richards. It speaks about his weakness and lack of stage presence, but i don't think it was driven by hate so much as fear. - sharkfish, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16Let's settle this with one article. All the issues, argued well, without useless, unnecessary verbiage:
http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/red-112106-kyles-kramer,0,1161008.column?coll=red-slideshow - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15Seriously. Michael Richards, I am sure, went too far and knows it. He was angry, but he was also on stage trying to get a rise out of the audience. Perhaps it was the cocktail of emotions that caused this: being on stage trying to impress a crowd, the pressure of some black hecklers, and not having the wits about him to realize the tangent he was headed would land him smack in the middle of the media for days. I feel sorry for him because he probably is not racist, and was just trying to be funny while taking a stab back at the hecklers. Unfortunately his choice of words was poor and we all wish he would have used ANY other word than the one that has infamously been known to stir emotions like crazy. Now he is going to have to go on Oprah, Montel, and like, making the rounds kissing ass to redeem himself. Poor guy.
- unibomber999, on 10/12/2007, -7/+20He was trying to mr. edgy comic and lash out in a way that would shut them up, so he pulled out the trump card. The problem is that he didn't have a way of turning it into a joke, or comment about society afterwards and so it just looked like a racist outburst, followed by a bunch of floundering around on stage once he realized his career just ended.
Bah, I won't miss him. - musntSurfatWork, on 10/12/2007, -9/+21Let's test this post for a postivie or negative digg:
Greetings and Salutations, Niggahs! - daldredge, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Why aren't they saying anything about Kanye West?
"If it wasn't for race-mixing there'd be no video girls," the rapper says in the January issue of Essence. "Me and most of our friends like mutts a lot. Yeah, in the hood they call 'em mutts." " - blynder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11David Letterman made a good point, what if the hecklers weren't black, would that have changed his reaction. Would the world have reacted as it did if the people were over weight or gay. What if they were Muslim or Christian.
- litolist, on 10/12/2007, -25/+35It's not the word "*****" that's racist...it's the ***** saying it.
- NSMike, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12Not to defend Richards or his comments, but the double standard set here really angers me.
Once again, just to clarify, this was way beyond your normal race card incidents. But largely, and even white people submit to this, saying anything insulting or even critical of a black person is immediately construed as racism.
I'm not racist. I live in a town where there is an enormous black, poor population, and have known many black people in my day. They're just people. Like everyone else. Some are corrupt, some are criminals, some are the nicest people you'd ever want to meet. Others have a seriously warped sense of reality. There were a few black families in my neighborhood. One of them had two sons, and I was friends with both. As kids do, sometimes we make fun of each other. I made fun of one of these boys in a non-racial context. The next time I saw him he was spouting off about how his dad told him that I was a racist because I had made fun of him. I was a child. I didn't even have any concept of what racism was. His parents were teaching him that I was racist for having made fun of him.
This was the only time I have felt racism directed at myself for being white. I have, however, seen it happen on more than one occasion to others. Anytime a black man dies in Pittsburgh (near where I live) as a result of police action, the NAACP comes out, marching and protesting, proclaiming that the cop was racist. I don't know how often that is true, but I don't believe it's every time. Pittsburgh has a large black population. A lot of that population is poor. There's crime. There's drugs. And where there's both of those, there are guns and violence. A policeman defending himself does not constitute racism.
It's all indicative of that double standard. I do not own slaves. My ancestors were Czechoslovakian, and weren't even in the US before 1915. It is highly unlikely that my ancestors ever owned slaves. Even so, I am not my ancestors. I am not even descended from American slave owners. In the same vein, Blacks alive today were never slaves. A lot alive today experienced the racism of segregation, but I'm only 24 years old. I wasn't alive, and not even remotely responsible for it. Why am I being held accountable simply because I'm white? - batmanjr, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Wow, I'm sure glad more people are upset over a guy freaking out and spouting racial slurs when it's a white guy doing it.
Whereas earlier in the day we had 1 maybe 3 articles about the black professor saying that they should exterminate white people.
The difference being Michael just lost it, no one is going to be hurt. The professor is advocating that people die.
I'm sure glad we're getting upset over the proper comments. - HarryBauzonia, on 10/12/2007, -8/+16When black comedians are held to the same standard, I'll care.
- geekfrom99, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9in pokemon (silver i think) they changed it to whiting out when your pokemon faint from black out. : )
- g30ph, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10I don't recall any black comics screaming "HE'S A HONKY! HE'S A HONKY!"
When comedians make fun of the differences and interactions between the races, they do it in a funny way. Except when black comics make jokes about white guys. They would have you believe that every white man in the world has a stick up his ass. And every black comic does the same white man impersonation and it's boring and old already.
Michael Richards just started screaming "HE'S A *****! HE'S A *****!" If there was any humor there, it went over my head. - JAFFA, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10The bottom line is surely the fact that there are many people out there that would love to say such things but dont because its not 'socially acceptable'. We havent eliminated racism - all we've done is pushed it behind 'closed doors'.
How many other celebrities (or anyone else you can think of) think like Kramer but act 'acceptably'? - HP844182, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10"we all wish he would have used ANY other word than the one that has infamously been known to stir emotions like crazy."
How about porch monkey? "I'm taking it back." - BrokenImage, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9"Though the comedian returned to the Laugh Factory for a performance the next night, he has now reportedly been banned from the venue."
I think this is his fate at all comedy clubs now.
Don't be surprised if you find "Kramer the Clown" advertising in next weeks PennySaver! - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9check out http://www.tshirthell.com/store/product.php?productid=809
- ringo380, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7http://youtube.com/watch?v=hNlrOx6GCFA
Uncensored Richards stage clip. - garg, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8Much ado about nothing.
- inkswamp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6> http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/2117/kkkramerma9.jpg
Would be funnier if the person who did this knew how to spell. - jknevitt, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7@geekfrom99:
Yes, but my point was there was no mention of an apology or anything of that nature first. The first thing mentioned by their lawyer was basically "how much is he going to pay my clients?" as if he owed them a dollar figure. How much is the N word worth these days? $10,000? $100,000? A million? It's almost like he's retroactively paying for the privilege to use the word in front of black people.
Yes, Richards did something wrong, and should immediately face the music on this issue. What I want to know is why did their lawyer immediately ask for a monetary payment instead of an apology? You'd think that an apology would be the first thing somebody would want in this situation. - tdogg241, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7fletchowns: Just because he didn't say the word "tree" doesn't mean he wasn't talking about lynching. He most definitely was, and to think otherwise is ridiculous.
I also don't see how that one very minor oversight discredits the entire article. Unless that was your feeble attempt at sarcasm. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5White out is what it's called when it snows a lot and you cant see anything..
- reddevil3, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I think it would have just been as bad if it was an Asian or Hispanic person. White America has a history of tensions with just about every "major" minority.
- geekfrom99, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5yeah, i'm not saying what they are doing is right, good, or moral at all. but he sees an opportunity to really cash in on something. especially since this incident has seen so much press coverage. the lawyer sees it as a very winnable case with a lot of publicity
- muddo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6@musntSurfatWork
If your niggahs had an 'er' at the end, I bet this test would conclude negatively. - FredEH, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4When you base your decisions on emotions most of the time you are going to make a mistake. Richard's lost his temper, became emotional, and chose to be hurtful towards the heckler. That doesn't make him a racist, it makes him a jerk.
- appetite, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Wow, you can win money by having your feelings hurt?
I need some lawyers, pronto! - ProximaC, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Show me any clip from BET where a black guy does what Richards did to an audience member. Keep it in context. A comedian telling jokes is not the same as going on a verbal racial tyrade on a "heckler" in the audience.
- vondur, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Who really cares? If black people were onstage raging against white people no one would really give a damn.
- DooDooFace, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Clearly we need a statement from President Bush about national unity. And a one-hour long special with a tearful apology and a special look at "Racism in America." Then all will be fine again.
- reddevil3, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Sheesh why don't people like you understand? How many times do we have to tell you it's just not the same??
Richards could have done a joke about the differences between white folk and black folk, and nobody would have cared or made a fuss about it. Chris Rock, Chappelle or just about any black comedian don't go around lambasting white people....they make fun, but that's all. What Richards displayed was pure hate. - anexa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I think both black and white people should stop using the stupid word ***** since it just pisses off black people and makes everyone else uncomfortable since they know all the blacks are pissed. If it is truly a word that reminds blacks of being hanged, enslaved, whatever, stop using it. I don't agree that honky and cracker carry the same weight but prejudice against white people by blacks is definitely rampant ( i am black btw ). I get crap for "acting white" by fellow blacks and was ostracized by them all through high school. Yes, by them, I mean black people. You teach people how to treat you. If you call yourself ***** then there will be people that will call you one as well. Black people are being stupid when it comes to this word. A word with that much history and supposed hate associated with it should not be used lightly by ANYONE. Michael should not have used it, and neither should anyone else. Just let the word go for God's sake. Stop calling pals, *****, it's dumb. This stupid it has no "e-r" BS is uneducated and a poor way to defend this double standard.
- DaveyDeadite, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4kanye west is on the most blatantly racist idiots in the media, he doesn't get in trouble because the media are run by a bunch of hypocritical pussies. The minute a white guy says the most remotely racist comment 'out of context' he is crucified. Kanye says something racist anytime he opens his mouth, but people are just afraid to accuse an African American in the media of being racist, fearing the backlash.
as for this whole kramer debacle, yeah he snapped and definitely was out of line...but whens the last time you heard about him in the news before this? Exactly. - blackjack75, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4The thing with rage is that you often tend to try to find something that really hurts (because you know, or think you know what someone's weak point is) and say it even if you don't really mean it. Alcohol on the other hand tends to reveal more what you really think.
- SHIFTderek, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uLoAjAuYoI
can you lend a ***** a pencil? -
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