Black People and Michael Richards?

Question

By now everyone has heard about the Michael Richards and the ****** word. Just to let you now that i am black before i start. Ok the heckler was wrong in the first place but at the same Richards kind of went to far. I am listening to the radio and black people ( no i am not a black person who thinks they are white. I live on 93rd in cleveland a very bad part of the city) are going crazy and cursing and talking about how they want to kill him. Some a$$hole even said he should go to jail. My race acts like they have been done the worst out of everybody. Black had a hard time in slavery but in my view the Jews had it way worse. Their race was a slaughtered by Hitler, but they rebuilt. What Richards did was wrong but at the same time black people are way to sensitive . I can't even lie when I watch it I laughed ( not the lynching part). I mean we laughed at Borat and most people loved it and its not being made a big deal like this was. What i really want to know what do you think about it?

Answer 1

See my question on the subject and tell me what you think?



I agree with you whole heartedly and your question adresses the very reasons why I feel the way I do.



I come from an interracial family so I am the farthest thing from a bigot in any way! But... An intelligent well rounded person would neither heckle someone or respond to that heckle in the way he did. but it was a mistake... not a crime that should be punishable by the demise of an entire career.



The response is just as ignorant as the deed... It was very childish and that being said... the two black men started it and they should have been removed from the room before it ever got that far! I have been to the movies in a black neighborhood with black people... they heckle... mindlessly and without social conscience or respect! It is a fact! Maybe they should have thought about what they were doing as much as Richards should have thought about his response!



But at the end of the day... No punches were thrown, no violence was reported so what is the big deal? If richards punched one of them in the face or threw a bottle or something I would be far more insulted than because of words... spoken in haste from a place of defense.



No... you're right, he had no right to insult a race of people over the stupidity of two members of a race or culture. But all of the people that are making a big deal out of this have and probably will again fly off the handle and say something they don't mean when goaded and insulted. Everyone is guilty of it!



He apologized! These people threatening him with violence should get over it and try exersizing the Christian values they all profess and call on when they need them...



It is an ignorant person that would take it to violence as a result!

Answer 2

To be perfectly honest with you, its a bit wrong to say black people do not respect themselves. I definitely respect myself as well as any other race. And I know a lot of other black people that are in the same position. The thing is, is that everyone, wether they accept it or not is racist. Im not saying full blown racist but everyone has a little racism in them. You or anyone else may shake their head no but honestly, when was the last time you said something racist and somewhat meant it out of anger? I forgive Michael Richards for his outburst because he was saying what he felt at the moment. If you were pissed off and said what was on your mind at the time, Im sure 70% of the time, what was said had to be truthful of how you felt right? As far as Dave Chapelle and other comedians go for making fun of white people and other races. Everyone should do a little research and see what was broadcasted about every race back then. This is definitely nothing new. Every race has been talked about for decades. From performances in the era of slavery to cartoons around World War II that are considered banned sometime after the war ended. Therefore, yes, Michael Richards should apologize but realize that he has been out of the game for quite some time. And Im sure has gotten hardly any laughs since Seinfeld (in which I did watch) way back when. That probably stressed him out quite a bit. So when he gets heckled, which Im sure he was not ready for it, he said what was on his mind that would make him feel like a better man. Definitely poor choice of words/ideas. I grew up in the ghetto also and Im college educated so, as long as he apologizes for it its all good with me. Everyone is slightly racist. You just have to accept that you are.

Racism is still around and people want to believe that it is not. So to those that do not live in reality, this outburst will shock them more than it shocked the people that really know racism still around.

Oh yeah and I agree, black people are way too sensitive. Might just be the ghetto people because I always have ammunition (aka "come-back" jokes) for jokes like that, that get thrown my way.

Answer 3

Dude you are completely ignorant. The man said that " 50 years ago you would be hanging from a tree upside down with a fork stuck up your bottom." How in the world is someone not supposed to take offense to that.



For you as a black person to laugh at a man who feels the need to bring up your darkest moment in order to hurt you is incomprehensible. What is even more unbelievable to me is the fact that Richard is Jewish. How can a Jewish man, knowing what his people have gone through because of racism and hatred , say the things he said.



People this has very little to do with the N word. I would not be very offended if all he had done was use the N word. His speech was hateful and unforgivable. Shame on you Richards. If anyone, I would expect a Jew to know what hatred can lead to.

Answer 4

Okay this goes far beyond sensitive and who's race has it the worse. If is his job!!!!! People heckle, get over it! If some says Borat is a bad movie is the Actor going to say ****** ****** ******! He didn't only say the n-word he went on about how that's what happens when black people interrupt white men! He should be at least fined just like those basketball players who hit fans! The man even lied and said he would say sorry before his performance on Saturday at the Laugh Factory and instead he said nothing and did his set! He says he's not a racist on Lettermen but I'm not a racist, therefore, if someone of a different race makes me angry, especially at work, I may attack there character but never there history or race! He's a racist and a has been and anyone who allows that type of behavior from anyone is just as bad as him! You go to some websites and bulletins and people are saying, "I'm glad he set those ******* straight" and "black people are sensitive, they need to be told their place"! he is someone people look up to he shouldn't have allowed this type of hate to be shown, he let other crazy disgustiing people like him think it's okay! I refuse to just let it go, he decieves to be spit at and embarassed and degraded! He open the flood gates for hate, now he needs to take it.....

Answer 5

What this situation is REALLY about most people are missing. It is not about Michael Richard's racism -- is about the double standard that blacks expect in America. If a black comedian uses the word "honky" or "cracker" nobody bats an eye because whites choose to not be offended by those terms. I could not care less if some black comic calls a white person a cracker or a honky. But blacks have chosen to create this taboo aura around the use of the word n i gg e r so that no one EXCEPT BLACKS CAN USE IT. Blacks call one another n i gg e r all day every day and no one is supposed to bat an eye. It is all right if blacks use it. But whites can't. Mexicans can't. Asians can't. Only blacks get to use that word. What if we as whites suddenly said that only WE can use words like, "graduate", "not guilty", "educated" and we said that blacks cannot use those words--only WE can. Blacks would be screaming within five minutes that we were racist. Yet when blacks choose to only get to use the word n i gg e r it is the EXACT same thing. That proves that blacks don't really mean it when they claim they want to be treated equally--they don't. They want SPECIAL treatment. In effect, they are saying, "WE can use this term but no one else can." Translated that means, "We want to have special privileges that others don't enjoy." Therefore in an ironic twist that only O.Henry would truly appreciate, it is the BLACK community that really demonstrates the most racism over this whole Michael Richards episode much more than Michael Richards does. Ironic huh?

Answer 6

You seem like a very intelligent and level headed person and I agree with you. I didn't like what Michael Richards did, but, I also don't like when Chris Rock or Dave Chappell picks on white people either, some think it is funny so they have the right to listen to it if they want to. I wish everyone would get along. I know where 93rd St is in Cleveland, I grew up on the West side, you should move out of that neighborhood. Every group has been treated badly by another group since time began, hopefully someday all of that will change.

Answer 7

First of all, I don't think its fair to say that one side is more sensitive than the other without acknowledging that we have never had a real honest and frank discussion about race.



The thing about white privilege is that no one other than blacks can truly understand the black experience. The fact that some blacks on here actually agree with many whites about blacks being "too sensitive" should prove that African-Americans are not, contrary to popular opinion, monolithic.



What Richards said was unfortunate, but lets not get into the mea culpa act if that is how he really feels. What he said on that stage was frank and honest--what he said later on Letterman didn't sound genuine or real, but that is my opinion.



Also, I'm not sure that him being Jewish gives him a free pass, nor do I think that Whites saying that they have black friends exempts them from being racist.



I hope that we can use this incident to continue being open and honest about race instead of being in denial like this country has been in for centuries.

Answer 8

I think what he did was VERY wrong. I do however think that people are taking it too seriously. Many black comedians call white people honkies and say the N-word all the time during their routines. It is like the only people that can say anything about a race are the people in that race. I for one do not like the word but at the same time I have met people from ALL races that could be called that. I know racism is a big deal but if we don't take care of each other and respect each other were screwed anyway as the human race.

Answer 9

Ann A



The use of the word "******" has been discussed numerous times. It's suggested that black people tend to use the word as a means of empowerment.



The use of it in a common, brotherly way allows them to diminish its negative history. Just like two women calling each other whores. It is also a way of saying, "I can say it and you can't. There's nothing you can do about it either."



It's a way for black people to have power over other races. That's all. If whites are chastised for its use, so should blacks. This country is a politically correct mess that allows certain people to empower themselves through twisted applications of political ideas of racial equality.



Black people do in fact have a history of identifying others as being sub-human or second class. ONE example is Rwanda. The Hutus attacked and declared the Tutsis as second class citizens. It was genocide on a major scale. That's one example. There are many more.



Let us not forget that the African Chiefs sold their fellow Africans into slavery. The Dutch may have purchased them, but they were sold.



You wrote your answer with such certainty. You should dig deeper before you make such broad comments. Good scholarship is more than being well written. Instead of leaving you a source, I am challenging you to dig deeper on your own.

Answer 10

The whole situation was handled wrong. Michael Richards should learn how to handle hecklers. Of course the guys shouldn't have been heckling him, but he's supposed to be a standup comic and hecklers come with the territory. (I'm not saying they weren't wrong) Real standup comics know how to deal with stuff like that in a way that's funny and not insulting. I believe some black people over reacted. I was listening to the radio and somebody said, "...they're bringing back slavery". I'm like "what the heck!?! This chick's crazy!" I know there are low-key forms of slavery going on (that I wish I knew how to combat cause no one deserves to go through that) but it will never be like it was way back when. I watched the clip a few times and I didn't get the Borat joke cause I've never seen Borat. (yeah I know, where have I been! lol) Richards saying this showed that he had some surpressed anger. Whether it was because some black kids teased him when he was younger or if he had a bad experience with ONE or A FEW black people doesn't excuse him for doing what he did.



Not everything in a comedy club will be politicly correct. However that ONLY refers to the jokes. This was not a joke. He said what he said to be hurtful. I don't watch Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle, and them. I usually watch ppl who can be funny without it being racially fueled (black, white, and inbetween). Also, there is this white comedian (whos name escapes me) whos whole routine is racially fueled, but she won't say ******. (or I haven't heard her say it.) I saw her show once at 1am and I didn't take offence to it cause they did warn ppl of what was to come, but I'm not sure if I'd see it again for the simple fact that there wasn't a mix of types of jokes...but I digress



One thing I noticed is when ppl say c****** white ppl seem to take it, yet complain about the fact that it's being said. If you feel that strongly about it then say something. Not to the crazy extent some people take it when they are called outside their name, but ppl will do what works until it doesn't work anymore. And right now, for some comedians, saying c****** works. I'm not condoning it. I'm just saying when they see that it won't work anymore they can't say it. (BTW: most of the comedians I've seen in my life time say "white ppl" and not "c******". They don't even say it offensively. They usually use it to set up a joke that ends up cracking on black ppl or the are saying the difference btwn white ppl and black ppl)



One thing people kept bringing up is how black ppl can say ****** and white ppl can't. They were also saying how it's unfair and they don't get why they can't say it. First of all the word shouldn't be said at all by anyone. Second of all when white ppl say there is history behind it. As much as ppl say, "you didn't have anything to do with it" and "it's in the past" all that history still comes up with it. A black person calling another black person a ****** is like this. Lets say there were a group of ppl born w/o thumbs. They could go around saying, "hey no thumb!" But if someone with thumbs says, "hey no thumb" it comes off as offensive. Or you can look at it this way. Lets say me and the person above me were siblings. If we got into an argument and one of us said, "yo mama" that's their mom too. But if we get into an argument with someone who is not our bother or sister and they say "yo mama" then we're pissed cause you're talking about our mom.

I hope this made as much sence to you as it did to me when I was thinking it! LOL!

Answer 11

as a black woman it pisses me off when we ( african american) pple uses the 'n' word as a greeting to each other..no wonder other races think it's ok for them to use that word when it's heard out of our mouths. I loved Seinfeld..loved the show and loved all the character, but Kramer was the best. Now, after seeing Mr. Richards outbursts and rants on stage I am totally disappointed in his behavior and he has lost all respect from me. He needs to do more than just go on letterman..that was a bs appology. on the other hand, i hear the the hecklers are trying to get paid..I think thats out of line also. what we need is a deep down down on his knees appology..not money.

Answer 12

The guy had a melt down onstage and ranted at his audience and the club had to refund everyone's money. Not good.



As far as the N-word. Blacks are being N's when they over react to a word, but are fine to say the word in every sentence themselves. Like a basketball player who is barley touched but falls on the floor and acts like a truck hit him, writhing in imaginary pain. I'm not buying the act.



I remember a piece on NPR when a black woman went to France, her and her friends went to cut in line at a movie and realized that the French were not brainwashed into treating blacks any different than anyone else. They were heckled, threatened and forced to go to the back of the line.



I think white America has at least this one lesson to learn from the French. On that day we will all get along much better.

Answer 13

Seems to me (from my white british POV) that black and Asian people are way too quick to play the race card. it has become so taboo that white people are unaware of how to approach the subject should it arise. Why is it OK for other black people (particularly young black people) to call each other n****r(see im even scared to type it in case i get arrested by the thought police) and yet it is so grossly offensive for a white or other non-black to say it? If the word is so offensive then it should not be used at all. The same can be said of Asians and their reactions to the word Paki. its fine caling each other it, but if i said i can be arrested and prosecuted. Mosty of the black and Asian ive met, have been good decent people, but there are a vocal minority who have a massive chip on thier shoulder. If we listened to them it would appear that we are living South Africa under apartheid. Yes there are racist people out there, but guess what there are racist black people too (heard Martin Lawrences stand up routine? Junior Simpson in the UK? Gina Yashere of 3 NonBlondes?). Racism will never be stamped out, no matter how many laws we make. racism will only be stamped out (among the white community at least) when governments stop positive discrimination, using quotas (i.e. 10% of the police force must be from ethnic minorities) for recruitment. i dont care who save my life or nicks a villain, i want the best person available. if that means an all white or all black police force/fire service then so be it.



I digress....michael richards is a funy guy who lost his temper. people say dumb things when theyre mad. you cant help it, neither can i. ive said many things i regret afterwards after ive been mad. the difference is that he famous and on stage and insulting black people. his actions and words are not a reflection of his views and should not be taken ouit of context.



what i want to know is, im fat. but can i sue someone for calling me tubby, lardy or fatty because i got upset by it? no i cant. i do one of two things; 1) ignore it 2) agree with them and have a laugh about it. but the main thing i suggest is GET OVER IT, and get on with your life and take a happy pill.



ive said enough lol.



TTFN

Answer 14

Think about it folks, many of the derogatory terms for people of color were fashioned by people of Anglo descent. Many groups of people do not take offense when people in the same group call them by certain terms. However, if someone from outside of the group should happen to use the term (such as ******, ****, squaw, jap, kike, etc.) it is offensive in various degrees due to the origin of the word or who said it or who it was said to.



For example, let's say I call my white friend "cracker" and they call me ****** in return. I personally might deck them because of previous uses of the term by people of their race. On the other hand, if I call a hispanic friend "****" and they call me ****** in return I would probably let it roll off my back.



It's all a matter of context and motivation. I do not believe Michael Richards is sincerely apologetic for his comments but rather for the venue in which the comments were made.



Be very careful of what you say and where because technology is a witch and everyone is on big brother's payroll.

Answer 15

I am completely disgusted and sickened by Richard's outburst. I don't care if he was being heckled. I don't care if they yelled and talked during this set. He's getting paid thousands of dollars to stand up on a stage and tell jokes. He's been a comedian for a while so he should know that it comes with the territory (a heckler every now and then). And his racial comments were absolutely unnecessary and uncalled for. And for the record, I was equally disgusted by the heckler who in turn made his own racial slurs toward Richards.

Answer 16

Lol took you were black from your avatar.



Yeah, I know what you mean. What he did definitely was wrong, but to say they want to kill him is way out of line. All he did was insult the guy, not threaten to kill him and use old-age racism as an excuse. These people you speak of need to deal with it. Everyone gets insulted, whether race, gender, sexuality, etc...



He should've just either walked off stage or asked a security guard to escort the heckler out.

Answer 17

When you have black comedians, and rappers glorifying the n word. it certainly loses it's meaning. Cracker is a racist word, but since white people don't go around calling each other cracker, the word just doesn't carry the effect it could have. Really the whole name calling thing is childish, it's like being in the 3rd grade, and saying sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

Answer 18

I sure thought he was a big ugly racist yesterday...but today it's coming out that it's all a big Lampoon. That he and the two guys that heckled him, the club, Seinfeld, Letterman...and the tv judge they are going in front of now...are allllll in on it. It's a Lampoon Andy Kaufmann style...



Don't know what to think now. Those were racist remarks...clearly. If this is all some elaborate lampoon on the American public?...not funny either.

Answer 19

Obviously you are very young and have not grown up in a time when grown men and women were called boy or girl as a means of demeaning them or the word ****** was used totally to take away your respect. Because racism went somewhat underground due to 'political correctness', you are not prepared to realize that we are at the beginning of the backlash.



What Michael Richards said came from his gut and was said only because the hecklers were Black. Had they been White, he would never have used that word or referenced race in anyway. Heckling is an occupational hazard, and as Sinbad said he went there, and went there on purpose. Please see the playback of the Sinbad interview on this situation and you may have a different view point.



I do not agree with Blacks calling for any violence on Michael Richards or calling for any retaliation, but he should be held up as an example of the direction of thought most Caucasians are in because we have allowed civil rights to be side tracked as a cause.

Answer 20

It's all about intent. I've made a bunch of jokes about black people in the past, but I kept two questions in mind when I said them: (1) who is my audience (i.e. will they be offended) and (2) am I being mean-spirited? Richards failed on both counts. Now you can say that there's no place for racist jokes in a civilized society, but I disagree. I think his use of the N-word is not the problem in and of itself. His hostility put those words into an offensive context.

Answer 21

i've got self assurance mike richard's racist slur became worse than Mel Gibson's. even nonetheless i became by no ability partial to michael richards or the seinfield instruct, yet i think of what he did became way out of line. If he became racist whilst he mentioned what he mentioned 8 years in the past he became a racist from the start. He ought to by no ability be considered on television lower back after what he accomplished!

Answer 22

What Michael Richards said was Extremely wrong. But I understand (as a African american) what people are saying about how African-Americans get mad when whites say the n-word, but call whites all kinds of names.That is a double standard. To me, it's not the word that is offensive, it's the intention of it and how you say it.

Answer 23

I'm a white woman who USED to be a Richards fan. Yes, I think a lot of Blacks bolster racial conflict by making too much out of any slights by any whites. I mean, it's really a time in history to seize the opportunity via Internet and TV to eliminate the racial clashing. Most whites don't hate most blacks, and vice versa. Most evil in the world is caused by about 5 percent of any group. Still the "N" word is a hate word, and Richards shouldn't have used it. And he said worse than that, didn't he. Well, let him suffer the loss of his fan base - he was cruel and stupid. They say he committed a "Mel Gibson" ! As for Borat, I HOPE he's doing more good than harm. His motivation is to make ALL stereotyping sound foolish, but I fear he's going to pay for it, since a lot of people don't have a sense of humor.

Answer 24

He said what he said for one reason - he was desperate.



He was put on the spot and couldn't handle the heckler so he went for the throat with the only thing he knew would hurt.



Kind of like when you see someone respond to an insult with violence. They don't know how to fight back on the same level, so they take it up a notch.



It's bad news, but it's not necessarily as bad as some would make it out to be.

Answer 25

You sound like a racist yourself and an ignorant one at that. Here's why: What does living in a bad part of town have to do with being black? I live in an an upscale part of town and guess what, I'm black at the same time. I hope that you are just ignorant in order to believe that the middle passage was not slaughter. Go to school or go back to school and learn the historical perspective behind these racist remarks and why they differ from a black person saying them. Black people have no history of lynching any race of people. Black people have no history legislating humans to be sub-human or second class citizens. That's the difference. Hello? If some one never did anything to you, a joke about doing something to you has much less of a sting than if that some has done plenty to you legally, legislatively, with malice and viciousness and got away with it for hundreds of years. Let's not play dumb-or are you just playing?

Answer 26

Im not black nor white, but I thought Michael Richards outburst was ridiculus and it was embarrassing to the whole human race. Its sad to see someones true colors after they made you laugh for so many years....

Answer 27

Richards was wrong but apologized-----he did show anger when constraint would have benefited him better-------he did apologize and should be forgiven-------had he been black the apology would have been enough and no more would be said about it. There are some who wont forgive as long as he is alive--------bigotry and hatred harm no one as bad as the person who harbors it. It can eat you alive if you dont let go and forgive.

Answer 28

Well, I can't speak for blacks because I am not one, but I do have a lot of black friends...........and I agree with you. Richard was out of line and I don't condone his behavior, but black are way too sensitive about things like that, yet a lot of them do the same thing the other way around.

Answer 29

I think he was wrong. You are right sometimes we are to sensitive. Hecklers are a part of life in comedy. Kramer knows that. Shame on the comedy club for letting him preform the second night. If the black community wants to get mad they should get mad at the high rate of black males going prison, the high rate of black on black violence, or get mad that 50% of all new HIV cases are African American. This Kramer stuff is petty, compared to the real problems of the black community.

Answer 30

I agree with you for the most part. But to be frank I don't know if he sincerely meant what he said, or was saying it as part of his act. Either way I think it was wrong of him to say those things.



But when it comes to the grand scheme of things, I think everyone could stand to be a little bit more tolerant of others. Not only with race, but in every aspect of tolerance.

Answer 31

I'm black too and I agree that black folks are way too sensitive. And it is a double standard that blacks can make racial comments and its supposed to be ok, but the n word and people get mad.



But that doesn't mean that Richards wasn't way wrong. People just shouldn't get violent angry about it.

Answer 32

for HE-MAN, he's actually not jewish, i don't know where you got that from. his character on seinfeld was jewish, richards however is not. i don't know where you got that from and what does that have to do w this anyway?

in response to this q, i totally agree w you, thanks for bringing a sane perspective and not a martyr's perspective!!!

Answer 33

way to sensitive?!?!? wow.... the man said the most racial remark that was said to a BLACK person. Slavery time and segregation is supposed to be over, I guess you just don't understand the history of the word.

Answer 34

Umm hey brutha, do you realize Richards is Jewish?