so, I was on youtube looking for evil monkey clips, and I get some apology by Michael Richards (Kramer on TV's Sinefield) for racist remarks made during a bit of 'stage rage' during a comedy act. a bit more research shows a private (bootleg) recording of the racist rant in question, and it's pretty unexcusable. then, when looking around on wikipedia (god save me the day i stop taking anything there with a grain of salt), there's comments that suggest the two men singled out by this diatribe are going to take legal action against richards. they've got gloria allred representing them. now, okay, i'm already wondering just what legal grounds they've got to try and sue this guy on, when i read on a few further lines down the entry and it says they're also asking for some form of monetary redress. a quick check on the gloria allred wiki entry mentions it as well. okay, so, i'm not a church going christian. i have a grim view of humanity, and a cynical view of society. given all that, i'm left wanting to scream 'how the fuck does getting your ass paid make up for some TV star throwing the N word around? are you that fucking shallow and easily bought off?' grace, as always, put it in a way that was socially acceptible, though. (i'm paraphrasing here, by the way): the way forward with race relations would be to have a sincere apology from richards, and then the offended parties accept that apology, and then everyone gets on with their lives.
...and that's why Grace is a benign goddess whereas you just stab everyone. I saw a clip of this about a week ago but I shrugged it off as a celebrity going librarian poo. The offended parties going for the money, I shrug it off as something that happens "only in America".
Apparently the two people he insulted were throwing racist insults at him first; I'm not sure if that's true or not, but I hate the stink of all this whole sorry charade anyway. I mean it really goes to show the resentment of races that [b:0b9cb490f1]still[/b:0b9cb490f1] inhabits America (and no doubt the rest of the world), in that even the most respected of celebrities stoop to the lows of racial slurs. But yes, I totally agree. To me, the two attacked sound greedy; people who will want a pretty penny for any inconvenience that troubles them.
I saw the clip. It was ineresting to see how people had to slowly switch from giggling mode to stunned silence to (many of them) getting up and leaving the scenery.
Apropos of not much, did you know that 2007 will see the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Britain?
Michael Richards was given about six minutes of airtime on the Late Show with David Letterman to apologize and try to explain himself. He was visibly distressed by what he'd done and I don't know if he wasn't having actual mental problems. He siad he wasn't sure the show was the proper place for the kind of apology he felt he needed to make. I hope the lawsuit is withdrawn, but I doubt it will be. I have heard they heckled him but that the response they got was all out of proportion. The little I have heard of the ranting by Richards seemed little different from some of the stuff I've heard on Def Comedy Jam.
What is the country coming to? Just because some said something that pisses you off, you do not have the right to demand money in return. As for the "N" word, well, it is just a word.
Just a word? That doesn't work. A few hypothetical examples: "Hello, child. You know you destryed mummy's life, don't you? Hey, just words! just words! Stop crying!" "Wife dearest, I sometimes would like to kill you in your sleep. You have become unberably ugly, and your voice gets on my nerves. Hey, just words! Don't get all upset! Will you pass me the salt now?" "You vile little motherfucker post nothing than crap. Just typing, randomly." The wife might still want a divorce, the child will still be hurt and later quote this in therapy, and the other poster might start a flamewar. Words can transport aggression. Adding historical context to degrade someone is one of countless possibilities to reach that goal. "Just words" doesn't work.
[quote:2be726a72d="KaptenKaries"]Whatever happened with all the love in the world?[/quote:2be726a72d] Seriously man when was there any love other than personal relationships and a few exceptional individuals. I mean if anything we have got better in some ways but the world is still a cesspit of hatred and vice. Racism obviously still exists as is evident in this whole debacle but is it as bad as it once was? Well not between blacks and whites no it isnt, so much has improved and our cultures are becoming entwined. Racism towards Asian/Islamic cultures has probably increased though. Someone else said of the above "Only in America.." I wish this was true but the litigation society is creeping into the UK in a big way as well, people will sue for anything. An example. A guy I work with was driving a JCB on the docks in Liverpool and talking on his mobile at the same time ( against regs but he didnt care) He wasnt paying attention and was driving eratically (think boy racer screaming round a car park but with 5 tonnes of lethal metal under his control). He then drove of the edge of the docks. He has since gone on to sue the company for loss of earning for the time of work he had as he claims he injured his shoulder in the incident. People sue for anything and see it as a reputable way of making money. Actually...talking of ways of making money.. with the increase in claims I bet there will be an increase in Private investigator work to catch false claimants... hey this may be something worth investing in.....
[quote:b60542b8e6="Hsing"]Just a word? That doesn't work. A few hypothetical examples: [i:b60542b8e6]"Hello, child. You know you destryed mummy's life, don't you? Hey, just words! just words! Stop crying!" "Wife dearest, I sometimes would like to kill you in your sleep. You have become unberably ugly, and your voice gets on my nerves. Hey, just words! Don't get all upset! Will you pass me the salt now?" "You vile little motherfucker post nothing than crap. Just typing, randomly."[/i:b60542b8e6] The wife might still want a divorce, the child will still be hurt and later quote this in therapy, and the other poster might start a flamewar. Words can transport aggression. Adding historical context to degrade someone is one of countless possibilities to reach that goal. "Just words" doesn't work.[/quote:b60542b8e6] Too fucking right.
the hecklers (who claimed they werent heckling, but only ordering drinks, having arrived late, after the show started) responded to richards' absolutely inaccusable ranting with racial attacks of their own - but at first they simply said 'that's uncalled for'. you can hear richards repeating that and throwing it back at them. america is a nation of bipolarity. black versus white, science versus religion, republican versus democrat... it hardly matters what sort of side you might take, on any popular issue, there will be an opposition movement of some sort. some ideology that stands clearly counter. the willful segregation of american black culture from american white culture that has persisted in the generation (or two, depending on how you want to count it) that have grown up in the post-civil rights movement society strikes me as one of the most heartbreaking examples of willful human stupidity. but thats an essay for another time.
I don't think racist remarks towards hecklers are always completely out of order at a comic show, provided of course, they are actually Funny. In the same way a comdian, would 'pick' on someone for being 'fat' or 'bald' etc. But i read that he didn't make a race based joke. Just ranted 'Your niggers' over and over. I haven't bothered to refer to 'nigger' as the 'N-word'. While I think it can be inapropreiate to call someone a nigger, it's not inapropreate to refer to the word in a different context. We shouldn't be afraid to say it, just like we wouldn't say the J- word or the G-word but would think it equally wrong to call someone a 'Jew'* or 'Gook' in an offensive manner. *Except for Roman, of course, bloody Jew.
I agree both with Hsing and Rinso. I'd point out, however, that for someone who has suffered a lot due to a certain word, it may not matter that you aren't using it in an offensive way - just hearing the word will be bad enough for them. I met a woman once whose uncle used to sexually abuse her, saying 'Let's play mummies and daddies'. The innocuous phrase 'mummies and daddies' used to make her break down in tears, years later. Words can have great power. That should be remembered. Someone who was shot might still fear a gun, even if you aren't pointing it at them.
