Posted on 11/22/2006 3:57:53 PM PST by LouAvul
NEW YORK (CNN) -- The Rev. Al Sharpton said Wednesday he refused to accept an apology from actor Michael Richards, who spouted a racist rant at a comedy club last week.
But Sharpton said he did agree to meet with Richards to try to start a process to address racism in America.
"I [told Richards] you need to sit down and deal with this," Sharpton told CNN. "This is not about accepting an apology, this is about starting a process to really deal with the continual problem of racism in this country." (Watch Richards' meltdown on stage -- 1:39 )
Sharpton said he got the call from Richards earlier Wednesday.
"I think that what he did was so injurious that he has to sit down with a group and decide how he tries to ... deal with healing the obvious problem he's got in his own mind and his own heart, because it couldn't come out of you if it wasn't in you," Sharpton said.
The incident took place Friday night at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, California.
In a video clip posted on the celebrity gossip Web site TMZ.com, obtained from an audience member, Richards unleashed a nearly three-minute tirade punctuated by racial slurs at a group of African-American hecklers.
In it, he made a reference to lynching and added shortly before walking offstage, "That's what happens when you interrupt a white man."
TMZ.com is a subsidiary of Time Warner, as is CNN.
Richards apologized Monday on CBS's "Late Show" with David Letterman, saying he is not a racist.
"I was at a comedy club trying to do my act and I got heckled, and I took it badly and went into a rage," said Richards, who appeared on the show via satellite.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Because his backchannel extortion efforts weren't bearing fruit?
Well I think Sharpton should schedule a vacation to Mississippi, because I DON'T THINK HIS APOLOGY WAS ENOUGH.
I never understood why black folks user the word "Cracker" to denigrate any white person.
Isn't the origin of the word a reference to people from Georgia?
Call me a cracker all you want. I ain't from Georgia. Means nothing to me.
-PJ
You got it! Insanity. Everyone including so-called conservatives is taking the side of some low life ghetto hoodlums against a hard working actor, all in the name of political correctness and some vague notion promoted for the past 50 years by Western Communists (look it up!) of something called "RACISM", which is meant to associate the offender with the EEEEEVIL experiments of Dr Mengele, but is typically nothing more than an expression of the old fashioned and unavoidable in every human society cultural ethnocentrism. Shame. Go Kramer!
Like it or not, this man has power and is respected in "the community".
How did he get this way? Let's just say the hating whitey can be big business, very big business. Especially if you have intellectually inferior followers and an intimidated population at large.
Richards hasn't said anything against blacks that hasn't been said by blacks about whites. (Hell, what they say is far worse) They need to get over it plain and simple.
I really can't see why you are blaming this on our President. Are you from DU?
I think Richard's appology didn't have enough zeroes in front of it....
The only kind of appology Sharpton would accept would be coming out of Richards' leftover Seinfeld money.
Seriously... who is he to not accept this guy's appology.
Oddly enough, I actually believe Richards' was sincere in his obvious reaction which looked and reminded me so much of the reaction of a guy I saw at a dinner party accidentally walk into a closed glass sliding door. (didn't break)... that "what the f just happened?" look.
someone who is much better with Photoshop and digital graphics than myself needs to produce a "Dancing Kramer" animated GIF that can be used whenever the Racist Left descends upon someone.
I never understood it, either. However, I don't have a chip on my shoulder, so you can call me anything you want.
Calling me something doesn't turn me into that thing.
Sinatra and Elvis were more connected to my generation than Oprah or Sienfeld, but extortion, inc. definitely came from our era. It is, in a sick kind of way, a tribute to capitalism that opportunists with quick minds and unlimited energy were able to amass huge fortunes and great followings from the downtrodden and ignorant.
All Richards has to do is call Bush an idiot and endorse Hillary in 2008, and all will be forgiven. Geezzz, what is so difficult.
My wife was watching some morning show, I think it was "Today" and they were interviewing two of the hecklers. Naturally they have a lawyer now too. But one of them said something that made me laugh out loud at the utter stupidity and thoughtlessness of it.
The interviewer asked him about the comedian's right to free speech. The fool said "I think there ought to be limits on free speech." Sure buddy, your limits, right? As in, you can call anyone you want racist, or any other slur... But if someone says something you find offensive? Oh, we need money to compensate us, we need a public apology, we need to litigate so that no-one can hurt my feelings again. Grow up...
Part of the blessing of living in a country that supports and allows free speech is that you get to run your mouth off about anything. The downside is, you have to put up with other people running their mouths off too. I don't like what the comedian said. I'd agree with the heckler he wasn't being particularly entertaining or funny. But you have to support to the death his right to free speech being equal to your right to free speech.
Lawdy, you are fast! Thank you!
Now, all we need to do is to do a frame-by-frame "blackface" touchup....
hehehe!
What good did Richards think could come out of a phone call to Al Sharpton? Richards is a moron. He has enough money to live the rest of his life comfortably. He should have just said, "I made a mistake, I apologized, and anybody who doesn't accept my apology should just STFU and kiss my white, cracker ass!".
Nah, it was just satire. Didn't you hear Richards bring up Katrina and the innuendo about Bush? I wasn't blaming Bush, but he was sure trying to, to gain sympathy.
Strange situation. This just may have been one of those rare cases where a quick appology was not the best approach.
LBT
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