Posted on 12/01/2006 12:14:56 PM PST by Mr. Brightside
Commentary: If He’s Really Sorry, Michael Richards Should Be Willing to Pay for His Racist Rant - Literally
Date: Thursday, November 30, 2006
By: Judge Greg Mathis, Special to BlackAmericaWeb.com
By now, most of the world has seen the video of actor/comedian Michael Richards’ racist on-stage rant. Richards, performing at an L.A. comedy club, hurled the n-word at black audience members who “interrupted” his show with their talking. The performer has since gone on numerous talk shows -- Rev. Jesse Jackson’s radio show among them -- to apologize for his behavior. He promises to seek anger management counseling and guarantees this will never happen again.
That’s not enough. Richards’ should pay for his offensive behavior. No money should go directly to the men he insulted, although they do deserve personal apologies. Rather, Richards should contribute some of his wealth to the well-being of the people he so easily degraded.
Michael Richards swears he is not a racist. Yet, during his tirade, he used the n-word at least seven times. He didn’t stop there. He told the men he was upset with that years ago, they would have, in effect, been lynched for stepping out of line. Later, he says they should have known better than to interrupt the white man.
Intellectually, one can try to justify a white person letting the n-word slip from their tongue. Once. But not seven times. And, it is impossible to make a case for a person who seemingly yearns for the “good old days” of lynching and a black man "knowing his place." Richards' comments clearly bubbled up from a place of hate; these feelings had long been simmering and had, on that night, finally boiled over. Going on a late-night television talk show to apologize and using an outdated term such as “Afro-American” did absolutely nothing to make Richards a sympathetic character.
Several civic leaders have proposed a boycott of Richards’ work. While boycotts are effective, it doesn’t get to the root of the comedian’s problem, a problem he refuses to admit to. By letting Richards off with a simple apology, it becomes all too easy for other whites to begin degrading African-Americans and other people of color.
A quick scan of Internet blogs and discussion forums shows that there is a lot of hate out there. Some folks are on the web, anonymously, saying that Richards was justified in degrading the two men; after all, they interrupted him. Others are saying that black comedians like Chris Rock make fun of white people all the time. And some are saying that Richards has apologized, and black folks are making a big deal out of nothing.
First, Chris Rock and other black comedians make racially charged comments in the context of a joke. Whether it’s right or wrong is not up for discussion. Richards, on the other hand, launched a personal attack on members of his audience. There is a difference. Secondly, if there are whites, even if only a handful, that think it is okay for a white man to publicly berate and verbally abuse black men, then this country can never move towards the dream of full equality that so many of our elders, black and white, sacrificed so much for.
Someone suggested that Richards pay $500,000 for each instance he used the n-word to the charity of his choice to atone for his misdeed. I say he should pay $500,000 for each utterance of the word -- that’s at least $3.5 million -- to the United Negro College Fund. With this money, the UNCF would be able to provide a college education for deserving young people. By educating the next generation, our people will be better prepared to fight the effects of racism that is clearly alive and well.
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Judge Greg Mathis is national vice president of Rainbow PUSH and a national board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
What a load of BS. The video clearly shows that both Kramer and the "victims" were exchanging racial epithets. If anything, they are even.
"Intellectually, one can try to justify a white person letting the n-word slip from their tongue. Once. But not seven times."
Backwards.
Why is it that only "white" people have to pay "reparations"?
Get a job, you grubby beggar.
it's all about the money. they'll extort some cash out of him, sya they forgive him, then ruin his career anyway.
money.
He should pay the same amount that Jackson, Sharpton and Farrakhan have paid for the racist things they have said.
This is why I can't read BAW. You would think they would put energy into worrying about the HIV/AIDS rates among blacks or other issues. This is just nonsense.
So, this is how we now finance the United Negro College Fund?
OMG, what a travesty.
I once head the Rainbow Coalition described as the Kodachrome Coalition: Slightly white on the edges and dark in the center.
Don't these people have real jobs?
Now you know. Money DOES buy happiness. I believe the leader of this particular group - PUSH - knows something about extracting money whenever possible.
You knew the shakedown was coming!!
Don't give them a dime, Kramer!
If you really want to be big-hearted, offer the 2 guys the price of their tickets.
Tell jesse and the poverty pimps to kiss off.
Is this the same Judge Mathis who has a TV Show?
Why should he pay a freakin' think to anyone? He said what he said. There is no point whatsoever in trying to buy forgiveness. Any donation he makes isn't going to be appreciated, and more importantly, isn't going to be sincere.
I'm really tired of people thinking that 1) people have to buy their way out of trouble and 2) that anyone should be fined/penalized for saying something when they're under no contractual obligation to the offended party.
Well, and then people who get offended over each and every little thing annoy me the post, but I think I've griped enough in this post.
[re-dons happy face] :)
where's the barf alert?
Here's fun fact to know and tell from the Whitman/Walker Clinic in DC:
The Nation's Capital has a higher rate of HIV infection than 22 sub-Saharan countries.
According to the Clinic, one in twenty adults in DC is HIV positive.
This is advertised on a billboard in the subway in DC.
I sure think that's more important than sticking a fork in Michael Richards.
I'm sitting here in my hotel room in Hymietown and as sure as Tony Romo has an African-American great-grandmother, I can't figure out what the heck you are talking about.
What about Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson? when do they start paying for being offensive?
Kramer Rant Boosts DVD Sales
Posted Nov 29th 2006 3:50PM by TMZ Staff
Filed under: Train Wrecks
It seems that there really is no such thing as bad press -- even press generated by racist tirades.
Sales of season seven of "Seinfeld" are up 75% over season six and 90% over season five -- after one week of sales, according to website DVD Empire. Meanwhile, DeepDiscountDVD.com reports a staggering 178% increase over season six. Sales are up despite Jesse Jackson calling for a boycott.
Seasons five and six were released on the same day last year. TMZ's video of Michael Richards' hideous harangue was first seen on November 20 -- one day before season seven was released. Richards went on "The Late Show with David Letterman" that same night to apologize.
To paraphrase Seinfeld ... is there anything wrong with that?
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