Why are people harder on Mel Gibson than on Richards?

Question

I’m really no big fan of Gibson, but he was drunk. Although I do think that is what he feels. Call it intuition. Yet when Richards tells an audience member at a show :

KRAMER: Shut up 50 years ago, we'd have had you upside down with a [EXPLETIVE]-ing fork up your [EXPLETIVE]. You can talk. You can talk. You can talk. You brain dead [EXPLETIVE].

People say he did not mean it. Why? Is it more acceptable to slur African Americans than be anti Semitic?
Furthermore, he was at a comedy club, there are always hecklers at a comedy club. George Lopez feels that Richards’s inexperience with comedy clubs may have lead to his …comments.

It seems like so manyon this board are excusing his behavior:

"He's not racist; he just lost it when some blacks in the audience continued to heckle him. If you watch the video they also refer to Richards as a cracker. I would just say it's more of he lost control of his temper to people who were trying to ruin his routine on the stage. It was uncalled for by both sides, but Richards will probably be doing night clubs more often than TV from now on. I guess the Seinfeld reunion is out."

"I don't think he meant it.....just happened in the heat of the moment! I STILL THINK HE RULES!"

"So....Michael Richards gets ostracized but no one cares about Mencia...I don't know exactly what he said but I think people just need to stop being so sensitive. At least he's honest."

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AmQ5V6ScIy3Xn9tteaKVq0kjzKIX?qid=20061120104244AA9PU7V

Answer 1

i completely agree, and yes you are right, its okay to degrade african americans but don't you dare talk about or curse religion! I don't get it either and I am so disgusted by the comments people are posting, its making me realized what f*** up society we live in! What he said was racist and wrong as heck! he could've went about that a better way, and I'm so disappointed in the responses...

Answer 2

Part of the issue is that Mel put himself in the spotlight for a number of reasons.

First, he "took his ball and left" when none of the studios would produce "The Passion of the Christ". Second, the media will always frenzy, especially when they can put videotape or pictures (Mel drunk) out over the air. Not sure if Richard's performance made it that far.

Part of it too is the context. Richards was performing. Mel Gibson was DUI.

I'm not saying it's right for people not to be hard on Richards. It's a matter of the context.

Answer 3

Michael Richards chose to say what he did without a thought. I don't think he should be excused because you have to assume he was sober. An explanation (but not an excuse) for Mel Gibson is that he WAS drunk. Is too bad either has to feel that strongly against someone. I may not like what someone does but I don't hate the whole race or ethnic group because of it!

Answer 4

Gibson tried to make it look like he really likes Jews when he's sober. He claimed at first to only say those things because he was drunk. The only thing being drunk does is lower your inhibitions and he spouted out his true feelings. Insulting African Americans is just as bad, the guy doing it was less known than Mel Gibson.

Answer 5

cuz Mel is more famous. I mean Richards never did anything beyond Kramer really, whereas Mel Gibson is a big star. I think if Richards had actually been more well known, then there would be people just as hard on him.

Answer 6

well this is the real world honey and here, people can do inxeplicable things to blacks and no one will bat an eye, it won't even make the news. however, if a white man does something like what mel did to jews, it will make the headlines but it will be forgiven as long as he apologizes from the start. it's kind of like the old double standard if a guy sleeps with 20 girls he's a stud if a girl sleeps w/ 20 guys she's a sl^t.

Answer 7

I was just thinking that... one theory may be because this was Richards' first racial offense while Gibson's outburst just piled ontop of the controversy about how anti-semetic people thought "Passion of the Christ" was... I never saw it, but the whole plot line made me weary (and I'm Jewish)

I don't agree with that, but that may be why. In my opinion, once is as bad as twice and there should be a big deal ove rit.

Answer 8

Mel Gibson is a conservative Christian. Most of the media is liberal, and they rejoiced in an opportunity to denounce someone they already did not like.

Answer 9

The guy from Seinfeld? Whoa...that's horrible. Both of them are idiots. Maybe if he did anything beyond Kramer, there would be more attention.

Answer 10

Who's Richards???