Was Michael Richards, (Seinfeld's Kramer) wrong for yelling N***** at a Black man interrupting his show?

Question

It's in the news that Michael got upset and started calling the man the N word after being interrupted during his act. I think it was wrong, personally. He then gave a public apology and said he isn't racist. Do you think it would have been seen as bad if it had been a comedian like say D.L Hughley yelling at a White person and calling them a cracker or something else demeaning? Is there an invisible line in comedy that some races can't cross? Shouldn't cross?

Answer 1

Of course he was wrong. Oftentimes, lashing out in anger shows how you feel deep down. Coming back a couple days later and saying sorry, doesn't make it any less disturbing. Maybe Michael Richards is not a racist, -- maybe he has 3 black friends -- but his words showed how little respect he has for the feelings of anyone that could take offense to what he was saying (and not only Black people took offense to it).

ETA: As a black female, I also take offense to anybody being called out of their given name. Derogatory names for whites, latinos, chinese, etc. are all wrong. The thing is, in comedy those boundaries are pushed and are usually used to lighten the tension (not saying it's right, but...) Michael Richards got angry, and the comedy left the situation. He wasn't doing his routine anymore, he was one on one with somebody he was mad at.

ETA (Again)

To understand what kind of feeling a black person gets when called ******, try this:

Think of the most humiliating, degrading, hurtful time of your life. Then imagine a stranger who knows about the time but didn't experience it, joking about it like it's nothing. It just brings back the same pain as the original circumstances.

Talking about Blacks in today's time, even though this generation didn't experience these things first hand, some of their parents and/or grandparents did. It's still an open wound.


I don't agree with blacks calling each other ******, but you could say it's like a family member making light of a situation because they were part of it with you.
The word ****** is a symbol of one of the worst times in Black History. When a person that doesn't know the pain and hurt that word and everything that went with it says it to you it makes them angry because of what it makes you remember.

Answer 2

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 3

I am not defending Richards not by any means. Was it wrong? Yes.., however he was responding to hecklers, something ALL comedians do. I personally think Richards was trying to work it into his act while retaliating against the hecklers who were in fact black.

There is a double standard going on. I have not seen a professional black comedian yet that has not stereo-typed whites and insulted whites as a part of their act.., yet no one makes a peep about that - and I mean some of the comments are really extremely racist.

But when a white guy, like Richards, lays down smoke in much the same way other black comedians have, he gets virtually tarred and feathered by the media and black groups.

Something is really askew about the whole thing. If it is wrong for a white comedian to verbally accost blacks - then it should be EQUALLY as wrong for black comedians to do the same with whites.

Blacks want equality and to be rid of racism, but to me, it seems a losing battle when they will not relinquish the racist views and stereo typing of whites. Again, this as I see it, is a double standard.

Martin Luther's dream will not be realized if black people can not rise about the slavery days (which is long dead) and above racism.. it will not be realized as long as whites and blacks refuse to let go of their beloved racist views.

Answer 4

As bad as his comment was what about towards the end of the incident when they called him a "Cracker" and a "F**cking Whiteboy" And I havent heard anything about their apology's for their racist remarks yet..

It's a double standard! The fact that rappers say the "N" word (No I don't use it!!) all the time!! And you hear all these little hip hop clowns refer to themselves as it again every other word...I have no problem with the fact that he snapped and called them something they probably refered to themselves as all day long anyway....It was the comment that precipitated it

"If it was 50 years ago you'd be hanging upside down with a fork in your a*s" That blew my mind...

Something like that just doesn't roll off your tongue unless you've thought about it before..That was unbelievably offensive and crossed every line there was to cross in my mind!! The dudes career has been dead for years. So I can't even say he buried himself with that comment...But he sure let people know where his mind lies..He's racist no if's ands or buts about it

Answer 5

I have one have never used the n- word nor called whites out of their names, so those who are posting stop putting EVERYONE in a category. Just like everyone isn't racist, I don't like nor use the n- word. And I hate that SOME blacks refer to each other by that, but that's an issue too deep to get into of why. I just feel that it allow people to say "well that's double standard" etc. But all I know is that me as a individual who feels the n- word is a horrible word to use against a group of people, felt that what he said was offensive and out of order.

Answer 6

i actually asked this yesterday, but used chris rock as an example..be ready for the people who claim that you are somehow making light of the situation and trying to use reverse discrimination...when you are just stating an example..i think kramer was 100% wrong..i think he did the right thing to apologize, but nonetheless, it was something that should have never even happened..he will obviously never do stand up again, nor should a place give him a job...but, as your question is about hughley..i do not believe this would be in the news or even discussed if they were making racial comments towards a white person..i think people would just laugh it off..there is a definite double standard and that is very sad...racism should, and hopefully will, one day be gone from society..which means whites saying stuff to blacks, blacks to white, green to blue, orange to yellow, etc...there seems to be a very thin line that a white comedian can cross, but for some reason..theres a whole football field that a black comedian is able to cross..nonetheless, richards was wrong

Answer 7

I think he lashed out & was frustrated by a dead career & took his anger out on an unreceptive audience.His appearence on Letterman last night was pathetic & contrived.It just goes to show you what happens to actors(Mel Gibson) when faced with a difficult situation in real life,if it ain't scripted they fu%k up bigtime.I do agree there is a double standard when it comes to saying "cracker" by a black person & "ni%&er by a white person.Michael Richards will know if his mistake is more then newsworthy when the Reverands Al Sharpton & Jesse Jackson take it to a whole new level.

Answer 8

Well he is obviously racist or he wouldn't have used that word to begin with. Yes there is a line and it's not invisible white people cannot use that word but black people can call us crackers for some reason. It's in some sort of written code somewhere lol. Whatever I think people are assholes no matter what color they are. But to answer your question yes, he was wrong.

Answer 9

He should not have said the n word. But it is unfair that white people can be called anything by anyone and no one cares.
They were being very very rude and actually should have been escorted to the door for their behavior.
If I had been there, I probably would have caused a riot because I would have ben yelling at the hecklers to shut the f... up. You pay good money to see a show then have it ruined by jerks like that.

Answer 10

people forget that michael richards got interrupted over and over by some hecklers in the audience