If Michael Richards is being ostracized for his remarks why do other comedians like Chris Rock get a pass?

Question

Personally, I think he was out of line and should apologize, but Chris Rock said the following and there was little uproar, certainly no talk of his career being over.

Chris Rock's view of patriotic Americans: "Weird white guys getting overly patriotic, with their f-ing flag hats on," Rock said. "I am not scared of al Qaeda, I am scare of f-ing al Cracker."

I am sick of racism in our country, but if we are going to get rid of racism it has to stop from all races. Not just one race.

If you watch the video of Richards act you can even hear one of the guys walking out calling him a "cracker". No one was criticizing him.
I guess two wrongs make a right now?

Answer 1

I think there's a lot of joking about black people that is accepted (along with other races) but Richards was just vicious and way out of line. I'm not sensitive about race, at all, but when I saw his video, I thought, "WOW!".

Answer 2

Everyone's race is JOKED about, but what kills me is people still try to link what comedians do and what Richards did together. It's two different things. Richards shouted very harsh racial slurs out of anger and did it repeatedly. Some people are still having trouble seeing that. And yes, the guys walking out were wrong for calling him 'cracker', but it was AFTER they were called the N-word several times. Oh, and by the way, I think Chris Rock is a d*ck anyway. Nothing he ever said was funny to me.

Answer 3

The difference with Michael Richards is that as an entertainer, he should be accustomed to hecklers and not respond with the remarks he did. He did not say it once - he repeated it and talked about the consequences to that person with a "fork up..." He was enraged at being heckled - so you do have to wonder if he would have called anyone else racial slurs had it not been someone black.

When other comedians are entertaining and use racial epithets as part of their routine, they are generalizing, not responding to an idiot from the audience. There are always hecklers and the comedian can always make a come back without using derogatory remarks against someone's color. Yes, we heard the heckler respond against Richards' remarks in defense - after all, the heckler was not getting paid to entertain.

Two wrongs do not make a right, but there is a proper way to handle ignorance.

Answer 4

While I agree with your responce, there are some other issues at hand in this situation. You may not be aware of this unless you grew up in the African-American community, but there is a serious "self-hate" mentality within my race. I know all of America witnesses media portrals of us calling each other n*gg*, b*tch*s and h*s all the time and you also hear some of us 'justifying' our use of those terms on ourselves and then getting defensive about someone else doing the same. Something I want you and others to understand is that it's only been about 50 years since the civil rights movement. We are "growing up" in our civil freedoms, OK? Think of this as the teenage stage where "everything is everyone else's fault" and "he's messing with me so I'm going to get him back." Now that I have said that, I also want you to think about this. I'm going to continue with the metaphor of a teenager- Look at the enviroment we have been raised in. Our "step-parents" (White America) brought us over here as free labor to build their worth and power. We were stripped of any knowledge or language of our motherland so we had to develop our own roots. Unfortunately, some of those 'roots' are not healthy. Have you ever wondered why so many black women straighten their hair? We started doing it to be accepted within white society. Even today, many black women (especially in the south) feel they have to look a certain way (as white as possible) to be taken seriously. Whether or not we have to from a white standpoint, I don't know because I personally could care less. Then, we were 'freed' (not because Mr. Lincoln felt black was beautiful, but because green always looks good) and legally kept at the bottom of society for about another 100 years. So sweetheart, we as a race carry a lot of pain and it doesn't feel good to have someone who does not come from that same pain to say what Imus did. Call us hypersensitive, childish or closedminded. While I do not support Jessie Jackson and Sharpton in most circles, I can say this for them- they have actively boycotted and repremanded other African- Americans for promoting demeaning language about ourselves. I honestly think this incident received so much attention because it was a white person making the remarks.

Answer 5

they get the pass because as you are well aware all the things wrong in the land are the direct result of the white race. If a black says the n word it is ok and if he uses whites in the same fashion as Richards did them then it is ok just look at the episode of Oprah when she had Chris Rock on and see the explaination that she gave when he was calling someone the n word and it is usually hypocritical the say the least

Answer 6

Race issues aside, there is something intrinsicly askew with the thought flow in your question. Richards snapped. His tirade was a social response, not a part of a comedic delivery. Rock or other comedians may choose to make racial jokes but that is different. A snap and a planned out, thought out line: two very different animals.

Answer 7

Oh come on give me a break!!!!! Chris Rock based his career on this type of comedy. Michael Richard's remarks were totally out of context and were by no means part of a comedy routine.

Answer 8

Chris Rock never YELLED out hateful remarks, if I was in that room I would feel threatened. Chris Rock stereotypes a lot, and if White people don't like it they should defend themselves like we do. This man was mad because he's not funny, and gets mad at the Black people for speaking their minds. They didn't make any racial comments towards him, they just said that he wasn't funny. I think your probably just like him and that's why you are defending him, and he yelled cracker after being called a N*gger.

Answer 9

It is starting to come out that Kramer was heckled for over ten minutes. One of the things that was said to him was, "you aint funny **** a" then when kramer replied with a witty retort the heckler replied with "You don't know me **** a, Don't fuc k with this **** a".

It also is being reported that the black guys who were calling kramer **** a and threatening him were also threatening the people who opened up the show for Richards..

Real innocent victims...? Seems like two punks who should've been bounced out before Richards ever hit the stage..

Answer 10

Chris Rock was JOKING!!! Michael Richards was upset and let his anger control his actions. If Chris Rock was being heckled, he would just play the dozen with the person then the attention would turn towards the heckler therefore embarrasing him.