I always thought Michael Richards(AKA Kramer from Seinfield) was pretty funny and an underrated actor.... I can't imagine why he'd go off like a lunatic like he did just because of a couple hecklers. There's many better ways to deal with a heckler than going after their race, But this is just plain stupid.....Some years ago, I would beat the ever living **** out of anyone who of a different race who would call me a ******, but now since I am older and a bit more wiser, it's just best to take the high road.....Damn shame he had to go that route

whoa

no amount of back pedaling can save him now

LOS ANGELES ? "Seinfeld" star Michael Richards has taped an interview to be shown on "Late Show With David Letterman" in which he offers a brief explanation and an apology for the racial epithet-laced tirade he unleashed during a stand-up comedy routine over the weekend, WCBS-TV reported.

"I lost my temper onstage," said Richards in his statement, clips of which ran on "CBS Evening News With Katie Couric" Monday. "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.

"For me to flip out and say this crap, I'm deeply, deeply sorry," he added. "I'm not a racist ? that's what's so insane about this."

Think this helps?

**** that...he lost it, and now is carrer is blemished. It's a wrap for him.

Thats a nasty way to go..... a good excample of how NOT to act !!!

damn, he's royally screwed

guess he's been carrying that sort of feeling around with him for a long time and finally let it out

can't say I feel sorry for him, but maybe a little, cause it's the way his parents raised him

surprised he didn't get his ass kicked right there on stage

I've been to that club before, and it can get pretty rough, but that's uncalled for, the things he said were WAY outta line

I never found him funny in the show at all... Kind of annoying most of time... What a jerk!!

He will never work again, and rightly so

career suicide.....no way to recover from that i think....chances are, in his rage, he expressed how he actually feels....

yup agree with bruce there

saw this morning....unacceptable bigotted crap....and his explanation / apology was severely lame...

I have just viewed the clip (once) and as far as I could hear there was nothing "affectionate" in this comedian's comments whatsoever. So the different point of view posted by Valis just does not hold water.

I thought that someone was going to come up from the audience and silence his gratuitous insults. In my opinion, he is very lucky that someone in the audience didn't go into a "rage" themselves. If you kick a dog long enough and hard enough, don't be surprised if it turns around and bites your arse; wholly nasty comments and not even funny.

As to the purported apologies and excuses for his behaviour....Get a Life man and take your dirge elsewhere.

Cordially,

Robert

Yeah, I saw that on the news tonight and couldn't beleive it. Sure he and the comedy place appologized, but the damage was done, just like with Mel Gibson. How do you recover from comments like that? Just don't understand some people.

Peace

Valis's point can be noted.

Its not cool to say any remarks regardless of what race says what.And it is more accepted when people of a similar race say it to one another, I dont agree with that either..but you cant deny there is a double standard, but this can be discussed ad nauseam.Thsi is part of the reason I listen to more postiive Hip hop like Common..Talib Kweli..etc Who needs to keep hearing that crap over and over.

I wonder what they said to him?

Valis

As a black person, I am offended by what Michael Richards had to say simple and plain. You would think that as someone who spent several years on a show with an all Jewish cast, he would understand ignorance and why we must rise above it. An apology doesn't change the fact that in the heat of the moment, he found it acceptable to utter such stupidity. I find it pathetic that some need to use such a f**ked up word. It's sad that that in this year 2006 some people STILL find it acceptable to use...now I'll be straight out honest. I've used the word frequently amongst my fellow brethern, but now I rarley use it. If hardly......EVER!

Some people who live ignorant lives are the reason why we can't progress as human race. This is why people in other countries laugh at us for being hypocrites. How can we go into other countries and say discrimination is wrong, when some are posting racist garbage on the internet for all to read? It's sad that I've probably met people like the ones writing hatred, and probably bought me a drink and tossed out the ol..

"I just see people, I don't see color...you're really attractive" trying to get into my pants. God, I just feel like we have so far to go as a people....

Just for the record, I dont advocate what the hecklers had to say to him also. They're just as wrong. IMHO this is a problem that can be fixed.

I think Valis raises some valid points. Nonetheless, Richardson's outburst was unquestionably offensive and I agree with your comments, CB.

I guess in the age of YouTube all of us are in danger of having our worst and most regrettable episodes as human beings recorded and broadcast to hundreds of millions of people who will judge our entire lives by that moment.

It's very sad.

Lost......cya

Lo....

I guess in the age of YouTube all of us are in danger of having our worst and most regrettable episodes as human beings recorded and broadcast to hundreds of millions of people who will judge our entire lives "by that moment."

by our behaviour.

unfortunately there are still lots of places in this world with that backward kind of mentality!

it just isn't right :-(

If the guy was telling a light hearted joke and used the word, then perhaps it could pass ( and if race relations in the US had matured to an acceptable level, which they have not). However, his tone and choice of words were not light hearted, his meaning was not in jest. His words were meant to be derogatory and they were filled with malice. Unacceptable. *flush*

Having said that, I don't believe their should be double standards based on race. African Americans who choose to use that word (as is seen in many main stream movies and TV shows) are wrong if they think they can use that word exclusively without it being picked up by popular american culture as a whole. There are skinny little white kids who dress, dance, act, and so naturally talk like African Americans all over the USA. Since the word is so understandably offensive, better to drop it all together.

You said...."Just for the record, I dont advocate what the hecklers had to say to him also. They're just as wrong. IMHO this is a problem that can be fixed."

I'm glad you said that, cuz one of the problems is there are lots of double standards in the world of racism. I play/played high school,college and pro sports and although it never bothered me I heard a million white boy, cracker, Brady bunch, casper, and milk toast comments.

But, he is supposedly the professional and he totally blew his cover and exposed his true feelings in a fit of anger....Yeah, I will never look at him the same again.

Apology was just out of concern for his career.

Peace!!