Racial Hatred versus Christmas Spirit - following Michael Richards' (Seinfeld's Cosmo Kramer) racial outburst at the Laugh Factory

By Santa
Christmas spirit. It's all about love, compassion, friendship. But is it only a nice wrapping paper? What's buried beneath the nice words and greetings of the lovely Christmas cards? Do Christmas cards convey a real message of love and caring or is it only a fa?ade, a mask, thick layers of make-up to hide the rooted hatred that is there. White, African American, Hispanic, Jews, Italians, Muslims and the list goes on and on, and so is the deep rooted blind-hatred. Michael Richards' display of hatred is contemptible. His remarks are the embodiment of racial hatred. Michael Richards, however, is not the problem. He's just a wash up comic (to use his own words) who happened to give rise to the problem in an uncontrolled rage. The sad truth is that many people in America saw and heard Michael Richards and inaudibly mumbled, "He's right, he's right." Many people think the answer to all their problems lies in the destruction of their neighbor. Eliminate the Blacks, there will be no crime. Eliminate the Muslims, there will be no terrorism. Eliminate the Jews, there will be more money for all. And it's so easy to think this way, especially if you've never met or had relationships with this not-of-your-group neighbor. So how can we really make a change? I'll tell you. I don't believe in "Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself." It's too idealistic. Too vague. Too unreal. I do believe in, "What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others." Think of the difference and I hope you'll see for yourself what I mean. It's much easier to tell what you don't wish upon yourself than to tell what "loving thyself" means. Love is itself an enigma. Loving thyself, well, it's even more complicated. But when someone hurts you, or offends you, that easily falls into the category of things you do not wish upon yourself. So let this guide you, in what you think, in what you say, in what you do. Uprooting the racial hatred is not something to happen over night. But it will never happen if you don't make the first step now. And now you know how: Don't extend to others what you do not wish upon yourself.
Below is a transcript of Michael Richards racist outburst in front of the audience at the Laugh Factory, Los Angeles, CA:
Richards (shouts on an African American heckler in the audience): "Shut up! 50 Years ago we'd have you upside down with a f**king fork up you're a**. "You can talk, you can talk, you can talk! You're brave now mother f**ker! Throw his a** out, he's a nigger, he's a nigger! He's a nigger, a nigger! Look there's a nigger"
(A shocked lady in the audience says: "Oh, my God!")
Richards (continues): "Oooh! Oooh! Alright you see? This shocks you, it shocks you to see what's buried beneath you stupid mother fuckers."
The African American heckler responds: "That was uncalled for."
Richards: "What was uncalled for? It's uncalled for you to interrupt my a** you cheap mother f**ker! You guys have been talkin' and talkin' and talkin'.
> The African American heckler says something inaudible, probably "I don't know…"
Richards (probably ridicules the African American heckler): "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know."
Richards: "They're going to arrest me for calling a black man a nigger?"
A man from the audience leaves and calls towards Michael Richards: "That was uncalled for you f**king cracker-a** mother f**ker."
Michael Richards in response: "Cracker-a**? You calling me cracker-a**, nigga?"
A man from the audience: "You're not funny, that's why you're a reject, never had no shows, never had no movies. 'Seinfeld'. That's it."
Michael Richards: "Oh I guess you got me there. You're absolutely right. I'm just a wash up. Gotta stand on the stage."
At this point people from the audience begin to leave the club.
The man from the audience calls: "That's un-fucking called for. That ain't necessary."
Michael Richards: "Well, you interrupted me, pal. That's what happens when you interrupt the white man. Don't you know?"
The man from the audience: "That was uncalled for."
Later Michael Richards appeared in David Letterman's late night show and apologized. He tried to rehabilitate his public image but it seemed he only humiliated himself even more. He said he lost his temper; that he was trying to do his act and people from the audience interrupted him and it got to him and he went mad and spewed nasty remarks about African Americans. Richards apologized to all the people who had to witness his despicable outburst. He then tried to divert the heat from himself to a national level and wondered about the roots of the hatred in general. He also tried to draw sympathy by portraying himself as a hard-working comic, and said that following the outburst he went out to apologize to the people, but did not find them all. Michael Richards denied being a racist.