“Kramer” Actor Richard Apologizes On Letterman For Racist Tirade….
Actor Michael Richards, who played “Kramer” on hit show Seinfeld, appeared on David Letterman via satellite Monday night to apologize for a his racist rant during a comedy show Friday night.
Like most of us, I was sickened by Michael Richards’ something-far-beyond-racist meltdown at a comedy club in Los Angeles last Friday night. If you’re one of the three people in the U.S. who haven’t seen it (repeatedly), you can go here to edumicate yourself. Trust me; it’s not pretty, and to call it offensive would be a horrific understatement. “Kramer” frankly just lost his mind.
My concern at this point is less with Richards’ behavior than the reaction of the African-American community. I’ve seen interviews with the likes of Sinbad and other African-American celebrities, and the recurring theme seems to be that Richards’ apology on The Late Show With David Letterman was “insufficient”. I watched Richards’ via-satellite appearance on Letterman, and what I saw was a man who seemed truly remorseful for the words and the abject hatred he spewed on-stage. He seemed truly chastened and well-aware that he had crossed a line in a horrible and hateful way. Unless I missed something, Richards’ apology seem genuine and heartfelt. Richards was not brash or arrogant about what had happened; he seemed genuinely shaken by and very well aware of the gravity and impact of his words.
So…was Richards’ apology “sufficient”? And who gets to decide? African-Americans certainly have a choice as to whether or not they are willing to accept the apology, but do they have the right to determine whether or not it is sufficient, and, if not, to demand additional and specific penance? Do they have the right to place requirements and expectations upon Richards before they will accept his apology as “sufficient”?
I was thoroughly sickened and offended by Richards’ disgusting and hate-filled rant. There is no excusing or erasing it. What also offends me, though, is the self-serving reactions by African-American celebrities, who, while certainly within their rights to be offended, seem to be revelling in hanging Richards out to dry.
No reasonable person would defend Richards’ words and actions. By the same token, no reasonable person should take advantage of the situation to pursue their own agenda. Michael Richards has apologized and will likely continue to apologize. Whether or not African-Americans choose to accept his apology is their choice to make. NO ONE, however, has the right to require Richards to take specific actions or utter specific words before judging his apology as “sufficient” or not.
Whatever happened to forgiveness, to the recognition that we all are capable of thoroughly screwing the pooch, that “there but for the grace of God go I”? It seems from where I sit as if too many African-Americans are willing to use Richards’ words as an excuse to pursue whatever their particular agenda happens to be. And some of them actually seem to be revelling in Richards’ dilemma.
I don’t believe in my heart the Michael Richards is a racist. I may be wrong, but I believe that what happened was simply someone completely flipping out in a moment of anger and rage. For whatever reason, Richards simply and totally lost his composure. We’re all said or done things that in retrospect we wish we could take back. I suspect that this is part of what Richards’ apology on Letterman was trying to establish.
The career of Michael Richards will never be quite the same. It will always be colored by his on-stage meltdown. He will always be tinged with the stain of racism, but America is a country predicated on the premise that we all deserve another chance. As offensive and sickening as Richards’ words were, doesn’t he deserve the opportunity to demonstrate that this was an aberration, and that his remorse is genuine?
Shouldn’t forgiveness by part of the equation? If Richards truly demonstrates his remorse, and if his apology seems heartfelt, which in my mind it was, shouldn’t that be “sufficient” to begin travelling the path to forgiveness? Or do you really plan on milking your outrage for your own selfish ends?
