Michael Richards
I have had many conversations about Michael Richards and they usually end with the statement, "we need to really let this one go." I'm tired of the "n-word" discussion. It's not even a discussion anymore. People are flat out telling me that I am not allowed to use the word nigger. Ever. Under any circumstances. And to that I say, "fuck them niggers." Yes, I know the historical context of the word. Yes, I know people died being called one. I have been hatefully called a nigger more times than I can count. Only once in the last ten years. The last time it happened I laughed at the man who said it to me. I thought, "We are in 21st century Chicago and you are calling me a nigger? This is the best insult you have for me? You must not be trying to hard." An actress friend of mine was on a Seinfeld episode and she thought Michael Richards was a bit of an a-hole. He put her down for doing Broadway theatre even though she had won a Tony for her incredible work. I think the racist in Michael Richards came out on stage. I think the a-hole in Mr. Richards appeared before the crowd. I think he got really angered at being heckled and just lashed out in the most asshole-ish way possible. And he did. He apologized. Lets move on. Or at least consider this argument by Frank Leon Roberts: Which Niggah Are We Talking About? Brief Notes Towards A Politics of Re-appropriation.