Michael Richards Resorts To Racism To Defend His Comedy: Hitting Below The Belt

The headline grabs me this morning, Richards Apologizes for Racially-Charged Rant.
Since people used to approach me a decade ago telling me I looked like Jerry Seinfeld I of course give this the obligatory 30 second once over.

Lately there have been a lot of racial comments coming from public figures and always with the apology coming afterwards. I find it simply saddening.

We've come a long way here in the U.S. when it comes to diversity and integration. I remember riding an hour to school in Junior High so I could go to a "racially mixed" school. I remember as a kid having friends who would say, "Bill, you're the coolest "white guy" I know."

Years later, a friend of mine asked me why he had to be a cool "black guy" and not just a guy and I finally really got the idea that while we recognize certainly with our eyes the racial differences in appearance, we don't have to acknowledge them as labels. Truthfully, people should be judged purely on their character alone.

Now I have a son of my own, and we have never taught him the labels. The few times he has ever inquired, we tell him that God created different varieties of people because he loves diversity. Thus, my son identifies his friends by name, with no mention of anything but their character. These are great improvements in our way of relating to one another.

Yet, it seems that often, when pressure comes to bear, we revert back to our cultural past, fishing ugly comments about race or religion...to take a quick "sucker punch" at our adversary. Why does this happen? It's laziness. Michael would have done so much better if he'd just called the hecklers jerks...which is a reflection on their character not their color. Simply put, two wrongs don't make a right.

Our world is getting smaller, and we all have to take the care and consideration for cultural and racial differences. These are things we shouldn't reject as unfamiliar but rather embrace as wonderful opportunities to learn new perspectives.

Going further, we have to also forgive those who slip back into these antiquated modes even if only briefly, because deep down most all of us have had to unlearn unhealthy attitudes. If we don't, we risk all slipping backward two or three decades inflicting pain for pain.

Let's all take the high road here. Let's truely grow up. Let's set a better example for our children.

All the best!
Bill White

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