Oh, KKKramer

Yes, like everyone else I was shocked at Kramer’s outburst the other night (though to be honest the Letterman apology creeped me out even more. Weird guy.) Yes, I wish the n-word didn’t exist and we all lived in a color-free world of non-hatred.

But, as do so many incidents like this in the public eye, to me this incident reveals more about us as the spectators/judges than it does about Michael Richards. I’m tired of how every coupla months someone says something stupid and we all have to react with such violent chagrin and faux disgrace about someone from our own race – be it the Duke lacrosse players, Mel Gibson or now Michael Richards. White people LOVE to race to the tv if they’re famous or their non-white friends if they’re not and try to break the world record for utter mortification. We looooooooove to go to our black friends and seethe with rage and disgust about such narrow-mindedness; dammit! we say; we don’t even SEE color in others!!! After all, you’re my black friend!!!

All that’s fine and maybe some people even mean it, but a very telling moment to me is every time in the last few days I’ve seen someone on tv hang their head in disgrace, shake it slowly and lament that Kramer said such a thing in public. In public. Get it? I’ve noticed nobody cares about what he actually said, nobody cares whether or not he really is a racist, but they can’t believe he said it out loud in public. Nice. If only he had kept his racist comments/jokes to himself like the rest of us, dammit!

So give me a break, white people - let’s not pour on the faux chagrin too thick, let’s not sprint so quickly to show off how amazingly “tolerant” we are. You’re not going to get a fucking award for “Understanding Black People.” Everybody has a heart of gold and everyone’s an asshole; one man’s idiotic moment is not your "one shining moment."

And black people, I’m talking to you now. I’m tired of your pretending to be outraged whenever a white person says ‘n---er’ anymore. Yes, I know how offensive the term is supposed to be. And if you told me you never ever wanted to hear the word again, I’d have no problem respecting that. But good lord, can we get through 8 seconds of a hip hop song without hearing it 3 times? Can I walk ½ a block without some 12-year olds saying it 14 times without even realizing they’ve said it once? But oh, then you hear it from someone else and get enraged. Enough. I don't hear women walking around calling themselves cunts, or Jews calling each other kikes. You’re as hypocritical as the white people I spoke about above - how bout a little of the ol' practice what you preach? And one last thing – I’ve heard for most of my life that black people keep using the word so that eventually it will lose its negative connotations, that its sheer repetition would render it neutered. Really? When is this gonna finally happen? I can’t go 10 seconds without hearing it either on tv or in the street; what is the magic number until it finally means “nothing”?

That word is yours to "own"; perhaps you can lead by example and tuck it away if you wish, never to be seen or heard again. Naive on my part? yes. But so are things like "racial harmony" and "color blindness" and "Xmastime solves racism in one post." Baby steps!

I know I sound like "Old White Guy", but enough. Hell, if we don't put aside our outrage over this, how are we gonna have any left over for the next time the powers that be let black people die because they're not white and rich?