aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South

Monday, November 27, 2006

You’re bad for America. Just go away!

Richards appeared on the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s nationally syndicated radio program, “Keep Hope Alive,” as a part of a series of apologies for the incident. He said he knew his comments hurt the black community, and hoped to meet with the two men.

He told Jackson that he had not used the language before.

Maybe so but that was a pretty spectacularly unforgivable debut. And now Joe Gandelman tells us the heckled may sue:

The two men who were directly insulted by Michael Richards’ racist burst last week have reportedly asked for money as a compensation for the offenses he brought them, according to their lawyer.

Frank McBride and Kyle Doss, the two men who were part of a larger group attending Michael Richards’ stand-up comedy number last week at West Hollywood’s Laugh Factory, insist for a personal apology and even some money, Gloria Allred, their attorney said.

Everyone’s playing out their role in this despicable drama and we sure as hell aren’t moving forward. Comments Joe, a comedic performer who’s no fan of Allred:

I can just see the day when some 2nd grader sues me at a school because my dummy stuck his tongue out at them during my famous “hypnosis” routine. My elephant puppet squirts water into fair audiences. How many millions will a 10 year old with a lawyer beside him seek for that?

Robin Roberts just said on GMA that “there’s no excuse for what [Richards] said but hopefully this can open a way to have a dialog about race.” Diane Sawyer agreed.

I don’t.

This is yet another performance. A far better one than at the Laugh Factory but the guy is sincere only in trying to rehab his career. He’s playing by the new rules of the media game but it’s a game we should all wish the cellphone video camera has brought to an end.

The faux-apology in the three-ring-media-circus is a sham that works for the media industry and works for the celebrity (and for the lawyers and the activists) but, in Jon Stewart’s immortal words from his infamous Crossfire appearance, this game is “hurting America...Stop!” Crossfire was stopped; it was canceled.  I’d like to see the ritual media apology stop. I’m not holding my breath.

There’s no question that we need a dialog about race in this country but it’s not going to come from a washed-up comic trying to rehab his career. Richards should have put out a statement of apology then disappeared from public view; and used that time away to listen and learn and work to address the real issues of race in America.

Then, a year or more from now, he could have come back into public view with an apology and maybe had some legitimacy. As it is the man has compounded his crime. He should just go away. And stay away.