I disagree. I think it depends on the situation; it was obviously okay to say nigger 140 years ago.

As far as I can tell from the terrible quality video, this stand-up act didn't take place on a plantation in the 1830's.

That doesn't defeat the point I made. As with any word, its all about using it in the right place and context.

Unless you provide a "right place and context" besides 140 years ago, which I cannot visit due to an unexpected technical problem with the Wayback Machine, that pretty much does defeat your first point.

How about in the south? How about amongst friends whom you feel comfortable with? How about in the privacy of your own home?

Or how about if you're black? It seems really, really incongruous to me that an word that is featured so prominently in hip hop culture, which saturates the media, is only OK to be said by a specific group of people. That just doen't make sense to me.

And I think that's what Michael Richards was ham-handedly trying to point out.

No, no he wasn't. Just shut up already, you don't get it and every one of you people won't get it as long as you have a childish reaction as to why it's acceptable for black people to use terms deemed racist to black people.

There are many people making statements about the time and place for racist terms, about the shock value of hearing it out of an unexpected mouth and about devaluing the term entirely, but that's not what Richards was doing. He was trying to insult them. There's nothing postmodern or clever about it, it was pure anger.

I don't get it. Why do so many otherwise intelligent folks (not Minion though) feel like they're entitled to call people 'nigger' because black folks can? I'm not talking about the thuggish beatdown that these folks should be threatened with, I just.. what the hell is wrong with you guys? it's like not swearing in front of your grandmother, even if she has a cunt and an asshole and has fucked and sucked dicks in her day, dammit. It's good manners. The fuck is wrong with you.

Fucking A, man. Fucking A.

here's an update on that story:

Men Seek Apology From Ex-'Seinfeld' Star


LOS ANGELES - Two men who say they were insulted by actor-comedian Michael Richards during his racist rant at a comedy club want a personal apology and maybe some money, one of the men and their lawyer said Friday.

Frank McBride and Kyle Doss said they were part of a group of about 20 people who had gathered at West Hollywood's Laugh Factory to celebrate a friend's birthday. According to their attorney, Gloria Allred, they were ordering drinks when Richards berated them for interrupting his act.

When one of their group replied that he wasn't funny, Richards launched into a string of obscenities and repeatedly used the n-word. A video cell phone captured the outburst.

Richards, who played Jerry Seinfeld's wacky neighbor Kramer on the TV sitcom "Seinfeld," made a nationally televised apology on the "Late Show with David Letterman" earlier this week. He has since apologized to the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, both civil rights leaders.

But Doss, 26, said Friday he wanted a "face-to-face apology."

"To have him do what he did to me ... I can't even explain it," Doss said. "I was humiliated, even scared at one point."

Richards' publicist said his client wants to apologize to both men, who are black, but hasn't been able to locate them.

Allred, speaking by phone from Colorado, said Richards should meet McBride and Doss in front of a retired judge to "acknowledge his behavior and to apologize to them" and allow the judge to decide on monetary compensation.

"It's not enough to say 'I'm sorry' on 'David Letterman,'" she said.

She did not mention a specific figure, but pitched the idea as a way for the comic to avoid a lawsuit.

"Our clients were vulnerable," Allred said. "He went after them. He singled them out and he taunted them, and he did it in a closed room where they were captive."

The video of Richards' outburst shows several people getting up and walking out as he shouts at the audience.

Richards' publicist said the comic wasn't considering any demand for payment. "He's not dealing with that," Howard Rubenstein said. "He wants to apologize to them directly and then see what happens."

Fucking blood sucking lawyers, those two guys are as worse "Kramer" in my opinion. I had to get that out I hate around 95% of lawyers. Anyways "Nigger" is just a word, thats it. Words can hurt but I thought we got over this crap in middle school or younger. I've been called some pretty nasty crap, I got pissed off and moved on. Racial slurs are trashy if your going to insult someone try something creative, and chances are if your a decent comedian you know should know how to push buttons other than using slurs. Richards was pissed, he was almost in a rage mode, should of said something else oh well. Ah well I've rambled to long as it is, anyways one should be a better man and move on.

Greedy niggers. http://i.somethingawful.com/forumsys...emot-laugh.gif

I think it's about proper that we call Gloria Allred a leech and crucify her for crimes against humanity now.

Haha, he singled them out. She almost makes it sound random. Also, apparently going to a Comedy Club or any sort of room can be considered being held "captive"?

(when it's crap comedy, maybe!)

(this is heckling on several levels)

and this is exactly what i was talking about in my post.

People like Gloria Allred and Nancy Grace are bottomfeeders suckling off of the pond scum of society (i.e. these two ignorant dumbass greedy motherfuckers)

Wow. Just watched the video. I had been kinda ignoring this thread for a while until my friend suggested we watch it.

Yep, he sure spasmed.... All I get from that video is "That is uncalled for..."

Glad he apologized. But, it goes to show just how sensitive this kind of stuff is. Especially in the United States.

A bullshit apology only after international criticism shows nothing.

True, to an extent. I think an infinitely more appropriate response would've been "I said it and I won't take it back" - but the man does have his career to think about.

Aww hell. What career? Guy probably doesn't have to work anyway.

Oh man, fuck Nancy Grace. I keep trying to convince my mom that she's an opportunistic cunt (Grace, not my own mother, you jerks). The only time I watched her was when she was haranging a man for buying LACY PETERSON'S HOUSE (!). He was selling it because, I guess, he was doing poorly in the town and was going to move elsewhere for his career. Maybe there's a GHOST.

She took the camera inside and shown how the nursery was converted into a WORK OUT ROOM (!).

She was also furious that Scott Peterson was being fed and receiving medical attention while in prison. Fuck that cuntbag.

Totally thought this was the UCLA Taser thread. Whoops!

yeah, but at least they make life entertaining with their antics

I love that they're demanding monetary compensation. That, right there, tells me they're not too broken up about it. They're just using this as an opportunity now. Make the dude make his ammends, say he's sorry... fuck, ask that he's required to do community service in a black neighbourhood. But you want money for being called a nigger? Where's my money for being called a drunk Irish asshole.

thats exactly what there doing... maybe he should counter sue for them ruining his set, blowing this out of proportion, and creating a bad public outlook on him.

Seriously, anyone who's opinion of 'kramer' is lowered by this needs to ask themselves a few questions question... ever been angry? ever make a mistake while angry? were you up on that stage? did you see anything besides his outburst? ever had a bad day? and had that last straw fall into place? stop judging him. try judging yourself to those same standards. the majority of people have no right to call him a bad person.

I think they deserve it. Just because they are black and he's white its become some huge ordeal. If he was any other race, this wouldn't go past state news at most.