What's worse was his pathetic, impromptu "apology" made on Letterman last night. He stuttered, stammered, stumbled, and had nothing sincerely apologetic to say. What he DID say, was that the "[racist remarks] just fired out of me."
That was not an apology. It was a grossly pitiful attempt to salvage his reputation, which has been forever tarnished in my book. And, the fact that Jerry Seinfeld took the position of trying to help his friend out of hot water, didn't win him any points with me either. In fact, I don't remember Jerry ever stating that "Kramer" is not a racist.
As an avid watcher of Seinfeld for many, many, many years, I do not think I can watch it again without the image of Richards spewing the n-word (among other racist comments) multiple times at a club full of people.
To top it off, the Laugh Factory didn't do much to set an example of how out-of-line, insensitive, and ignorant Richards' tirade was. They invited him back the very next night, supposedly under the condition that he apologize onstage for his behavior the night before. Richards made no such apology to the crowd on Saturday night. Monday, the Laugh Factory banned him from the club after having been ridiculed by the public over Richards' actions.
Finally, what gets me as much or more about this situation are the responses left on websites when people express disgust over Richards' outburst. Ignorant, anonymous, commenters love to prove how alive and well racism is in the good ole USA.
Something to remember...
Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.
-Martin Luther King Jr.
