Different Kinds of Distasteful People
Michael Richards' recent racist rant revealed him to be less than reputable as a human being. Even so, when one sees the names Gloria Allred, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton all mentioned in the same story, it is certain that a situation is being exploited.
In more enlightened times, bigotry such as that expressed by Richards would have resulted in some punishment along the lines of the ruining of his reputation among decent people or, given the right audience, a bloody nose. In this century, it results in an opportunistic, publicity starved celebrity attorney and like minded ranters calling for "monetary compensation." The goal is no longer either to reform Richards or to shun him: it is to get a paycheck out of the incident.
There are some movies that are not enjoyable because none of the characters is likable. Now that the unfortunate recipients of Richards' diatribe have moved to the fringes of the story, this real life plot is playing out much in the same way.
In more enlightened times, bigotry such as that expressed by Richards would have resulted in some punishment along the lines of the ruining of his reputation among decent people or, given the right audience, a bloody nose. In this century, it results in an opportunistic, publicity starved celebrity attorney and like minded ranters calling for "monetary compensation." The goal is no longer either to reform Richards or to shun him: it is to get a paycheck out of the incident.
There are some movies that are not enjoyable because none of the characters is likable. Now that the unfortunate recipients of Richards' diatribe have moved to the fringes of the story, this real life plot is playing out much in the same way.
posted by MCO at 1:19 PM
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