It came as no surprise to read that the four African-American patrons of the LA comedy club where Michael Richards went on what the media now refer to as a ‘racial rant,’ are now being represented by legal counsel. What did surprise me, though, was that Richards has not only agreed to an ‘arbitration’ meeting with the four in front of a retired judge, but that the judge might decide to award a monetary settlement.
I can understand why Richards wants to meet and extend a personal apology to the men. Even if he is a racist deep down, he’s following smart PR advice in seeking out the victims of his tirade and asking for forgiveness. But, a monetary settlement for the ‘L.A. 4’? Gimme a break. Talk about taking advantage of the situation. Why do these guys deserve any money? Emotional distress? Public humiliation? Depression brought on by post-traumatic stress syndrome?
In our ‘victims rights’ society, everyone and their brother is looking to cash-in from his or her moment of distress. And, make no mistake, if the judge so rules, I’m sure Richards will gladly fork over the moolah, hoping against hope it will pave the way for a career overhaul.
Sadly, this sort of nonsense is becoming more and more commonplace. And, maybe, just maybe, it’s time for me to join the party. So, note to Medguy: Get ready, I-man, I’ve decided to ask for an arbitration hearing before a retired judge and will not only expect an apology for some of your nasty posts, but monetary compensation and a year’s worth or surgical gloves as well. So there.
I agree with your post and am also looking forward to finding out what happens with this face to face meeting between Michael Richards and the hecklers (..and Gloria Allred… and the retired judge). :-/
I hadn’t read that Michael Richards agreed already to handing over some money for “compensation”, just that he’s agreed to meet with them to apologize (I’ll have to dig around the news sites to see if there are any late breaking reports about that get together). I hope he DOESN’T pay out anything.
Like you said, apologizing *is* the proper thing to do if the black hecklers were genuinely offended by his rant – even though they kinda started it, either by heckling him to begin with or being excessively loud ordering their drinks while he was trying to perform on stage…
Also, you said “…Even if he is a racist deep down”. There’s actually an article on the electronic news network you might be interested in (if you’re actually not sure whether he’s a racist or not). It shows a few pretty good examples of things Michael Richards has done that are definitely not the actions of a racist… and even jokes(?) that the whole Laugh Factory scandal might result in achieving exactly what the United Nations told Michael Richards to do a few years back! LOL
Anyways, if you’re intersted in the article it’s at:
http://celebs.electronicnewsnetwork.com/michael-richards/
Bye for now,
Michelle.