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NEWS > ENTERTAINMENT > MICHAEL RICHARDS RETURNS TO RACIST ROOTS
MICHAEL RICHARDS RETURNS TO RACIST ROOTS
September 14 2009
Los Angeles, CA – Celebrity has always been very difficult to acquire and even harder maintain for significant periods of time. That task is only made more difficult when a troubled personal life interferes and tests the patience of fans. For some it is a slow 
descent into bad behaviour that undoes their success and for others it is a single incident so repellent to society as a whole that things change and, frequently, never go back to the way they once were.
Such is the case with Michael Richards whose racist rant at a comedy club in 2006 functionally ended his career. The formerly respected stand-up comedian gained his greatest success as Cosmo Kramer on ‘Seinfeld’, garnering him the kind of success very few ever achieve in Hollywood, which also ultimately led to the depth of his slide. Now though Richards is attempting a comeback in what is perhaps the best avenue possible, a guest stint on ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ alongside the other cast members of ‘Seinfeld’. The appearance will be Richards’ first mainstream appearance since his outburst and one that has many bigots across the country hoping for a repeat.
“He really changed the landscape for a lot of us in both positive and negative ways. 
It’s extremely rare to see a big name like that get up and say what we are all thinking and that brought the racial question back to the public realm. For a long time racism was kept below the surface but all of a sudden it surged back and in an incredibly public way,” said local racist Ben Simmons. “The problem with it is the fact that it was so public. When that happened anyone who talked about racial philosophy or identity was suddenly Michael Richards. We’ve been doing this for years and then all of a sudden all of our efforts were overtaken by a comedian, and a Jew to boot.”
Simmons also stated that he believed the community had come to an understanding with Richards and hoped that he would spout more racial epitaphs during his appearance on the program, though acknowledged that was unlikely.
“Racism has really been on the decline in recent years, something that is only likely to
continue as time moves forward. It’s difficult to say whether the election of Barack Obama is an expression of the change or a facilitator of it or both but the simple fact is America and the world is changing towards a far less prejudiced philosophy and mindset,” said Scrape TV Racism analyst Drake Douglas. “Inevitably bigotry will still exist but like all unfavourable things it will fall into the background static. People may still think and feel that way but they won’t state it in public. There’s little doubt that Michael Richards is still a racist but odds are he won’t voice that again in any public realm. He learned the hard way that doing so can have a very negative effect on one’s career.”
Richard’s principle hatred is directed towards black and Mexican people. It’s not clear how he feels about other races.
“Everyone loved ‘Seinfeld’ and Kramer in particular and that made his fall so much steeper. If he was a nobody than the effects of such a tirade would have been minimized but because people had faith in and affection for him his outburst was shocking and outrageous no matter what they may be thinking themselves,” continued Douglas. “Most Americans have enough sense to keep those kinds of things quiet in public. They may talk about them amongst friends but keep it quiet in public. I think Richards has finally learned that lesson and I doubt there will be any tirades anytime soon, especially not in his first attempt at a comeback.”
Richards has reportedly resigned himself to touring clubs through the deep south should this comeback attempt fail.
Samantha Dryden, Entertainment Correspondent
NEWS > ENTERTAINMENT > MICHAEL RICHARDS RETURNS TO RACIST ROOTS
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