One can't condemn Mel Gibson and not Michael Richards. Tragically, it seems that these men have deep-rooted hate -- one for Jews, the other for Blacks. Frankly, I'm tired of the excuses: "It was the liquor" or "It was the hecklers".
Jerry Seinfeld, a Jew from my hometown of Massapequa, NY, would do well to distance himself from the Michael Richards mess or risk his own reputation. His heart was certainly in the right place by arranging for "Kramer" to appear on David Letterman.
But the public needs to know that both Gibson and Richards have done the hard personal work necessary to rid themselves of their bigoted rage before beginning to forgive. Public apologies are a good start. Now let's see if either or both of these men are capable of true, lasting change.
UPDATE: We just learned that Michael Richards reached out to Howard Rubenstein, who in turn, arranged a phone call with Rev. Al Sharpton. -- and later the Rev. Jesse Jackson. There's only one problem: Mr. Sharpton, himself, has made anti-Semitic comments, helped to incite the Crown Heights riots that led to the death of Yankel Rosenbaum, and was part of the Tawana Brawley rape hoax during the 1980s. Jackson once called New York "Hymietown" and also said he was sick of hearing about the Holocaust. It is simply misguided to think that Sharpton or Jackson represent the best of African-American leaders.
Michael Richards' long road to forgiveness would be better served by speaking with Barak Obama or Oprah Winfrey, who have the respect of most African Americans and who do not have bigoted backgrounds. Richards should then make a multimillion donation to the United States National Slavery Museum.
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