Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

COLUMN: Condoning racism
By Alan Wright
The Diamondback (U. Maryland)
12/04/2006

(U-WIRE) COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Until last week, many Americans would not have been able to identify Michael Richards. Now, after his infamous performance at the Laugh Factory comedy club where he spewed racist remarks at two black men who were heckling his standup routine, Richards is instantly recognizable. Not simply as Kramer — his previously lovable character on Seinfeld — but as Michael Richards, a racist bigot.

Whether this conclusion is an accurate reflection of the real Richards is debatable — I can't see how the venom with which he spoke could mirror much else, but you can judge for yourself. Leaving that debate aside, the incident presents our society with a moment to contemplate how we react to racism in pop culture.

In this case, it is relatively easy for the majority of Americans to agree on what is right and wrong. Singling out members of an audience by their skin color and calling them "n-----s" does not, in any way, constitute "just part of a standup routine." What Richards said on stage was racist and wrong — plain and simple. But if we consider the standup routines of talented and refined comedians such as Dave Chappelle, who often use racial overtones in their performances, the line between racism and the use of racism to expose biases and stereotypes blurs. Even Chappelle has questioned whether his show really deconstructs stereotypes or just promotes them.

Where does that leave us as an audience? It's easy enough to disconnect ourselves from entertainers such as Richards or Mel Gibson, whom we blame for being racist or anti-Semitic, yet maintain our own moral superiority. But are we in some way connected and implicated in their racism? Do we allow a more subdued form of racism to exist by ignoring other forms of it in pop culture?

We are complicit in pop racism as we consume products. In the case of Richards, the audience at the Laugh Factory walked out, sending him a clear message: We don't support your racism. Yet at the same time, we fail to question some of our consumption habits that promote these same entertainers. We shouldn't all go out and burn our Seinfeld DVDs, but it does mean we should at least revisit our conception of Seinfeld.

Is the Seinfeld character Babu — the beloved Pakistani restaurant owner — an accurate portrayal of hardworking immigrants who legally emigrate to this country in hope of a better life? Or do his mannerisms, accent and backwardness simply reflect the stereotypical 7-Eleven Indian store clerk (like The Simpsons' Apu)? How about other minority characters in Seinfeld? How are they portrayed?

Not everything turns out to be so clear-cut. While the show Seinfeld is guilty of stereotyping minorities - think about Kramer's lawyer, Jackie Chiles, the Johnnie Cochran wannabe - it also confronts other cultural taboos and satirizes the '90s' obsession with political correctness. But we should still be careful when rushing to judgment without examining ourselves.

If the artist is his or her work, then we are, to some extent, the products we consume. Seeing the role we play in this cycle is an important one. The more we separate ourselves from racism in popular culture, the less likely we are to realize our own prejudices. And unfortunately, I don't think any of us is completely free of guilt in this regard.

Alan Wright is a senior economics and government and politics major. He can be reached at amwright2@gmail.com.

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