The idea of racism needs to be abandoned. I am sure that the majority of us can agree on that. Racism, after all, is the idea that there is a superior race within humanity and that all other races are inferior to it (never mind that biologically, there is only one race). A logical conclusion would be that, since the other races are inferior, they could be treated with less regard than what would be given to the superior race. Progressing further, this makes practices like slavery and genocide perfectly acceptable in the eyes of the superior race, or ethnic group, or what have you.

There are certain words that have racist and degrading connotations. These words have been used over the centuries in an attempt to subjugate ‘inferior’ races. In today’s culture, there are those who use such words foolishly, giving no thought to the attitude that the words are expressing.

Recently, comedian Michael Richards (best known as the character “Kramer” from TV’s “Seinfeld”) had a bit of an outburst while performing at the Laugh Factory, a comedy club in West Hollywood. A black man in the audience was heckling him by saying, “you’re not funny” and Richards responded with an angry tirade of racial epithets and profanities (“look at him, he’s a n—–, you’re smart now, keep talking mother——!”) causing many in the audience to walk out.

He later delivered a tearful apology via satellite on “Late Show with David Letterman.” In his apology (you can view clips of it on www.cbsnews.com), he said, “I’m not a racist; that’s what’s so insane about this.”

I take him at his word on that. The most likely explanation is that he isn’t a stand-up comedian; he isn’t used to the live milieu and doesn’t know how to react to an unpredictable audience. This isn’t any excuse for what he said, but judging from video clips and interviews, the guy couldn’t take the pressure and he snapped onstage.

Still, why did he react by using an extremely racist term? If the heckler were white, would Richards have responded in the same way? Probably not. What if it were a black comedian instead? Would the audience respond similarly to the language that he used? Based on seeing actual performances from black comedians who use the same language in their routines, I would say no.

The n-word was used as early as the 17th century and has always carried derogatory connotations. If the n-word is still as offensive and racist as it always has been, pop culture doesn’t seem to recognize it as such.

If you listen to mainstream rap music, the n-word seems to be used wherever possible, lyrically speaking. It’s almost as if the word is fine to use when it’s one black rapper talking to another black rapper, but is color a morally relevant difference? Some people say that it’s harmless talk between friends and that it’s a symbol of community, but many think otherwise.

In 2004, comedian Bill Cosby was addressing a group of people gathered to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, and he had this to say about poor black youth who are unable to read or write: “your dirty laundry gets out of school at 2:30 every day, it’s cursing and calling each other n—– as they’re walking down the street.”

While I think that Cosby did well in addressing the problem, the main problem here isn’t just the word. Racism stems from the idea that an individual’s worth is judged by the group that he is in, not by his intrinsic worth. If you’re not in the group of the hour, then tough luck, you’re less than human. That example of sentiment may seem a bit exaggerated, but that’s what racism preaches.

The ignorant use of the word is not the problem; it is but a symptom of the dark nature that is present in all of us. In Richards’ case, he probably isn’t a card-carrying racist, but he is a human being and consequently retains that deep-seated darkness. Merely changing the way we talk will not solve the problem. We need to stop judging each other’s worth based on the groups of which we are a part. We are all human beings, and we all have intrinsic worth. We must realize and believe this if we are to change. We cannot change the fact that we are inherently flawed, but we can start recognizing our value and let our hearts and minds be transformed. How can we do that?
That’s up to you.