Can't we all just get along?

As usual, Hollywood is constantly buzzing with dramas and traumas and I’m not talking about the new Ron Howard picture. Whether it is Madonna’s adopted baby or Nicole Richie’s razor sharp clavicle, celebrities keep us entertained and public relations professionals extremely busy. The latest round of controversy has once again led me to ask, “Where the hell was the PR professional?”

Michael Richards, of Seinfeld fame, is the latest celeb to be flogged by the media and the general public. A small part of me actually feels sorry for him. His lapse of judgment not only exposed his racist nature, it unveiled a hidden dark side. For those of you who visited the moon these last two weeks, Kramer was performing in a famous L.A. comedy club when he was confronted with hecklers.

Unfortunately, the veteran comedian lost his cool and launched an angry tirade on his hecklers that included the phrases ‘fifty years ago’, ‘slavery’, ‘lynch’ and ‘fork up your ass’ peppered with a few ‘niggers’ for garnish. From what I heard of the assault, everyone seemed to be in shock or indifferent at first. Then the reactions started pouring in. You could actually hear one girl exclaim, ‘Oh, my God,’ like she had just seen something horrific and she had.

I have two overwhelming feelings from this incident. Kramer must really have some rage issues. His response to the hecklers wasn’t a battle of superficial insults regarding their education, hair texture, penis size or proclivity for crime. It was based on a very specific violent period in American history and it rolled off his tongue like it had been stored in his brain for this specific moment.

How do you come back from such an ugly episode? It seems he had no PR help or a crisis team within those first days as evident by his uncomfortable appearance on the David Letterman Show. I feel sympathy for him because the shoe he stuck in his mouth is no enormous; it’s going to take 100 people to get it out. I think he’s genuinely sorry and probably has no idea where that anger came from.

However, the media has had a field day with this and blown it out of proportion. As always, they are capitalizing on the tantalizing aspect and not digging further for the root of the problem. Everyone seems happy to simply brand this guy a racist bastard. It’s very sad and I’m not sure his career can recover. Branding him an outcast doesn’t help end ignorance or racism. It just points the finger. So, we’re right where we started. We need more dialogue between people and more understanding that in many ways we’re alike. Our appearance and experiences may be different but we still value the same things. That’s the common bond.

What are your thoughts on his tirade?