Hardball: Michael Richards

Welcome back to Hardball, I'm Chris Matthews. Where do we draw the line between free speech and offensive speech? Joining me via satellite is Michael Richards, who played Kramer on the old Seinfeld show. Mr. Richards, welcome to the show.

 

 

Thanks for having me, Chris. This isn't an easy thing for me to talk about, and I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak directly to the American people.

 

 

It's a touchy subject. Let me start by asking you, why in the world would a person - especially a public figure - feel the need to use hateful, inflammatory, racial epithets?

 

 

Well Chris, first I'd like to say that I'm deeply sorry for...

 

 

I mean, what was this guy thinking?

 

 

I'd also like to...I'm sorry, what was who thinking?

 

 

George Allen.

 

 

George Allen??

 

 

Of all things to say - macaca? That's a very offensive term.

 

 

I thought I was here to talk about...

 

 

Nobody wants to hear the word macaca. Macacas sure as hell don't want to hear it.

 

 

Well...

 

 

How would you feel if you were a macaca, and you turn on your TV - actually, I'm not sure macacas even watch TV...you know anything about macacas?

 

 

I really don't think...

 

 

OK, let's just say for the sake of argument that macacas do watch television.

 

 

Umm..OK.

 

 

Maybe they've got their own cable channel, like, I don't know, The Macaca Channel or something.

 

 

Could happen, I guess.

 

 

They might show macaca movies, macaca music videos, macaca-centric talk shows - maybe they have their own kind of "macaca Oprah."

 

 

So, you're a macaca, you're watching a nice macaca movie, maybe a macaca game show, eating whatever macacas eat, then the news comes on, and right there on the screen, you see this guy, George Allen, using the term "macaca". How would that make you feel?

 

 

I don't know. I suppose if I was a...a...

 

 

Macaca?

 

 

Right. If that's an offensive term, I don't think I'd like to hear anyone using it.

 

 

Exactly. Some people just don't get that. Anyway, why do you think he would say something so offensive? And by that, of course, I mean, macaca.

 

 

Umm...

 

 

I mean, come on, can you think of a more derogatory term for people of a specific race?

 

 

Not right off the top of my head.

 

 

Of course you can't. Look, we've had people in this country fighting for equal rights, practically forever - let's see, there was Martin Luther King, Al Sharpton, George Clooney, The Dixie Chicks.

 

 

Uh-huh.

 

 

You're a celebrity, I'm sure you've taken some stands or made some statements that didn't exactly win you any popularity contests.

 

 

You have no idea.

 

 

You can say that again. The point is, I don't think we'll be seeing any tapes of Michael Richards saying "macaca" any time soon, right?

 

 

Let's hope not.

 

 

Anyway, that's the show, thanks to Michael Richards, and be sure to join us again tomorrow for day 95 of MacacaGate here on Hardball - I'm Chris Macaca.

 

 

 

 

I mean Matthews.

 

Comments

[Amador]

twist, twist, twist.
That's the way it's gonna be. Incert fork and twist.
What's the magic word ?
'Please ?'
No, twist, twist.
'Uncle ?'
No, twist, twist.
'Macaca ?'
That's a good boy. You can go now.
'Mommy, ouch, mommy.'

[CZ]

STOP IT, YER KILLIN' ME!!!

There is no blog, website, newspaper or tv show that makes me bust out laffing so hard, so consistently than this one. I have a difficult time catching my breath each time I come here.

This post was just awesome!

Whoever you are, you write the very best political humor site there is IMHO!

Genius I tells ya'!

[Greg Tinti]

Hilarious! And you definitely nailed Matthews's intro style and general way of talking. Very well done.

[Dodger]

El macaca es grande.

[TT]

Chris Matthews:

“Look, if I were a Macaca and watching Macaca MSNBC and eating Macaca Nuts, I certainly would not want to think about roasted Macaca Nuts, or electrified Macaca nuts... Or Worse, glowing Macaca nuts. Can’t you just apologize to the Nut industry?”

[Insomniac]

¡Chris Matthews es el macaca más grande en todo el mundo!

¡Wuzzadem es un hombre muy divertido!

[JFKerry]

I thought "macaca" was that stupid dance craze of the early 90s...

[Swamp Rabbit]

All Your Macaca Are Belong To Us

[eLarson]

What do the macaques think about it, for that matter?

[Smitty]

When are ya'll gonna make fun of Olbermann?

Or Nancy Grace?

-cs™

[hnav]

hehehe...

i still am amazed the MSM was able to ignore Hillary making that equally ugly ethnic joke about Gandhi owning Gas Stations...

the bias is so outrageous.

[DaS02co]

Yep Mr Richards tirad offended me but this offended me more http://www.tampabays10.com/video/news/?aid=35177&sid=43603 Where is the NAACP on this? Where is the outrage? Where is the MSM?

P.S. Well done!

[dattexas]

still am amazed the MSM was able to ignore Hillary making that equally ugly ethnic joke about Gandhi owning Gas Stations...
___________________________________________________

Um, sorry to burst your bubble, but that story was all over the news.

[Herm]

replace every instance of Macaca with M-Word.

[Dave in Texas]

Muchos macaca.