Another useless ‘racist’ thing?
November 25, 2006 | 12:00am
Every morning when I wake up, I saunter to my kitchen, brew myself a cup of coffee, then plop down in front of my TV set and watch the Today show. It’s American news with a touch of foreign. I figure, if the Philippines makes it there, then we’re making international news. So far we’ve been mentioned just once. Something collapsed somewhere and schoolchildren were killed. That was a while back.
The Today show isn’t just about news; there are all sorts of interesting stories and some gossip. This morning it was about Michael Richards, the guy who played Kramer in Seinfeld. He was doing a stand-up comedy show in New York and two of the guests were talking during his performance. Miffed, he called them "N______". That’s the way it appeared on TV. They called him a "cracker______." The media then called Michael Richards a "racist," and compared him to Mel Gibson, who was also labeled a "racist" when he said something derogatory about Jews.
Then the film clips followed – a tall, mean-looking black guy berating Michael Richards. The comedian Jerry Seinfeld, saying he had asked Kramer to apologize. Finally, Kramer apologizing on TV. I am sitting there asking myself, "What are the similarities between Michael Richards and Mel Gibson?" Mel was caught drunk driving, a wrong thing to do, then he said something against the Jews. That earned him the label of "racist." Kramer – or Richards – was performing and was thrown off by two guys who wouldn’t stop talking. He called them the "N" word and possibly even the "F" word. Was he wrong to do that?
I don’t know about you, guys, but there’s a rule I remember from when I was a child: when you go to a performance, you pay attention. One of the rules is no talking, loud whispering, or murmuring, especially to each other. If you need to say something to your seatmate, write it and pass it on. Talking makes noise. It interferes with the show. It is impolite and rude to do that. When you do that, then you are inviting some attention from the performer. I guess Richards’ choice of words could be called racist, but not his actions. And in my view, he was provoked.
It’s hard to predict what you will do when you’re provoked. Many years ago I went to the movie Sleepless in Seattle with friends. I found myself seated beside a couple. The woman talked all the time. She would make dumb comments like, "Ay ang ganda ng kama ni Tom Hanks. Siguro diyan sila natutulog ng asawa niya (How nice the bed of Tom Hanks is. Maybe that’s where he slept with his wife)." The man answered, "Patay na ang asawa niya (She’s dead already)."
Anyway, her talk was constant and I grew increasingly annoyed. I looked at the friend, who sat beside me; he was asleep. I could not talk back and irritate them, too. So I sat there quietly, being patient, mindlessly absorbing her chatter without knowing that I was being drawn into it. There is this scene in the movie where Meg Ryan drives to an area near Tom Hanks’ house and sees him meeting up with friends, a man and a woman. He kisses the woman on the cheek. "Ay!" the woman beside me exclaimed. "Sino iyon? Girlfriend ba yon? (Who is that? His girlfriend?)
Automatically I replied: "Hindi, kaibigan lang, hindi niya girlfriend. (No, just a friend, not the girlfriend)." Then I looked at her, my eyes big with disbelief. I was talking to a total stranger whose constant chatter I could not stand. What provoked me into doing that? I looked away immediately and spent the rest of the movie in a suppressed state of serious giggles. She, on the other hand, shut up after that. It was a great moment for me.
Here in the Philippines, people talk all the time. Go to a conference of lawyers, doctors, businessmen. Someone is making a speech. At tables all around you, people are talking. The speech rises above a thick murmur of personal talk. Wherever you go, where people are meant to be quiet and listen, Filipinos are talking all the time. I remember when I lived in the US how well we got along with the black guys. Similarities in culture, I thought then. Now I have a little proof. We both talk out loud when we’re supposed to listen. Then other people are accused of being "racist." Maybe Richard’s language was. He should not have called them the "N" word. They should not have called him the "F" word. The issue here is not racist. It’s good manners and proper behavior at performances. But times have changed. It’s a new millennium now and people are ruder.
Oh, well, amusing anyway. Let’s see what happens tomorrow when I plop down in front of the TV to watch the Today show. Another useless racist thing?
Please send your comments to secondwind.barbara@gmail.com or lilypad@skyinet.net or text 0917-8155570.
The Today show isn’t just about news; there are all sorts of interesting stories and some gossip. This morning it was about Michael Richards, the guy who played Kramer in Seinfeld. He was doing a stand-up comedy show in New York and two of the guests were talking during his performance. Miffed, he called them "N______". That’s the way it appeared on TV. They called him a "cracker______." The media then called Michael Richards a "racist," and compared him to Mel Gibson, who was also labeled a "racist" when he said something derogatory about Jews.
Then the film clips followed – a tall, mean-looking black guy berating Michael Richards. The comedian Jerry Seinfeld, saying he had asked Kramer to apologize. Finally, Kramer apologizing on TV. I am sitting there asking myself, "What are the similarities between Michael Richards and Mel Gibson?" Mel was caught drunk driving, a wrong thing to do, then he said something against the Jews. That earned him the label of "racist." Kramer – or Richards – was performing and was thrown off by two guys who wouldn’t stop talking. He called them the "N" word and possibly even the "F" word. Was he wrong to do that?
I don’t know about you, guys, but there’s a rule I remember from when I was a child: when you go to a performance, you pay attention. One of the rules is no talking, loud whispering, or murmuring, especially to each other. If you need to say something to your seatmate, write it and pass it on. Talking makes noise. It interferes with the show. It is impolite and rude to do that. When you do that, then you are inviting some attention from the performer. I guess Richards’ choice of words could be called racist, but not his actions. And in my view, he was provoked.
It’s hard to predict what you will do when you’re provoked. Many years ago I went to the movie Sleepless in Seattle with friends. I found myself seated beside a couple. The woman talked all the time. She would make dumb comments like, "Ay ang ganda ng kama ni Tom Hanks. Siguro diyan sila natutulog ng asawa niya (How nice the bed of Tom Hanks is. Maybe that’s where he slept with his wife)." The man answered, "Patay na ang asawa niya (She’s dead already)."
Anyway, her talk was constant and I grew increasingly annoyed. I looked at the friend, who sat beside me; he was asleep. I could not talk back and irritate them, too. So I sat there quietly, being patient, mindlessly absorbing her chatter without knowing that I was being drawn into it. There is this scene in the movie where Meg Ryan drives to an area near Tom Hanks’ house and sees him meeting up with friends, a man and a woman. He kisses the woman on the cheek. "Ay!" the woman beside me exclaimed. "Sino iyon? Girlfriend ba yon? (Who is that? His girlfriend?)
Automatically I replied: "Hindi, kaibigan lang, hindi niya girlfriend. (No, just a friend, not the girlfriend)." Then I looked at her, my eyes big with disbelief. I was talking to a total stranger whose constant chatter I could not stand. What provoked me into doing that? I looked away immediately and spent the rest of the movie in a suppressed state of serious giggles. She, on the other hand, shut up after that. It was a great moment for me.
Here in the Philippines, people talk all the time. Go to a conference of lawyers, doctors, businessmen. Someone is making a speech. At tables all around you, people are talking. The speech rises above a thick murmur of personal talk. Wherever you go, where people are meant to be quiet and listen, Filipinos are talking all the time. I remember when I lived in the US how well we got along with the black guys. Similarities in culture, I thought then. Now I have a little proof. We both talk out loud when we’re supposed to listen. Then other people are accused of being "racist." Maybe Richard’s language was. He should not have called them the "N" word. They should not have called him the "F" word. The issue here is not racist. It’s good manners and proper behavior at performances. But times have changed. It’s a new millennium now and people are ruder.
Oh, well, amusing anyway. Let’s see what happens tomorrow when I plop down in front of the TV to watch the Today show. Another useless racist thing?
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