As soon as they were seated they and their friends were singled out by Richards as a “stupid bunch of Mexicans and blacks.” Richards went on to give them the finger, and use the word nigger over and over again. Their comments to him, such as calling him a cracker, were made only in response to his words.

It is both tempting and frightening to want to read Richards’ mind. Why choose such a horrific image and why use the first person? Clearly lynching photos put Richards in a happy frame of mind and he quite literally sees himself in the gory pictures with the killers.

In the past it would have been unthinkable for the black chattering classes to speak anything other than condemnation of Richards. No longer. Richards sick fantasy is supported by black people who know that attacking their own is a sure path to fame and fortune.

“John Ridley knows that the quickest way to access the powerful and make large sums of cash is to give black people the worst beat down possible.”

John Ridley is the worst example of this frightening trend. Ridley is a screenwriter and performer who has apparently grown tired of pitching to Hollywood executives. He has become prominent of late because he thinks and says quite openly that most black Americans are niggers. Ridley described the victims of Richards attack as “a couple of "N words" who walked into a comedy club.”

Ridley is the new “must read” black pundit and he is certainly no fool. He knows that the quickest way to access the powerful and make large sums of cash is to give black people the worst beat down possible. In the December 2006 issue of Esquire magazine he does just that.

“And though they spliff and drink and procreate their way onto welfare doles and WIC lines, niggers will tell you their state of being is no fault of their own. They are not responsible for their nearly 5 percent incarceration rate and their 9.2 percent unemployment rate. Not responsible for the 11.8 percent rate at which they drop out of high school. For the 69.3 percent of births they create out of wedlock.”

Yes, Mr. and Ms. Black America. According to Ridley, if you have had children without being married, you are a nigger. If you can’t find a job, you are a nigger. If you didn’t finish high school, you are a nigger. If you criticize Colin and Condi for killing thousands, you are a nigger. There is no other explanation for your life story or your beliefs, and no blame for other people or institutions. You are just a nigger and all is right with everyone else.

Michael Richards brought enemies out into the open. Anyone who says he shouldn’t have said nigger, but isn’t really a racist, is the enemy. Anyone who dismisses the outrage as mere piling on is the enemy. Anyone who said his behavior was excusable because he was heckled is an enemy. Anyone who says he should be forgiven because he called Al and Jesse is the enemy. Anyone who says that the word nigger should be embraced into nonexistence is an enemy. Our enemies certainly outnumber our friends.

“The NAACP wanted to 'reach out' to Richards, whose evil words tell us all we need to know.”

The Hollywood branch of the NAACP may not be the enemy, but they aren’t the most dependable of friends either. They wanted to “reach out” to Richards, whose evil words tell us all we need to know.

The Hollywood NAACP said that television was partly to blame. Negative imagery of black people effects some to the point that they imagine themselves committing torture and murder. Adding triteness to injury, the once august organization opined that Richards “should know better.”

They also needlessly addressed Mel Gibson’s anti-Jewish remarks in the same statement. Apparently insults to black people don’t stand up on their own. If they were going to mention anti-Semitism they might have asked if Jewish organizations would condemn the Jewish entertainer. Well, one can dream.

If the black chattering classes have nothing to offer but excuses or nonsense, we are in deep trouble. The only voices that gave expression to the masses of black people came from the world of entertainment. Jamie Foxx said it best. "When I see him, it's on. I'm not going to let him get away with it. If I'd have been in the audience he would've had to put his dukes up.”

Foxx may be alone in dispensing rough justice. Flavor of the month pundits and civil rights organizations won’t be there to help him.

Margaret Kimberley's Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgandaReport.Com. When sending email, please remember to replace the (at) with @.

Ms. Kimberley' maintains an edifying and frequently updated blog at  freedomrider.blogspot.com.  More of her work is also available at her Black Agenda Report archive page.