<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Michael Ray Richardson has been suspended for the rest of the CBA championship series for comments made to the Albany Times Union on Tuesday. "I've got big-time lawyers," Richardson said when asked about the contract that he was offered by GM Jim Coyne, according to the Times Union. "I've got big-time Jew lawyers." When told by the reporters that the comment could be offensive to people because it plays to the stereotype that Jews are crafty and shrewd, he responded with, "Are you kidding me? They are. They've got the best security system in the world. Have you ever been to an airport in Tel Aviv? They're real crafty. Listen, they are hated all over the world, so they've got to be crafty." And he continued, "They got a lot of power in this world, you know what I mean?" he said. "Which I think is great. I don't think there's nothing wrong with it. If you look in most professional sports, they're run by Jewish people. If you look at a lot of most successful corporations and stuff, more businesses, they're run by Jewish. It's not a knock, but they are some crafty people." And the offensive remarks didn't stop there. According to the Times Union, Richardson told a fan who heckled him early in Tuesday's game, "Shut the [expletive] up." And near game's end, he shouted at another heckler, "Shut the [expletive] up, you [derogatory term for gay men]."</div> Source Classy guy.
He just kept going on, didn't he? I mean, geez, its like the dude decided to randomly make a speech about why he hates Jewish people. What a dumbass.
When the reporters (who use comments like these to sell papers) are telling you that you've crossed the line and that you could be offending people, wouldn't you take the hint and stop? Apparently this guy is lacking some common sense.
<div class="quote_poster">Chutney Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">He just kept going on, didn't he? I mean, geez, its like the dude decided to randomly make a speech about why he hates Jewish people. What a dumbass.</div> He never said he hated Jewish people though. I think he actually meant it as a compliment. Just not very smart.
<div class="quote_poster">durvasa Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">He never said he hated Jewish people though. I think he actually meant it as a compliment. Just not very smart.</div> Yeah, you could actually see what he said (the parts from the article) as a compliment. But I guess the press and the people don't like to single out jews in any kind of way.
I don't know how anyone would get him hating Jewish people from what he said. I think he actually seems to show some sort of admiration for them in what he's saying. The problem comes in him sounding ignorant in what he's saying, and also the huge lack of political correctness in all that.
<div class="quote_poster">durvasa Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">He never said he hated Jewish people though. I think he actually meant it as a compliment. Just not very smart.</div> Yea hate was probably the wrong word. But he definitely showed some contempt. That was a pretty underhanded "compliment."
<div class="quote_poster">Chutney Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Yea hate was probably the wrong word. But he definitely showed some contempt. That was a pretty underhanded "compliment."</div> I wouldn't call it contempt either. The whole thing started with him boasting about his lawyers being Jewish. If he actually held Jews in contempt, I don't think he'd have said what he said.
He was trying to compliment Jewish people... he just went about it the wrong way. I think the worse thing he said was the gay thing. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Swish:</div><div class="quote_post">First Michael Richards and now Michael Richardson. There must be something about that name.</div> Just the "Richards(on)" part.
<div class="quote_poster">durvasa Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I wouldn't call it contempt either. The whole thing started with him boasting about his lawyers being Jewish. If he actually held Jews in contempt, I don't think he'd have said what he said.</div> I don't know, the word "crafty" doesn't really have a positive connotation. That's a pretty common insult that racists directs towards Jewish people.
<div class="quote_poster">Chutney Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I don't know, the word "crafty" doesn't really have a positive connotation. That's a pretty common insult that racists directs towards Jewish people.</div> Yeah, but the way he used it wasn't insulting. He didn't bring up examples that were insulting. He didn't say Jews scammed people or were cheap or anything blatantly negative like that. He said they ran successful businesses. They created "the best security system in the world." He said "not a knock" and "that's great" in referring to such accomplishments. Just doesn't seem very insulting to me. Of course, I think the comments were stupid and ignorant because it's a stereotype and "politically incorrect." Any Jewish members here think it was offensive? Their opinions on this subject matter more than mine.
This is more funny to me because the guy clearly didn`t make any insulting, he was just complimenting the Jewish community in stereotypical ways.
comedians always make jokes about jewish people being clever with money, and crafty, and people laugh at them, but when someone says it out in public, its completely different. im not condoling his actions and i think he's really silly and immature for stereotyping jewish people, but think about all the other who stereotype jews without getting **** for it, i mean they stereotype them in an sneaky kind of way where everyone gets it but no one actually says it. but this guy was kind of digging himself into a hole here.
No excuse for this though. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">According to the Times Union, Richardson told a fan who heckled him early in Tuesday's game, "Shut the [expletive] up." And near game's end, he shouted at another heckler, "Shut the [expletive] up, you [derogatory term for gay men]."</div>
Michael Ray Richardson is my man.. He kept doing drugs until he got banned from the NBA.. Thats what ya gotta do, but these [people] keep suspending him for [harmless] comments..
Ehh, to me it's all about whether there's hatred there or not. He sounds like he doesn't have hate for them. Plus what he said - it's kind of true. LIke if a guy said "black guys - they're great athletes. They can jump really high and run really fast.". Is that racist in the same way we think of racist as a hatred thing? Or is it just a true observation. The fact is that many positions of power are held by Jewish men, especially in entertainment but in many industries. THat's a fact. It should be okay to say that. Saying that isn't wrong. Calling them "crafty" - well, that's more of a value judgment. Plus it's only a couple of words away from "miserly" and that is anti-Semitic...
<div class="quote_poster">phunDamentalz Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Ehh, to me it's all about whether there's hatred there or not. He sounds like he doesn't have hate for them. Plus what he said - it's kind of true. LIke if a guy said "black guys - they're great athletes. They can jump really high and run really fast.". Is that racist in the same way we think of racist as a hatred thing? Or is it just a true observation. </div> It's a stereotype. Not all Jews are "crafty". Not all black guys are great athletes. When you starting pinning characteristics on an entire race of people like that, that can lead to more harmful/negative characterizations.
<div class="quote_poster">durvasa Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah, but the way he used it wasn't insulting. He didn't bring up examples that were insulting. He didn't say Jews scammed people or were cheap or anything blatantly negative like that. He said they ran successful businesses. They created "the best security system in the world." He said "not a knock" and "that's great" in referring to such accomplishments. Just doesn't seem very insulting to me. Of course, I think the comments were stupid and ignorant because it's a stereotype and "politically incorrect." Any Jewish members here think it was offensive? Their opinions on this subject matter more than mine.</div> I guess we got different impressions from it. I just can't see how the word "crafty" can be used as a compliment. If he wanted to say the same thing without the negative connotations and stereotypes, he could have used words like clever, intelligent, resourceful, etc. Instead, I felt like he was regurgitating a pretty common insult towards Jewish people, but then spinning it around by saying how he respected rather than hated them for it. I see it similar to calling someone a cheater or a crook, but then saying that you give them credit for doing what it takes to be successful. At its heart, its still an insult. Regardless, I think we can both agree that, at the very least, he's stereotyping.
<div class="quote_poster">Chutney Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I guess we got different impressions from it. I just can't see how the word "crafty" can be used as a compliment. If he wanted to say the same thing without the negative connotations and stereotypes, he could have used words like clever, intelligent, resourceful, etc. Instead, I felt like he was regurgitating a pretty common insult towards Jewish people, but then spinning it around by saying how he respected rather than hated them for it. I see it similar to calling someone a cheater or a crook, but then saying that you give them credit for doing what it takes to be successful. At its heart, its still an insult.</div> Well, firstly, he's obviously not very smart. Secondly, I'm not sure he used the word "crafty" first. From the article it appears that another reporter might have introduced that word into the conversation .. something like, "You don't mean to say they're crafty, do you?" And he just went along with it because he's not too bright.
