Assignment Details

If you have not seen Michael Richards tirade against hecklers in a comedy club that was filled with racist comments, watch this video clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoLPLsQbdt0

If the link does not pull up just Google: Michael Richards tirade

Columnist Eric Zorn asks: Did Richards’ outburst arise from racism, or was it the result of an uncontrollable anger problem? As Zorn suggests, “Maybe the impulse to use those words came not from a desire to express his deepest, hidden views on the inherent comparative value of the races but from a momentary desire to inflict as much pain verbally as he could upon people at whom he was unjustifiably but extremely furious.” Is it possible to rattle off a list of racial slurs without a racist intent or without it revealing a deep-seeded prejudice?

You could also look at/discuss/draw a parallel about Mel Gibsons similar behavior in his history of controversial rants (also available via You Tube).

If you use any outside sources be sure to include a separate reference page. Refer to the resources mentioned in the Assignment Requirements Document for specific format requirements.

Criteria

This assignment needs to meet the following criteria:

Include the following sections (with a minimum of 2 double-spaced pages of text beyond the title & reference pages):
-Title page (course #/your name/assignment #)
– Discuss whether or not Richards tirade was racist (3-4 paragraphs)
– Do you think that it was his intent to execute pain rather than revealing a deep seated
hatred? (5-6 paragraphs)
– Conclude whether or not racial slurs can exist without a racist intent/prejudice (1-2
  paragraphs)
– Reference page (if you used any outside resources to garner your opinions)

Do not directly quote outside resources (e.g., the textbook). You should get used to paraphrasing outside resources, whereby you put the information in your own words while still citing the source from which you derived your information. Keep in mind that using anything more than three consecutive words of the outside source is considered plagiarism.