A couple of more TV celeb-related incidents post-Michael Richards rant have been making the news. First up, Andy Dick. You know him from News Radio, Less than Perfect and his MTV series The Assistant. He jumped on the stage at the Improv during Ian Bragg's set and, in an attempt at "too soon" humor, brandished the n-bomb. He's been apologizing ever since. A legitimately funny and meaningful use of the "n-word," however, came from Damon Wayans' of Showtime's The Underground. Wayans took the stage at the now famous Laugh Factory last night with a stack of twenties. Since Richards' rant, the club owner has banned the word - levying a $20 per usage fee and three month ban on any comedian who uses the word. Wayans proceeded to drop the n-word sixteen times saying, "I'll be damned if the white man uses that word last." That's $320 price tag for a little freedom of speech, if you're counting.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-07-2006 @ 2:42PM
Resin said...
Strange ban. CLub owner hates this word? Strange man
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12-07-2006 @ 4:49PM
Alan said...
To see a particularly unfunny way of dancing around the N-Word, check out Damon's super hero, Super N-word on the showtime website in a sketch called "You're Fired."
http://www.sho.com/site/underground/home.do?source=shocom_nav
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12-08-2006 @ 10:38PM
katie said...
If people want the word not used by the "WHITE MAN", then the word should not be used by anyone else. Comedians who keep using it are only putting themselves down by keeping the word in play. Using the word and not allowing others to use it is ridiculous, that's reverse discrimination in every sense of the word.
STOP USING THE N-Word!!!!!
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12-07-2006 @ 11:38PM
Book Fan said...
How is that a "legitimately funny and meaningful use"? I mean, you have two paragraphs right next to each other, somehow one attempt at humor is "too soon" and the other is "funny and meaningful", because of the relative levels of melanin in the two.
If anything it's the opposite-- Andy pointing out the absurdity of the word itself and of calling names like that, and using it toward the entire heterogeneous audience. Wayans' was some kind of stale reclamation of cultural ownership of a word that should be relegated to worthlessness and absurdity, and probably an attempt to capitalize on an entirely unfunny subject to get some notice for himself. Sounds hilarious.
Besides, I don't care if you believe you're funny or not, using a phrase like "the white man" is a racially insensitive amalgam. We are individuals too, I am awaiting his apology.
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12-08-2006 @ 10:22AM
TomB said...
I'm against using the n-word at all, blah, blah, blah.
Now I'm just getting sick of hearing about it.
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1-02-2007 @ 8:24PM
Kat said...
It's no surprise Wayans would do that. That family is so obviously anti-white. Interesting how he's more worried about "a white man using that word last" rather than being happy it's no longer aloud. These types of blacks have their whole thinking wrong...they should be wanting the word stopped altogether, not worrying about who said it last.
This is one reason I won't buy any of the "In Living Color" DVD sets.
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