I’m going to make an assumption that everyone knows who Michael Richards is, the guy who played Kramer on Seinfeld. If you haven’t seen the video of his meltdown at the Laugh Factory, or read any of the blogs discussing his awful behavior here are some links that you can follow: Integral Opinions Blog, cele | bitchy, and Webloggin’ – Blog.
It is clear from his behavior during the standup routine that he completely lost his cool. What isn’t clear is if he was under the influence of some substance that alters ones ability to control themselves. I would give you two quick pieces of advice that should help keep you from committing career suicide:
Caution: Video contains objectionable materialÂÂ
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1) Don’t take substances which alter your mood. That means when you are in the public eye, don’t drink, or if you must drink do so with extreme moderation so that you don’t lose control of yourself. What you do or say in public can very easily effect your job. The company picnic, the Christmas party, the bosses birthday celebration – all opportunities for career meltdown if you lose control.
2) Don’t lose your temper. That means if you get mad, you need to get calm before saying anything to anyone. If it is a long term problem, then seek professional help. See a therapist, work with anger management programs so that you can control your emotions and respond in appropriate ways to stimuli that make you angry.
Now, I’m not in a position to judge whether or not Michael Richards is a racist. I’m not sure that there are very many people in the world who are. But I can tell you that his remarks were ugly and hurtful and no employer would allow those kinds of words to come out of an employees mouth without serious consequence. I can’t address the racist content of Michael Richards’ heart, and certainly not yours if you have any. But racism and racist speech is something that should remain out of sight and under control as you work to improve as a human being. I think racism is a terrible thing, and it isn’t acceptable behavior. If you harbor feelings that are like those expressed in loud, obnoxious screaming sessions by Mr. Richards, the very least you can do is protect your professional career by keeping those thoughts to yourself as you work with a therapist or your clergyman to learn to love your fellow man.