If you haven't already seen Michael Richards go on a deranged, racist rant at a comedy nightclub after being interrupted by some hecklers, you should. (Warning: This is incredibly disturbing and contains offensive language; you may never be able to watch Seinfeld again.) First Mel Gibson and now Kramer. I don't really have anything to say about this, but I look forward to the reading your comments.

UPDATE: Here's a link to his apology on Letterman. (Thanks, Grant!) One thing about his apology that is striking is his insistence that heis not a racist. Hard to believe, given his words. But I think a lot ofracism is like that: lying beneath the surface, operating subtly and unconsciously, not fully recognized by the person himself until it bubbles up into full view in response to some trigger. I recommend that readers take a look at Harvard's implicit association web site, which allows you to test your ownimplicit racial attitudes through a series of tests you can take onyour desktop computer. Just click through the demonstration link andfollow the link to Race IAT (which is at the bottom of a list ofoptions). The results will almost certainly surprise you.