10 New Year's Resolution Suggestions for Michael Richards

A lot of people, including me, were shocked by the recent bigoted remarks expressed by comedian Michael Richards. Up until that time, he had been a television icon, largely due to his over-the-top Cosmo Kramer character on the unforgettable "Seinfeld" television series.

He is not, however, the first Hollywood celebrity to disgrace himself with tacky, irrational conduct and, sadly, is unlikely to be the last.

I have some New Year's resolution suggestions for Mr. Michael Richards, which may help him be a lot more thoughtful in the future.

1. Be honest about your struggles with prejudice.

It may be politically correct for celebrities to act as though they don't suffer from the same social maladies that "regular" people do, but the reality is that the famous are still human beings.

Screaming out offensive racial slurs because you're angry at somebody is a clear indication that you may have some deeper issues regarding your perceptions of black people. Denying that you are a bigot, when your words have revealed otherwise, is not going to remedy the problem.

Be honest enough to admit that you may have some difficulties with your views of people from other ethnic groups.
Maybe you had this hostility buried somewhere deep down in your psyche and this incident caused it to be revealed.

Confessing to yourself that you strugglewith fighting preconceived ideasyou have about folks outside your own culture is the first step to turning things around, because then you can get help to reprogram your thinking.


2. Get to the root of your anger issues.

We all say stupid things, on occasion, when we get angry.

Given recent events, your main issue seems to be that you get very easily enraged. When you do, you appear to lose all self-control and launch into risky, out -of-control behavior. Much like an unexpected tornado, you mercilessly attack those in your path, not caring who you hurt when you are caught up in the moment of your fury.