Michael Richards, the comedian who portrayed Seinfeld's pal Kramer, is in the hot seat for an outburst during a stand up routine at an LA club. Responding to heckling from a group of african-americans, Richards launched into a tirade that can be seen here

Many are saying that this could very well be the end of Richard's career, and that what he said went beyond the drunken anti-semitic tirade of Mel Gibson. What I think is that Richards was not voicing his own feelings about black people, but attempting, in the mode of Lenny Bruce, to parody racial prejudice. His repeated shouting of the word "nigger", and his final comments " words..we still have these words" confirm that this, in my mind, was his intent.
The effect was entirely the opposite, and I think if you watch Richard's reaction to the audience's response, you perceive that he is shocked that they're taking him at face value, and has no idea how to proceed.
I'm curious about the thoughts of others regarding this very odd incident.