Katt Williams’ Anti-Mexican Hysterics in Phoenix – Loyal American or Racist?

 Okay, let me first say this. I love Katt Williams. I think he is funny and he captures life’s ins and outs with a profanity driven spin that tears my insides apart. That being said, I am Black and I live in Phoenix, Arizona. After watching his antics at a show here a couple of days ago, I gotta wonder did he go too far.

Some would say, in comedy, there is no such thing as going too far. But I beg to differ….yes, we all laugh at jokes that poke fun at our race, our religion, our speech, our way of life, and the way we feel about the country. But just when is it not okay to make jokes about someone’s race? I think when you are making a direct insult fueled by anger to a person or people on a whole, it is offensive. Katt Williams got upset by an audience member who was Hispanic….in Phoenix…Arizona….a border state....well you get the idea….Katt Williams ran with it.

I’ve been checking out different articles on this story and reading the comments submitted by people. There seems to be a “he’s just saying what everyone else is scared to say” sort of thing. I also read some comments where people were greatly offended by what he said. Here's the link to the video in case you missed it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLPgn3JDSnA

What I feel is this; I grew up in a mostly black part of Detroit where white people stayed with whites and black people stayed with blacks. We moved to the suburbs in my teen years and I got exposed to a cultural shock. Even more so when I moved out to Arizona from Michigan, there was an even greater culture shock. For the most part, everyone mingles with everyone, no matter what the race. I happen to really like Mexican people. I get into debates with family members all the time who do not feel the same. Yes, I know people who are racist. But I do not let that change my way of thinking. And I think we need more of that in this country. Think for yourself; don’t just go along with the mainstream norm, the Tea Party, the conservatives, the liberals, blah, blah, blah. Why can’t we all do what our mothers taught us growing up? Treat people the way they treat you. Or did some of us not grow up that way?

What did I do when I watched the video? I laughed, to be honest. Then I watched the Hispanic male leave from the audience. I have to say after watching the video, it was like being back in school watching two boys cap on each other and one was just better than the other at it. I don’t know what the Hispanic male said to Katt Williams, but it must have REALLY pissed him off in order for him to go all out like he did. Personally, I feel that once he saw that he was angered the audience member, he should have just moved on with his performance….but not Katt, he continued to add more fuel to the fire while at the same time raising his own blood pressure and leaving all common sense and professionalism behind.

I really don’t know how I feel about him now, but I know a lot of Mexicans and I can say (in my own experience) that they are some of the hardest working, family oriented people I know. Sure they have faults, but what race doesn’t? Hispanics, while racing towards being the new majority race in this nation, is also faced with being the new ‘black” people. In other words, you’ve got a fight on your hands for your identity just like us blacks have been and still are going through.  To all the Hispanic people that were offended by Katt Williams’ performance, I say this on behalf of him…. lo siento, perdoname por favor (I’m sorry, please forgive me).