The type of irrational rage exhibited by Richards is not a phenomenon specific only to comics. When threatened physically or verbally, people can become unrecognizable versions of themselves. Many men have called their girlfriends crude, filthy names in the heat of the moment during an argument. Some guys will come to a point in an argument where they let their anger take over, causing them to say hateful things they don't mean and will regret later. As an example, some men will give into the temptation to use the despicable “C” word to deliver shock and pain to their companion as a way, in their irrational angry mind, of annihilating their female adversary. Of course, the men don't mean what they are saying, but they want to draw first blood by saying the meanest, most degrading thing they can think of to release their frustration. Richards may have been reacting in a similar manner to a heckler who had pushed him to the end of his rope. People can react with primitive, abusive behaviors when they are feeling threatened. This type of reaction is never acceptable, and it should not be tolerated; however, we shouldn't totally define a person by one emotional outburst either.

Michael Richards is, according to some reports, an emotionally high-strung individual as are many performers. While this is not an excuse, it can help explain Richards' unfortunate emotional reaction; he became overly passionate in defense of his art and launched a racial tirade that may or may not represent his true heart. As a comedian and seasoned performer, he should have been able to handle the situation more intelligently than sinking to the level of racial insults to defend himself against a heckler who was obviously craving attention. Richards has made his heckler the victor by playing into his hands and giving him nationwide media attention while at the same time putting his career on very shaky ground.

Hecklers can be relentless and challenging, and sometimes they can push enough of the right buttons to tempt a comic to lose his cool. A person can say something to you while you are on stage that in any other venue could perhaps resort in a physical confrontation; however, when you're on stage, you have a responsibility to your profession and the people who paid to see you. They didn't come to see an argument or verbal abuse of audience members; they came to laugh. The best way to handle a heckler is to get the audience to laugh at him, which can be hard. It breaks away from your prepared material and forces you into a world of improv, which can be uncomfortable for many comedians. Some comedians are armed with stock material to handle popular heckles; you'd be surprised how people all over the country who think they are clever and funny heckle comedians in completely the same way. Every once in a while, however, you will encounter someone who really does push your buttons because maybe you are struggling on stage on that particular night, and you can become stumped on how to get out of the situation with a laugh instead of an awkward verbal exchange. The important thing is to keep your anger under control. Eventually, people may tire of his need for attention and turn on him. When comedy clubs support their comics by removing rude and persistent hecklers, both the comic and the audience benefit. Most people come to clubs to have a good time and don't want their evening to be spoiled by an unruly patron.

There is no formula on how to keep your cool and handle a bad heckler. Some comedians are better at it than others. All I can say is that you have to remember you're there to do a job, and if you lose your cool, you will end up making the heckler into a victim and the rest of your set will be ruined. Keep your temper under control and keep giving the heckler enough rope until he hangs himself by causing the audience to turn against him so that he is too embarrassed to continue. Do not overreact and cause the audience to sympathize with the heckler as Richards did.

Handling a rude audience member who wants to be the performer of the show can be one of the hardest things we deal with in this career, but it is part of the gig. You have to remain calm and professional and handle it in a way that doesn't ruin the show or offend an entire group of people. We chose a business where people can be ruthless in their criticism, and sometimes they do it on tape. It is our responsibility to remember that one recorded misstep can ruin a career, and we need to act accordingly. To be fair to Michael Richards, I think we can all remember times where we did or said something unacceptable or offensive out of frustration or anger and be thankful nobody was there to record us and post it on YouTube.

• "The Struggling Comic" appears exclusively in Lumino Magazine. Dustin White is a comedian/writer/actor living in Chicago. You can reach him through his Web site at www.dustinwhitecomedian.com.

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