WTF?: "Seinfeld"'s Michael 'Kramer' Richards in Weird-o-Rama Onstage Meltdown

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http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tmz.com/media/2006/11/photo_gallery_200x200.jpg

― mahalo 4 ur kokua (grady), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:32 (seventeen years ago) link

more random comments fun (on usa today article):
I think the hecklers got what they deserved. I saw one of them in an interview and he was trying to come off so innocent like he couldn’t do any wrong. He kept going on about an apology and how much it hurt him. I'm surprised he didn’t ask for reparations.
Posted by: Rob N DC | Nov 20, 2006 12:38:36 PM

― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:32 (seventeen years ago) link

jaymcs right maybe he's just bipredjudicial

― anticon jemima (ooo), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:33 (seventeen years ago) link

I think what he meant to say was, "Keep acting like that, asshole. That's why people are racist." But, it came out, "Look! There's a nigger! A nigger!"

― Bobby Ganush (Uri Frendimein), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:33 (seventeen years ago) link

any guesses as to how NYPost handles this one?

KKKramer!!!!

― mahalo 4 ur kokua (grady), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:33 (seventeen years ago) link

or kkkurious

xpost

― ^@^ (map), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:33 (seventeen years ago) link

KKKramer!!!!

i was tempted to do a lame zing abotu Richards having appeared in the movie Coneheads

― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:34 (seventeen years ago) link

ban nude spock

― geoff (gcannon), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:35 (seventeen years ago) link

haha I knew someone would have trouble handling that Seinfeldian observational comedy.

― Bobby Ganush (Uri Frendimein), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:36 (seventeen years ago) link

Well, if calling someone a "n*gger" doesn't automatically make someone capital-R-racist, how about invoking centuries of brutal, gruesome race-based violence as a method of silencing a heckler?

― Party Time Country Female (pullapartgirl), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:36 (seventeen years ago) link

"you're not funny. that's why you're a reject. never had no shows, never had no movies. seinfeld, that it."

not true! he had 8 episodes shot of The Michael Richards Show in 2000. he also had bit parts in Coneheads and Airheads so therefore that heckler jerk is just downright wrong.

― ath (ath), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:37 (seventeen years ago) link

This picture is a necessity if this thread is to go on any further:
http://www.allthingsyank.com/uhf15/stanleybw.jpg

― stoked for the madness (nickalicious), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:38 (seventeen years ago) link

whoever said michael richards has no career has never seen any films or television ever

― the car, the hole, and the peekskill meteorite (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:39 (seventeen years ago) link

This embarrassing social gaffe will no doubt inspire Larry David for an episode of next season's Curb Your Enthusiasm.

― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:40 (seventeen years ago) link

The surprising development in the aftermath is Paul Rodriguez, spokesman for Racial Dignity in Entertainment.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:40 (seventeen years ago) link

I still like the image of him accidentally pummeling his career into a pulp.

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:40 (seventeen years ago) link

Also Morbs OTM!

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:41 (seventeen years ago) link

You're right, Al, I don't like the idea of branding people with a capital N, either.

"Just because he murdered someone doesn't mean he's necessarily a murderer."

This is different. A murderer is defined as someone who has murdered, and that's a fact that's easily proven most of the time on account of the victim being dead.

A racist is someone who discriminates against those of another race, or merely believes in the inferiority of another race. But we can't always prove someone's belief unless the person totally owns up to it, and we can always argue about what counts as discrimination, and/or how much of it is sufficient to definitively incriminate someone.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:42 (seventeen years ago) link

We can do that if you privilege semantics over common courtesy, it's true.

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Of course there is a difference in my example, but your questionable logic still stands. I mean, Christ, the guy invokes not only the N-word, but graphic lynching refrences too - what more do you need to be convinced that he's a racist?

― jonviachicago (jonviachicago), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:45 (seventeen years ago) link

jay that's bullshit. everyone is, at heart, a decent liberal, so they have to "prove" their inner life is fucked up by [x] vicious outbursts or actions? [x-1] not being indication enough?

― geoff (gcannon), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:46 (seventeen years ago) link

John, I agree that people who use a litmus test "i'm not racist, i don't HATE..." etc are stupid but nonetheless this is pretty clear cut i think.

― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:46 (seventeen years ago) link

I think he totally pwned up to it.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:47 (seventeen years ago) link

Sometimes racists are probably against specific types of culture, not race.

― Bobby Ganush (Uri Frendimein), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:49 (seventeen years ago) link

...

― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:49 (seventeen years ago) link

yeah i think jaymcs got a point in his general definition but this kinda shit is the exception that proves the rule & not worth goin all captain save-a-cosmo for

― anticon jemima (ooo), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:50 (seventeen years ago) link

jaymc, I don't think identifying someone as capital-R racist in order to absolve oneself from ever again thinking about subtle, pervasive racism and one's own complicity in it is a good idea. but when someone loses their shit and starts going off about lynching you can pretty much be sure that you've tapped into the shit that they secretly believe. I don't really think your anti-essentialism is relevant here.

― horseshoe (horseshoe), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:51 (seventeen years ago) link

Of course the context matters, unless you're the type who thinks words only have one meaning, and can only be used in one way, and wave your little fan whenever you're offended.

The tape started when he started his attack, so we don't get to hear the heckler's attack, which could either mitigate or damn Richards. We don't know what was said, but if the heckler was being racist, there is a point to be made: less than 50 years ago, black people were being hunted down in the US because of racists and racism, and now this guy's being casually racist? Here, what if he calls you a nigger? Does that make you realise what's you're doing?

On my first watching of it, that's what I interpreted it as, at least, because that was all that really made sense. All the other alternatives do damn him as a racist, but doing that on an out-of-context 2 minute clip is a bit much.

― stet (stet), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:51 (seventeen years ago) link

From a purely practical standpoint, who fucking cares if Michael Richards is a "racist" or an "asshole" or "dangerously socially inept" or "incredibly mean-spirited"? What precisely does defending him gain us in terms of positive results? Does it help our understanding of racial differences? Does it give startling new insight into issues that trouble these modern times? Does it do anything besides allow you to feel superior about not judging someone desperately crying out to be judged?

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:52 (seventeen years ago) link

...

― Bobby Ganush (Uri Frendimein), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:52 (seventeen years ago) link

Does it do anything besides allow you to feel superior about not judging someone desperately crying out to be judged?

O-T-M

― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:52 (seventeen years ago) link

I think the weirdest thing about outbursts like this is how little it takes to set someone off; MR's been a standup on and off since the 70's, you'd think it would take more than a heckler to make him blow up and say something that, whether he believes it or not, clearly has career-ending consequences

― Alex in Baltimore (Alex in Baltimore), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:53 (seventeen years ago) link

What precisely does defending him gain us in terms of positive results?
It takes us away from the incredibly short-sighted thinking that "he said X therefore he is Y regardless of anything no shutup it's totally clear he is Y OMG"

― stet (stet), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:54 (seventeen years ago) link

You are a moron.

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:55 (seventeen years ago) link

From a purely practical standpoint, who fucking cares if Michael Richards is a "racist" or an "asshole" or "dangerously socially inept" or "incredibly mean-spirited"?

Dan, this is exactly my point. What he did was horrible, but people here seemed overly interested in now being able to call him a RACIST.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:55 (seventeen years ago) link

Why do you give a shit, Jay? What's your stake in arguing that he's not? Semantics?

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:56 (seventeen years ago) link

yes, stet, we all read your cracker-reference up thread.

― Allyzay Eisenschefter (allyzay), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:56 (seventeen years ago) link

I guess it's possible to use racist language with the intent to piss off someone but not really believe in what you're saying, which makes you a total asshole but not necessarily a commited racist.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:56 (seventeen years ago) link

I don't care what you call him, dude is scary.

― Noilly Prat (kenan), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:56 (seventeen years ago) link

"overly interested"? dude, people have been saying a lot of things. You'd have a point if us calling him racist was in some way shutting down discussion, but its not.

― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:57 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeh, I mean, I'm Britishes so clearly don't have yr cultural sensititvies on this one, but fuck me is it always so knee jerk whenever anyone says nigger?

― stet (stet), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:57 (seventeen years ago) link

As a comedian, aren't you supposed to make the heckler look like the asshole? A bold anti-heckling gambit by Mr. Rchards. Uh.

― elmo argonaut (allocryptic), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:58 (seventeen years ago) link

it's not "shortsighted" to fucking characterize a situation while discussing it! that's what conversation is.

― horseshoe (horseshoe), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:58 (seventeen years ago) link

i'd expect this sort of thing from saget...

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:58 (seventeen years ago) link

racism is the new sex tape

― cousin larry bundgee (bundgee), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:59 (seventeen years ago) link

kramer is one of those zany improv dudes, right? that shit can get out of hand real quick.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:59 (seventeen years ago) link

unless you're the type who thinks words only have one meaning, and can only be used in one way, and wave your little fan whenever you're offended.

really, guys. put down those fans! just a bit of lynching humor - let's all be cool.

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:59 (seventeen years ago) link

yeah, seriously. stet, are you crazy?

― horseshoe (horseshoe), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:59 (seventeen years ago) link

xpost jaymc I don't think that is actually the case at all. It kind of seems like you're trying to derail the thread into a "we all must argue that he is a racist because someone is saying he might not be," though.

xpost stet, what exactly are you not getting about the fact that A) that's an inappropriate word B) the majority of us are much more bothered, and have explicitly said so, by the fact that he coupled this word with a straight up reference to lynching? What on earth could the hecklers be saying that you honestly believe this is something that could be "mitigated"?

― Allyzay Eisenschefter (allyzay), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:59 (seventeen years ago) link

I'm surprised [they] didn’t ask for reparations.

― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 20 November 2006 19:00 (seventeen years ago) link

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