[Tuoder]

I would have posted in the other thread, but it is locked.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061123/...chael_richards

I didn't know that crisi managers even existed. I am not sure I believe that he doesn't hate blacks. At the very least, he needs to be able to handle his anger. At the most, he is a racist.

[KeyLimePi]

I saw the clip of his apology on Letterman. I'd forgotten what a bad actor he was.

[stevesnj]

Originally Posted by KeyLimePi 

I saw the clip of his apology on Letterman. I'd forgotten what a bad actor he was.

Though I think that he went way too far in his routine ,an apology of some sort was warrented, why do you think he was not sincere? He should apologize direct to those affected but now those at the comedy club want to sue him...gimme a break! The scum sucking lawerys should be disbarred for even bringing a suite like this, even to mediation!!

[euchomai]

Originally Posted by KeyLimePi 

I saw the clip of his apology on Letterman. I'd forgotten what a bad actor he was.

Normally when big shots apologize they read a prepared statement. You know, very eloquent and making sure to hit all the points. Kramer on the other hand decided to just go on and shoot from the hip. I appreciated his apology more because of it. It was very awkward though, seeing him squirm and confront his racism. Not typical of a late night show as it wasn't funny, but I thought he did an okay job on Letterman.

[kmkkid]

Originally Posted by Tuoder 

I would have posted in the other thread, but it is locked.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061123/...chael_richards

I didn't know that crisi managers even existed. I am not sure I believe that he doesn't hate blacks. At the very least, he needs to be able to handle his anger. At the most, he is a racist.

And by hiring a crisis manager, he really means hiring a lawyer right?

[Tuoder]

Originally Posted by kmkkid 

And by hiring a crisis manager, he really means hiring a lawyer right?

Indeed.

[Sbtrfuge]

>shrug< I don't think he was trying to hurt anybody's feelings... seems to me it was more like he was trying to be funny and edgy, and not being afraid to 'go there', but went too far, and didnt' realize people were taking it completley the wrong way.

If chris rock had said the same **** about white people, the crowd would have keeled over in laughter.

[CollinG3G4]

Who in the hell does this guy think he is, Mel Gibson?

[Tuoder]

Originally Posted by Sbtrfuge 

If chris rock had said the same **** about white people, the crowd would have keeled over in laughter.

Too true. But comedy isn't fair. It is a lot like politics.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by Sbtrfuge 

If chris rock had said the same **** about white people, the crowd would have keeled over in laughter.

I disagree. Chris Rock does a lot of racial jokes, but when he does them they're meant to be funny and come across that way.

In the video, the Kramer dude sounded completely p!ssed and didn't even sound like he was joking. He sounded like he wanted to string up that guy by his testicles, and was prepared to do it.

Ever listen to Russell Peters? He also does a lot of racial jokes, but the tone is COMPLETELY different from the Kramer dude's implosion.

[Uriel]

You can't convince me someone was trying to be "funny" when they say "100 years ago you would of been hanging from a tree with a fork up your a**."

That's just ignorant, rude and racist.

[CheesePuff]

Originally Posted by Uriel 

You can't convince me someone was trying to be "funny" when they say "100 years ago you would of been hanging from a tree with a fork up your a**."

That's just ignorant, rude and racist.

First off I think it's rude and ignorant if you can't quote it right.

Second many people found that part funny as well as Paul Mooney's reply.

[Uriel]

Sorry for quoting it incorrectly, I wil go back and watch it again. However, I still think that it was uncalled for.

[Uriel]

Corrected "upside down with a fork up your a**"

sorry for being so ignorant, obviously this changes everything

[ghporter]

Michael Richards ≠ Kramer

I'd like to have a tape of the act up until when Richards blew his top. That might explain a whole lot. Were the people heckling him using racial epithets at him? If so for how long, and how heinous were the epithets? Pushing people is fun sometimes; pushing a celebrity hard enough that he pops must have gotten someone's rocks off.

[KeriVit]

I agree ghporter.

By no means do I justify his remarks, but it would be interesting to see the events that led to his poor choice of words, judgement and downright stupidity.

I would never use such language and expression regardless of any situation.

[CheesePuff]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Michael Richards ≠ Kramer

I'd like to have a tape of the act up until when Richards blew his top. That might explain a whole lot. Were the people heckling him using racial epithets at him? If so for how long, and how heinous were the epithets? Pushing people is fun sometimes; pushing a celebrity hard enough that he pops must have gotten someone's rocks off.

He admits they were just talking, and not even about him. But they were a little loud and obviously distracting for him.

[PB2K]

i just watched his rant on youtube, what the hell was he thinking? was he referring to the kkk or something?

some things i didn't understand, a fork up your ass? what does that mean?

that guy sure has some explaining to do, it's nice of letterman to let him have his word on his show, personally i wouldn't want to be remotely associated with a man like that, unless he had a really really good explanation

[himself]

I think there was no excuse for his reaction whatsoever, whether he was heckled or not. Performers, especially comedians, get heckled and booed all the time. Part of the job is being able to suck it up and realize when it's time to quit. If people are so disinterested in your routine that they ignore you, start having side conversations and begin heckling you, it is time to walk off the stage graciously and go back to the drawing board, not rant and blame the audience.

Any remotely successful comedian will tell you they've been heckled plenty of times.

[MaxPower2k3]

FOX last night (or at least the NYC FOX affiliate) aired the Seinfeld episode where Kramer accuses Jerry of being an anti-dentite. Thought that was a pretty funny coincidence... if it was one

Jerry: "Kramer, he's just a dentist."
Kramer: "Yeah, and you're an anti-dentite!"
Jerry: "I am not an anti-dentite!"
Kramer: "You're a rabid anti-dentite! Oh, it starts with a few jokes and some slurs. 'Hey, Dentie!' Next thing you know, you're saying they should have their own schools!"
Jerry: "They do have their own schools!"

[Sbtrfuge]

Upside down with a fork up their ass .... is racist? When did white people hang black people upside down and insert dining utensils into their asses?

[anonymac]

Michael Richards lost it, but he isn't a racist at all. The vehicle used was racism, but this was much more about hurting people than racism. The hecklers hurt Michael Richards, and he tried to hurt them back by calling them the most hurtful name he could think of. What I find remarkable is that Michael Richards is being called a racist, when the hecklers were also hurling racist comments at him. The most sickening part of this is that Richards is being forced to go to Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, two rabidly racist individuals who make their living dividing people, and apologize.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by CheesePuff 

He admits they were just talking, and not even about him. But they were a little loud and obviously distracting for him.

The point is how long and how loud. I certainly don't plunk down my cash to see a performer expecting jerks in the audience to distract either me or the performer, and it would really bug me. If Richards is the guy he's been made out to be before this (a very careful standup guy with routines that don't lend themselves to ad lib), then it could be that these guys were distracting him enough to disrupt his act. Some people get really mad when others make it hard for them to do their jobs... I'm just sayin'.....

I want to point out that I'm not defending anyone here-lashing out at specific audience members is bad form all by itself, and using epithets like Richards did is completely unacceptable. But I do want to also point out that the "victims" here have broadly hinted that they should be "compensated" for Richards' outburst. Makes you wonder just how upset they are versus how greedy they are. Sure, Richards blew his top, but instead of his being insincere, maybe these guys are being opportunistic.

[marden]

I don't know why but I'm getting a strong Jim Brown vibe from somewhere. If Richards could get the endorsement of Jim Brown, somehow, he'd quickly have the fires put out and be on his way to repairing his image.

Jim Brown.

Remember where you heard it.

[typoon]

I don't think he should have apologized. Like others have said if someone like Chris Rock can use the word "Cracka" to talk about white people it's just as bad as Kramer using the "N" Word for blacks. Yet it is okay for another blk person to use the "N" word when addressing another black person. Of course when you hear people making fun of another person's religion or race other than blacks you don't hear the group get all bent out of shape.

[Philip J. Fry]

Originally Posted by Sbtrfuge 

Upside down with a fork up their ass .... is racist? When did white people hang black people upside down and insert dining utensils into their asses?

Um...didn't whites hang blacks and poke them with pitchforks? Maybe he was referring to that.

[PB2K]

I am sure he has lot's of colored friends, like Mel Gibson has many Jewish friends, and they both turn out to have an obviously darker side of conscience. I guess an apology on national tv is really difficult, most people will remember them now as being old racists, which they probably aren't.

Anyway, I think I understand his apology, that he said he was amazed he actually said that. he also said he wanted to figure out what is the root of these insults and why they surfaced when he lost his temper.

[OwlBoy]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Michael Richards ≠ Kramer

I'd like to have a tape of the act up until when Richards blew his top. That might explain a whole lot. Were the people heckling him using racial epithets at him? If so for how long, and how heinous were the epithets? Pushing people is fun sometimes; pushing a celebrity hard enough that he pops must have gotten someone's rocks off.

on both points.

-Owl

[PB2K]

there is a line between humour and discrimination. he lost it.

I guess if your audience is ill-behaving you can name them anything but shouting racist jokes won't land. If a black comedian responded the same way like Richards did then it probably would have been funny. Then again, people like Bill Cosby would have had his ass I like Bill Cosby.

[CRASH HARDDRIVE]

Screw the apology, I think he should pay reparations for slavery. All of them.

Seriously though, there's no excuse for this. A performer with some measure of actual talent would have known how to dispatch a few hecklers using wit, or even well-directed vulgarity and ended up making it funnier than the rest of the act. This dumbass just resorted to stooping to a really low, uncalled for, and ignorant level, and he should face whatever consequences.

Meanwhile, the whole term 'racist' has been so politically 'corrected' and dumbed-down it's become nearly meaningless. It's used like some sort of condition you just happen to have, like saying someone has cancer or something. "Oh, I don't think he's racist." Who the hell cares if someone is some kind of stereotypical, cartoon-character version of a "racist" or not; the problem here is he resorted to using overtly racist behavior toward someone, and that's what there's no excuse for.

[Philip J. Fry]

Originally Posted by CRASH HARDDRIVE 

Screw the apology, I think he should pay reparations for slavery. All of them.

Seriously though, there's no excuse for this. A performer with some measure of actual talent would have known how to dispatch a few hecklers using wit, or even well-directed vulgarity and ended up making it funnier than the rest of the act. This dumbass just resorted to stooping to a really low, uncalled for, and ignorant level, and he should face whatever consequences.

Meanwhile, the whole term 'racist' has been so politically 'corrected' and dumbed-down it's become nearly meaningless. It's used like some sort of condition you just happen to have, like saying someone has cancer or something. "Oh, I don't think he's racist." Who the hell cares if someone is some kind of stereotypical, cartoon-character version of a "racist" or not; the problem here is he resorted to using overtly racist behavior toward someone, and that's what there's no excuse for.

In the video it seemed as if he was trying to make a bit out of his n-word slurs by saying 'see, it shocks you' but then he lost it again when he was confronted and told that it was uncalled for.

[Sbtrfuge]

Originally Posted by Philip J. Fry 

Um...didn't whites hang blacks and poke them with pitchforks? Maybe he was referring to that.

But he said upside down. And forks. Not pitchforks. Specifically, in their asses, not poking them.