Michael Richards Snaps

[LaPalida]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T7uKvpzVXI

I guess some of you saw this last night but here it is on YouTube for you to rewind and rewatch. Pretty funny shit. He totally loses it on stage after being heckled by some guys.

[CaptainInsano]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v678/ParkerD/jackie20chiles.jpg

Who told you to go on a rant? Did I tell you to go on a rant?

[light]

I was just blabbering on about this in irc. Funny stuff, and even funnier how people respond to it in a media shitstorm.

[Shamagim]

I bet is already part of the never ending "conservative vs liberal" battle.:nohope:

[JERI]

http://www.tshirthell.com/shirts/products/a809/a809.gif

[jcaffoe]

honestly, I feel really bad for the guy. Being in a high stress environment being heckled for about 12 minutes on stage while you're trying to get a stand-up career off the ground I think anyone is liable to snap.

I'm not justifying what was said, I'm just saying it really sucks for him that he hit that slippery slope and it has basically become the end of his career.

I really didn't find it funny when I watched it, it's just sad to see him throwing his career away through a bout of uncontrolled rage. His apology is also up on youtube, worth watching. You can tell he's very shaken by the whole ordeal.

[|NTeRN]

hmm.... good comics would have used the hecklers comments as material for the stand up, turning their annoyance into a joke to make them feel embrassed and get a laugh form the crowd. a good example of this is on the original kings of comedy.

when i first heard about this i was like whatever, andother guy makes a joke and someone got offened. then i heard taht he was heckled and he yelled the n word at the guys. i figured hey, you shouldnt say that, but damn, the guy is just trying to do his job and these guys are making it hard on him. i can see someone snapping and dropping a word on accident. then i whatched the video and was shocked to see what he really did say. then i heard he had apologized, but was still geting grief, and that the guys who he verbally attacked wanted a personal apology and $ compensation. now this pissed me off at the time. i was like, hear we go again, someone is offend and they think they should be paid off. this however, was all before i saw the film.

all i can say is that theres no way he is not a rascist. you dont tell someone that if this was 50 yrs ago we'd get you with a pitch fork (not the exact qoute, you you get the idea, lynching) and he didnt stop there. it wasnt a " her you*&%*&%... oh man... that didnt come out right" kinda deal. it was a full on attack on the fact they are black. he doesnt even have the excuse of being drunk at the time (not a real excuse, but at least its a tiny bit more understandable to see a drunk do something like this."

now as for the suit thats gonna come up, i still hope that instead of having to pay off the guys in question (lets face it, despite what was said and done, they DID heckle him and eg him on) that money show instead go to a charity of african american interest and or anti rascist interest. that would be a lot better in the long run then giving the guys cash cause its go towards fighting rascism, not getting the 2 guys a bigger tv (hell thats what id buy)

[Mitchell]

whoa that was intense. It's really sad that those remarks will now follow him the rest of his life. He's a funny guy.. but damn!

[aesir]

racist comic, racist crowd. Whatever. I could really care less. I've heard far more racist shit thrown into other comic's acts. The only difference is, this time the comic was genuinely pissed as he said them.

[light]

now as for the suit thats gonna come up, i still hope that instead of having to pay off the guys in question (lets face it, despite what was said and done, they DID heckle him and eg him on) that money show instead go to a charity of african american interest and or anti rascist interest.
Yah right. Richards was being a racist ass, but both of those guys are total jackasses. This whole "I'm offended" thing is completely blown out of proportion.

[LateNiteHype]

That goes to show you- just because a guy is written to be funny on TV doesn't mean he can go onstage and crack a joke.

Heckling is normal- the better ones know how to shake it off and the best will flip it on them into a funnier joke.

I guess Kramer is neither- got heated and let his true colors show.

I never thought the guy was that funny- on Seifeld or anything else (rememeber Stanley Spidowski on UHF?!?...um, yeah.)

Now that Costanza guy...hahaha- that's comedy.

[|NTeRN]

Yah right. Richards was being a racist ass, but both of those guys are total jackasses. This whole "I'm offended" thing is completely blown out of proportion.

ya i know it blown out of proportion. but they will use that in court. and mostlikely they will win. but any kind of fine should go to charity, not them.

[light]

ya i know it blown out of proportion. but they will use that in court. and mostlikely they will win. but any kind of fine should go to charity, not them.
Yah, I agree completely, unfortunatly that kind of rationale seems to elude most of the people who would make a lawsuit like this.

[joelhinxman]

thats some crazy stuff. i hate it when people are being stupid then get yelled at the complain about being offened. but thats no reason for Michael Richards to start screamin racist stuff at him. it looks kinda to me like he was just so angery at the guy he wanted to offend him and make him leave but couldnt think of a better way to do it then spout racist crap at him. just sounds to me more like befuddled frustraion to me then hard core racist.

[rorke]

Michael Richards Apology (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqF2FZJdIl4&mode=related&search=)

[Blue]

Everyone has a breakdown from time to time...sucks he had his on stage. Most rock stars just storm off when they are that mad.

[LaPalida]

No, I don't think you should be able to sue a person for saying something derogatory. Freedom of speech guarantees you that. If they are good at dishing out heckling they better eat the dish too. Personally I think the guy had a bad day and snapped. I don't think he's racist for saying . That's not what racism is about. His punishement is that now he's blemished for his life for flipping out.

[Interceptor]

Holy crap.. the first I've actually seen that. Much worse then I'd imagined.

http://blankbaby.typepad.com/blankbaby/images/blackwhite.jpg

[Moai]

What surprises me is how much attention this is getting. Aside from his failed show several years ago, this is the first time I've heard about him since he was on Seinfeld.

[Interceptor]

What surprises me is how much attention this is getting. Aside from his failed show several years ago, this is the first time I've heard about him since he was on Seinfeld.

I think that's exactly why it's getting so much attention, he's just been remembered as funny, goofy kramer since the early / mid 90s. This just seems entirely out ouf character.

[CGMonkey]

Cable Boy, My Cable Boy.. What Have You Done To My Cable Boy?

[BlackGuy]

I just don't like that the word "" is treated like it's somehow worse than all the other racial slurs, including the words hurled right back at Richards. I mean to me an insult is an insult, and all that matters is the intent. A friend of mine might call me an asshole and mean it jokingly, or mean to try to hurt my feelings, and I treat the insult accordingly. I handle "" the same way, but I still recognize that other people get offended by the word itself. It's still not more important than the "cracker" or "honkey" or "spic." Those are just as bad and should carry the weight.

[Interceptor]

I just don't like that the word "" is treated like it's somehow worse than all the other racial slurs, including the words hurled right back at Richards. I mean to me an insult is an insult, and all that matters is the intent. A friend of mine might call me an asshole and mean it jokingly, or mean to try to hurt my feelings, and I treat the insult accordingly. I handle "" the same way, but I still recognize that other people get offended by the word itself. It's still not more important than the "cracker" or "honkey" or "spic." Those are just as bad and should carry the weight.

I agree, completely on that.

[skvv]

When light brought this up in IRC i couldn't believe it but the video speaks for itself... looks like a late life crisis with some unchecked racism behind the scenes throughout his career. That was probably waiting to come out sooner or later.

[JAG.]

things like this dont surprise me. i mean they're people too.. and just as stupid sometimes ;) but still.. wheres the professionalism?? - JAG

[DerMidlet]

hmm, I've seen the video as well as account from people who were there, and it seems some of you kinda have the wrong idea, all the black guy said was "you're not funny" that's it. Richards first went off just because their party was making too much noise from him, but they were just ordering food and talking amongst themselves then after Richards said something to them the guy said you're not funny and he went all crazy. Also that video is just a snip of what he said, he said that he was rich and he could buy them, he said he could have the police follow them and arrest them, I mean waaay beyond just getting pissed and going off on someone. Also if you're a comedian as others have said a heckler is part of the show you of course have to be ready for that, but he wassn't even really being heckled that's why it's so insane.

[DerMidlet]

I just don't like that the word "" is treated like it's somehow worse than all the other racial slurs, including the words hurled right back at Richards. I mean to me an insult is an insult, and all that matters is the intent. A friend of mine might call me an asshole and mean it jokingly, or mean to try to hurt my feelings, and I treat the insult accordingly. I handle "" the same way, but I still recognize that other people get offended by the word itself. It's still not more important than the "cracker" or "honkey" or "spic." Those are just as bad and should carry the weight.

Also in my humble opinion "" is not the same as spic, cracker, honkey, or any other racial slur because these words don't have the history of that word. That word is directly linked to the ugliest part of american history, with otrocities only matched by say the holocost with the Jews. It was something to totally dehumanize african people in a time where they were treated literally like animals, then still used openly for over a hundred years after slavery while blacks were still being oppressed in America. So it's definately not the same thing as just calling someone an asshole. I myself am african american and I know from myself my family and friends who are also black, it is NOT something taken lightly at all.

[BlackGuy]

MATCHED by the holocaust?! Look I'm not going to get into an argument about which group's ancestors had it the worst, but a lot of groups went through some shit back in the day, not just black people and not just jews. Natice Americans, women, LOTS of people in asia, I don't think anybody has the right to claim "" is any worse than the rest, especially when most african americans use it to refer to each other. And don't give me that "nigga/" bullshit, it's the same word pronounced differently. Slavery is not something exclusive to africans at all, and I'm getting a little tired of it being seen as such. It's because of guys like those (who want to use this situation to get money!) that people expect guys like me to pull the race card every time some shit goes down. A word only has as much power as you allow, so the day we all stop getting so riled up over a pile of letters will be the day those words are no longer used to insult us.

[DerMidlet]

I agree it's pointless to argue about who had it worse and I'm aware that there were slaves before the african slave trade in America, there has been slavery as long as there has been civilization, but in the African slave trade is the only time whether you were a slave or not was dictated by your race. And it is the only time when an entire race of people were dehumanized and lowered to the level of animals. Should these guys get $$$? I don't really think so, I don't think money has anything to do with what happened or will fix anything. And as far as nigga/ as you said earlier (BlackGuy) it's the intent that is behind the word that matters, so if a friend of mine is like "wassup nigga" and he intends to just say hi then that's how I'll take it, but if Kramer said to me "I could buy you you fucking " I would definately take that in an offensive way. I'm a young guy and I haven't experienced a lot of serious racism and forgive me if I'm way off but I'm assuming you are probably in the same boat as me, and honestly if I would have been the guy in the comedy club I wouldn't have really gotten offended, I would have just left, and just been surprised that he could be that stupid enough to ruin his career over something so trivial, BUT there are a lot of people that have not been as fortunate as me so I would never say in a general sense, just don't let it bother you, because I don't know what others have been through or had to deal with.

[Interceptor]

And as far as nigga/ as you said earlier (BlackGuy) it's the intent that is behind the word that matters,

I disagree. The way it's thrown around so much it seems like people don't even care, until it's used against them. Lead by example, if it's something so taboo, then stop saying it every 5 seconds in everyday conversation.

[Art_Addict]

MATCHED by the holocaust?! Look I'm not going to get into an argument about which group's ancestors had it the worst, but a lot of groups went through some shit back in the day, not just black people and not just jews. Natice Americans, women, LOTS of people in asia, I don't think anybody has the right to claim "" is any worse than the rest, especially when most african americans use it to refer to each other.

Maybe not in casualty numbers or the political effect it had on the world.
But the amount of hatred behind it is comparable.
Therefore I tend to agree with Dermidlet in most ways.
Blackguy, I understand the point you're trying to make but when you say A word only has as much power as you allow, that is very easy to say but very hard to do for most people.
I have allways been fortunate in my life to never experience discrimination personally. But I see it all around me with all socially weaker/minority groups.
Deciding for other people that it's something not to take too seriously...I find relatively arrogant.

(EDIT : Just saw dermidlet's post adressing the same thing. Didn't mean to repeat. )

[BlackGuy]

Maybe not in casualty numbers or the political effect it had on the world.
But the amount of hatred behind it is comparable.
Therefore I tend to agree with Dermidlet in most ways.
Blackguy, I understand the point you're trying to make but when you say , that is very easy to say but very hard to do for most people.
I have allways been fortunate in my life to never experience discrimination personally. But I see it all around me with all socially weaker/minority groups.
Deciding for other people that it's something not to take too seriously...I find relatively arrogant.

(EDIT : Just saw dermidlet's post adressing the same thing. Didn't mean to repeat. )

It's difficult to argue this because I see what you're saying, but I don't think it's arrogant for me to say that you feed a word's power if you react to it. It's just like when you've got a kid trying to get a rise out of you by insulting you, and if you just ignore him eventually he shuts up.

I disagree. The way it's thrown around so much it seems like people don't even care, until it's used against them. Lead by example, if it's something so taboo, then stop saying it every 5 seconds in everyday conversation.

That's pretty much what I meant. I mean I think that the way you (Dermidlet) handle the word is the right way to handle it, but what irritates me is that most african americans get angry when a white person says it, regardless of his/her intent.

You guys bring up some really good points, and in some ways I'm sort of on both sides of this debate.

[JERI]

That's pretty much what I meant. I mean I think that the way you (Dermidlet) handle the word is the right way to handle it, but what irritates me is that most african americans get angry when a white person says it, regardless of his/her intent.

Just out of curiosity: say we have a mixed person, he can be basically recognised as a black dude, and he identifies himself as a black dude. However, among a black crowd, he clearly stands as the odd one out. So if he were to use the N word, would the people you're talking about actually get angry as well?

[Verannis]

This is sort of a different point, but I'm always bothered by people designating classes in America by calling a group, Asian American or Mexican American, or African American. I never see anyone calling others European American. Doesn't it seem like a way of separating us? Unless you directly immigrated from one of those places, I don't see why it's used the way it is.

Because unless you are really native to the Americas, we all had ancestors who immigrated here at some point, willingly or not. So why then do we still separate the races so? An American is an American. I'm so far removed from my ancestors that immigrated, I can't possibly relate to that part of the world. I just think it's a way of separating the white Europeans who first stole this land from the inhabitants that were here.

[BlackGuy]

JERI - My guess would be that it all depends on the guy's mannerisms. There are Caucasians out there who get away with using the word because they act "black" enough. I say that it's my guess because I'm what you call an "oreo" so I don't follow the same line of thinking as the average black person. Besides that, I grew up in an ethiopian household, I'm the first generation in my family born here in America, so I wasn't really raised with the same principles and values most african american kids in my generation were taught by their parents which alters my world view a little bit.

Verannis - You're probably right, but I think for the sake of ease we go with those names because it's what society has deemed politically correct.