Kramer's Racist Tirade Caught on Tape

Here's the YouTube version of the vid, if you don't want to install the ActiveX control required by the AOL one.

what you are talking about?

Babu Bhat
Chinese restaurant guys - a lot of them
Peter who married the braless friend of Elaine and they had Indians all over the show - Chronologically reversed episode where they went to India.
George crashing into a black families home to watch a video and spills grape juice on the couch.

I am assuming there is more..definately more than Friends but less than Heroes. But then again it was filmed more than 10 years ago.

You're right. Thanks for clearing that up for me. What I should have said is that it lacked Humor, not minorities.

The Soup Nazi!

Well said.

Interesting; the fact that heckling is common practice makes it completely allright! We should let all long established things (say maybe rape, and opression of women, slavery...) just slide because they are common practice. He was provoked.

That said,

A professional stand-up comedian (which Richards is) needs to have a much thicker skin, as well as a well-honed technique for dealing with hecklers.

Absolutely. It is common practice. That doesn't make it right; but that does mean that any working comics need to work out a response into their character / routine if they want to have any decent recourse.

Interesting; the fact that heckling is common practice makes it completely allright! We should let all long established things (say maybe rape, and opression of women, slavery...) just slide because they are common practice.

That's an absurd comparison. Heckler's may be rude, but there's such a thing as free speech. Performing standup comedy is less like performing at a symphony and more like at a WWF match. Cheers and boos are part of the mix. If the comedy club wanted to limit heckling, it could impose strict rules.

What I meant is that you can't call someone a racist for their provoked actions. I understand that it was uncalled for, but that doesn't make him a racist. Racism is a belief, not a thought. Just because one time in his life he made a racist comment to some people who were heckling him does not make him a racist.

You can't judge with absolute certainty, yes. But to have strong doubts, that's perfectly reasonable. At the very least, I'll say he's racially self-centered, in that you would have to be to live in this country and not be acutely aware of what blacks have and continue to go through. See #11.1.

Yes, you can call someone a racist for their provoked actions, because a lot of people, the vast majority of people, will never say those things no matter what happens.

It is my firm belief that you see the true person when provoked. You cannot say a single thing to my face, about my family, or under any circumstance, that would make those same words Richards said come out of my mouth.

I'm not claiming some moral high ground here, everyone has frailties. But he was out of line. Completely.

I don't know about "true self" in a straight-ahead manner. I believe Michael Richards when he says he is not a racist in any fundamental sense. In a way, that makes this worse, ebcause he was not motivated by any repugnant but deeply delt political/philosophical views, he just plain wanted to hurt his hecklers back, and chose an unspeakably excessive means to do it. It's like pulling out a gun and shooting someone because they stepped on your foot. It's not that you have no legitimate beef, it's that your response is vastly, vastly out of proportion to the offense.

when you sign up to be a stand-up comedian, you sign-up for a certain amount of heckling - it's right in line with the job

Richards isn't a stand-up comedian, though, and he doesn't have the same experience dealing with hecklers that most do.

I'm not suggesting that what he said wasn't racist or that he's not a racist. Most Americans are racist, sometimes in very subtle ways, and it isn't surprising that things like this happen. But I'm not sure the criticism is in line with what he did. Unlike someone like Mel Gibson, he doesn't have a history of such things. Unlike Gibson, he seems much more willing to really consider the effects of his words and accept responsibility. ("I'm hearing your audience laugh [on David Letterman], and I'm not even sure that this is where I should be addressing the situation.") Unlike Gibson, the words were in a context where race is often brought up (though for different reasons than this).

I feel they are both offensive and it should be taken that way. Richards was brutal in what he said.

The difference between the two is the context. Richards did not appear to be joking when he began slinging the N word around. Secondly, the word "cracker" is not nearly as rhetorically loaded as the word "@!$%#." If there were a rich history in America of blacks enslaving, raping and abusing whites and calling them "crackers" during an extended period of brutal subjugation, than we could look at the two words as equally disgusting.

As it stands, that is not the case. It is a shame when you think about the amount of African-Americans (and individuals from other races, no doubt) who sacrificed so much — sometimes their lives — to overcome the dark cloud of racism in America that still existed in a methodical way only 40 years ago.

If this performance can teach us anything, it's that we still have a long way to go.

The point I was trying to make was that if Dave Chappelle said something to a white guy it wouldn't be big news, in fact I doubt anyone would ever hear about it other than the people who were there.

The difference between the two is the context. Richards did not appear to be joking when he began slinging the N word around.

You make a good point. He did seem genuinely angry at the guy and in my hypothetical example I would imagine the comedian would be saying that as a joke.

Secondly, the word "cracker" is not nearly as rhetorically loaded as the word "@!$%#." If there were a rich history in America of blacks enslaving, raping and abusing whites and calling them "crackers" during an extended period of brutal subjugation

I wasn't talking about the word cracker. I was talking about someone being accused of enslaving, raping, and abusing people.

Sean, can you give us a specific example? A concrete rather than hypothetical one? You've got plenty of material to search, Dave Chappelle, Carlos Mensa,...

Pesquinade, you seem to have a predilection for inflammatory remarks. Please respect the CoH.

Flagged as inflammatory and no value.

Remember he didn't just call racial slurs. He went as far as to reference lynching. He was very vulgar.

I've read elsewhere that audience members Richards was attacking started calling him racial slurs first.

it would awesome to hear from someone with objectivity that was actually there.

But just because someone goes off like this doesn't mean he's a racist in his heart...not in my opinion, anyway.

You may be right, but consider this: If you respected women and knew how wrong rape was, would you make jokes about raping someone?

I don't see how that's really relevant. I love dead baby jokes. Hilarious. Are real life dead babies funny? Not at all.

You didn't answer the question. My claim is dead baby jokes are different from rape jokes. One is so patently absurd that there is no question that it reflects no hidden desire of the speaker. The other not so. If you don't believe, me, try it. Go tell rape jokes around your friends, particularly female ones.

Secondly, do you feel comfortable telling rape jokes?

Go tell rape jokes around your friends, particularly female ones.

This is not advised. I witnessed it once, didn't go over well.

No I don't tell rape jokes around female friends, or @!$%# jokes around black friends, or retard jokes around retards. I don't want to get smacked. Hmm. Maybe I'll start telling cripple jokes around cripples. That's probably safe.

That's what the internet is for. Especially daily.rotten.com. PC is teh suck. Offensive vileness is teh rawk.

Do you tell rape joke around male friends?

I don't know any rape jokes come to think of it. So I don't tell them at all. I actually only know maybe 5 jokes off the top of my head. What is your point exactly? I'm just saying that no topic is out of bounds for comedy. I saw a South Park a couple months ago that was about Ike sleeping with his kindergarten teacher. It was hilarious. I was molested when I was a kid, that was not hilarious. It didn't wall off the whole topic from jokes however. Actually, rape is a fairly common subject of jokes, however it usually involves guys going to prison and meeting someone named Bubba. This topic is considered fine and dandy apparently.

Are you still under the illusion that Richard's comments were comedy?

No. So that's why I asked what your point was with the rape jokes. I don't see the connection, as I stated here:

I don't see how that's really relevant.

But since you kept talking about jokes, I kept defending people making offensive jokes.

Because if you can't say something insensitive as a joke, you certainly can't it when you're being serious.

You really don't get #11.1?   I was addressing But just because someone goes off like this doesn't mean he's a racist in his heart.   I'll spell it out the analogy even more clearly:   If you have no difficulty making rape jokes, then it way, way, way more likely than not reveals that you don't find rape revolting because you understand the kind of pain and damage it causes. Now that doesn't make you a rapist... but not being sensitive to the implications of rascism and what blacks in this country have undergone despite being fully aware of it — he can't claim ignorance, he doesn't live in an all-white town out in the boonies, he's a public figure and he certainly can't claim to be out of touch with current social issues — then the conclusion that he is rascist to some degree is pretty fair beyond a reasonable doubt.

To Brian White (and everyone else, too)

No I don't tell rape jokes around female friends, or @!$%# jokes around black friends, or retard jokes around retards. I don't want to get smacked. Hmm. Maybe I'll start telling cripple jokes around cripples. That's probably safe.

do you tell @!$%# jokes to your white friends? do you laugh if someone in your crowd tells one? (Same question for the other categories you mentioned...) Not trying to put you directly on the carpet, but it's relevant. Are you a hypocrite if you do? Would you tell a friend to shut up if he started to tell one?

I don't know. Tell me one and then let's see if it's funny or not. If it's not funny I'm not going to laugh.

Simply asking you Brian to clarify your earlier statement, that you wouldn't tell one to your black friends, which leaves the possibility open that you might tell one to your white friends. Some people curtail what they would say to those they know (or assume) would be offended by it (as in not using the f-word around their grandmothers) but cuss like a drunken sailor (oh dear, now we'll hear from sailors) around their buddies. Just asking you the same thing.

I agree. It's not like he accidentally said the n-word or something. This was total, outward, and blatant racism. I can't believe he went about saying the lynching thing, more so the commenters here trying to make a spin that he's not racist. There is no getting out of this for sure. His image is totally tainted.

Who here hasn't been so pissed off that they said something they regret saying. Yes, Richards is a racist. I doubt he supports the KKK, and I imagine he regrets not only saying what he said but regrets being a racist.

The guy is 57 years old, and if you know enough people who grew up in the 40s and 50s well enough you will see that deep seeded racism more often than not. I'm not saying his behavior is excusable, I'm just saying he's a product of society who lost control of his repressed bigotry. I for one am not prepared to pass judgment on someone who's comedy I have enjoyed since 1979 for this one incident.

Hetep and Respect Peters, Those who suffer from the dis-ease of Cultural Poisoning do not know that they are ill. Just as an alcoholic has no capacity to understand their sickness until it is pointed out, the same is true of the acutely culturally poisoned, especially the White supremest. As we know with drunks, no admission no cure.

Remaining in denial on Letterman confirms his dis-ease.

Hetep and Respect drulff. The closet racist knows that Culturally Healthy people would be surprised and upset at what is underneath their made up public face. Most racist can hide their racism, like the drunk thinks he/she can hide their drunkenness. The drunk person is not bad at hiding, when they are with other drunks. Have you ever heard to drunks talking to each other?

Cultural Poisoning works in a similar way. Words are both the symptoms of the dis-ease and the means of transmission. Listen to two Culturally Poisoned individuals talking with each other, or about each other. Try it sometime here on the vine. If you are sober and listen carefully, you will at some point notice that you are not listening to a sober conversation.

I think I will take your advice and try to be more observant and aware of the meaning and hidden intent behind people's words, especially here on NV. Peace and Respect to you as well.

Hetep and Respect drulff.

why must you start EVERY comment with this introduction ? can't you just use initial now ? try H&R or something.. its getting tiresome.

It's Aunk's thing... so let him do it... doesn't hurt and shows he respects you even if you don't ... well... carry on, Aunk. I can dig it!

I knew it wasn't his fault!

actually vlad it's worse. and neither you nor Richards nor anyone else has a free license to call anybody @!$%# or nigga or niggra or niggro, or any other variation of the word. Black or white. There is a reason some (not all, by any means) black folk use the word. Many -- I might go so far as to say most of us would prefer that word is rendered obsolete. While we (black folk) might disagree on who or where or why to use the word in our own community, one thing that is pretty much unanimous: it's a word that is strictly off-limits to white folk. Perhaps I'll write an essay on why a little later.

There is a reason some (not all, by any means) black folk use the word.

i've often wondered why..... its seems so counter-productive, and being tossed around so much these days in films etc, it introduces the 'n word' to new uses and new people..... lets bury that word once and for all, or try to warp it so much it takes on a different, less offensive meaning if thats even possible..... perhaps when other black folk use the n word on each other it has a different, more playful meaning? lets imagine for a minute that it was a person of chinese descent who heckled and richards used the word 'chink' ..... you hardly ever hear that word anymore ...... would it be more or less offensive then the n word ? the same ?

after viewing the footage again, richards use of the word was very strong...... combined with the comment of being "upside down" and repeating the n word so many times, yeah..... he has issues with race..... who knows whats really in his heart ? who knows what his day to day attitudes are towards african americans? i guess only the people who know him best really now for sure. he could be a card-carrying member of the john birch society..... maybe more evidence in the form of past attitudes from him will surface.

lets imagine for a minute that it was a person of chinese descent who heckled and richards used the word 'chink' ..... you hardly ever hear that word anymore ...... would it be more or less offensive then the n word ? the same ?

Apparently it is less offensive. I was watching the Sarah Silverman DVD last night and she said that she could say 'chink' but had to say 'the n-word'.

Sarah Silverman "thinks" she can say the "c-word" but she's wrong. it is no less offensive than if someone called her a "hebe" or said she lives in "hymie-town" (Jesse Jackson let that one slip and it cost him dearly in his 1988 presidential primary run.)

Just 'cause you or your friends don't think it is offensive doesn't make it ok. If it is a derogatory term to describe some race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, gender or sexual preference, it's designed to hurt somebody's feeling, or incite some group to mailicious action. That is just plain wrong.

I didn't say it was less offensive I was just pointing out that (according to her) you can say one on TV or radio (not sure which) but you can't say the other.

I'm suggesting Silverman is wrong: she can't "say" either. Both are equally offensive. No one has called her on it yet. But in truth, they shouldn't have to. ("you and your friends" was not referring to you specifically Sean.)

has anyone ever seen any of richards previous stand-up... he's a freak...... i don't think he is a racist.......... acting like hecklers, acting like '@!$%#s' acting like jerks acting like stupid white trash americans.... whatever...... his comments were provocative, yes....... watch the video again.

it seems that you would love to be able to blurt out some of the same things that Mr. Richards spewed. truly revealed a deep-seated racist mentality just like you did with your nasty posting

oh yes, you are exactly right..... thank you dr. led black for that transactional analysis. give me a break ! the only nasty posting was yours my friend...... once soneone accuses you of being racist how do prove you are not. how about i label you a terrorist, huh ?