"Kramer" loses it!!

[pierard]

I've known two different guys with the name Mencia, and they were both 100% Mexican. This is due to the fact that I went to Gordon Tech, which is/was a good 80% hispanic.

 

So yeah, I was being presumptuous to a certain degree. I'd like to think that I have an ear for Mexican names, because those are my homeboys.

 

 

Maybe you do have an ear for Hispanic names, but Carlos Menica's real name is Ned Holness. Still sound Hispanic?

[RibbieRubarb]

Here is the full Letterman appearance:

 

http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/#

 

 

It's a sad state of affairs...

[Kid Gleason]

Anybody know of any good stand-up comedy blogs? Ya know the kind I am talking about...the kind that are taking the blogging world by storm.

[southsider2k5]

I do want to take exception to the Carlos Mencia comparisons, as these are two completely different things. The whole point of Mencia's act is to breakdown stereotypes by making them absurd as possible. Richards rant contained nothing of redeeming value, as it was a bitter and angry racist rant. If he wanted to taunt the guy or call him out, fine, do that, but hate is hate.

[RibbieRubarb]

A small note...

 

While watching the Letterman apology, I couldn't help but sympathize with the audience at the show.

Their nervous laughter was reproved by Jerry, Dave and Michael Richards during the apology.

 

But what Jerry, Dave and Richards failed to realize is that this audience was, most likely, in line all afternoon and had not seen nor heard about the video involving Richards. So in comes Jerry to promote the Seinfeld DVD, all Letterman says is "How about this Michael Ricahrds thing" and poof he is on the screen and apologizes without being specific at all.

 

If I was in the audience, and knowing Letterman and Seinfeld, I would have thought this was a comedy bit spoofing Mel Gibson and I would have been giggling and waiting for the puchline.

 

They should have explained it better to the audience beforehand, even if it was off-camera during the break. Not give terse orders to the crowd during the apology to "stop laughing".

[Kid Gleason]

Given the nature of Richards controversy right now, and where the Letterman Show is taped, it may have been strategy to try and keep the audience in the dark. If they did know full well what it was all about, the reaction may have been a bit more vocal and Richards may not have gotten a word in. It was obvious that the audience had no idea what was going on. Letternan isn't live, right?

[LosMediasBlancas]

We're all just guessing here, so here goes another one. Anyone who still uses the term 'Afro American' clearly is out of touch with race issues in this country.

[Balta1701]

Given the nature of Richards controversy right now, and where the Letterman Show is taped, it may have been strategy to try and keep the audience in the dark. If they did know full well what it was all about, the reaction may have been a bit more vocal and Richards may not have gotten a word in. It was obvious that the audience had no idea what was going on. Letternan isn't live, right?

Letterman is filmed in the late afternoon in NY. The video and news reports were available online earlier in the morning, so it's probable that some of them had seen it. The majority probably hadn't though

[CanOfCorn]

And oh yes, the classicly hilarious Bill Hicks bit from Chicago where he blasts the Hell out of a woman trying to ruin his set.

Comics have said lots of things. If you believe what is said on stage as literal truth, then I've got some beachfront property in the middle of a landlocked state to sell you.

 

"I've dug a real hole on this one, didn't I?" Hilarious.

 

Look both LCR and Jeckle are right. Its the old adage, I don't come to your place of work and heckle you, do I? And sometimes comedians go off the edge, there's two examples that are CAUGHT ON TAPE. Who knows how many times this has happened, not on tape.

 

Richards went too far, but to me, he got really angry and flew off the deep end. Anyone on here perfect enough to say that hasn't happened? That you get so emotional that these horrible things spew out of your mouth? Didn't think so.

 

Let me do a little comparison: There have been rumblings for years about Mel Gibson being anti-semitic. He has alluded to some things in interviews over the years. So one day, he gets drunk, gets pulled over, the ego kicks in, and bam...here comes the slurs, sugartits.

 

Has anyone heard anything about Michael Richards being a bigot? There's no public history there. Maybe he really is a bigot, and in the court of public opinion, he is. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't give him another chance.

 

Oh yeah, and where are all the people outraged at the hecklers using "cracker." Pot...meet kettle.

[LosMediasBlancas]

"I've dug a real hole on this one, didn't I?" Hilarious.

 

Look both LCR and Jeckle are right. Its the old adage, I don't come to your place of work and heckle you, do I? And sometimes comedians go off the edge, there's two examples that are CAUGHT ON TAPE. Who knows how many times this has happened, not on tape.

 

Richards went too far, but to me, he got really angry and flew off the deep end. Anyone on here perfect enough to say that hasn't happened? That you get so emotional that these horrible things spew out of your mouth? Didn't think so.

 

Let me do a little comparison: There have been rumblings for years about Mel Gibson being anti-semitic. He has alluded to some things in interviews over the years. So one day, he gets drunk, gets pulled over, the ego kicks in, and bam...here comes the slurs, sugartits.

 

Has anyone heard anything about Michael Richards being a bigot? There's no public history there. Maybe he really is a bigot, and in the court of public opinion, he is. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't give him another chance.

 

Oh yeah, and where are all the people outraged at the hecklers using "cracker." Pot...meet kettle.

 

 

Good point, I really wish he hadn't used the C word, because when he ripped into Richards for being a 'has been', he made him look pretty stupid. I'm not defending the guy for using it, but sometimes ( and I speak from experience) when someone fires a racial slur at you, you realize you're dealing with a stupid SOB and the only way to be hurtful back is to stoop to their level.

[Steve9347]

Good point, I really wish he hadn't used the C word, because when he ripped into Richards for being a 'has been', he made him look pretty stupid. I'm not defending the guy for using it, but sometimes ( and I speak from experience) when someone fires a racial slur at you, you realize you're dealing with a stupid SOB and the only way to be hurtful back is to stoop to their level.

 

cracker came after the N word.

 

there's no excuse, richards went overboard... but to refuse to forgive is crazy. he's deserving of a second chance, and id gladly pay my money to see him...

[bmags]

i mean i have to say that there's a difference i just can't explain it. I've seen hilarious and sometimes racial explosions in addressing hecklers by bill burr (philly), david cross, bill hicks, carlin, etc. but there's always came with such cunning cleverness, addressing the person at hand. Richards just so blatantly stoops to a racial slur, perhaps the worst of all, in a way that just seems so shocking than the rest. It isn't funny at all. I don't konw, just my two cents. But i also hate hecklers.

[hammerhead johnson]

Maybe you do have an ear for Hispanic names, but Carlos Menica's real name is Ned Holness. Still sound Hispanic?

 

I don't know what that name sounds like. Ned Holness? Good God.

 

But his mom is 100% Mexican, and he was raised by her brother in East LA.

 

I don't care about his real name. All I know is that he's Mexican, and he grew up immersed in Mexican culture. That's all that anybody needs to know. Argument over.

[3 BeWareTheNewSox 5]

This all could have been avoided with 'serenity now'

[spawn]

I don't know if this has been mentioned already, but the N-word wasn't what bothered me the most. What bothered me more than that was him saying "Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f***ing fork up your a**." Referencing lynchings is more offensive than the name calling IMO.

[SnB]

This all could have been avoided with 'serenity now'

i laughed.

[hammerhead johnson]

Referencing lynchings is more offensive than the name calling IMO.

 

Really? You think so? I'd say that you're in the vast minority with that opinion.

Edited November 21, 2006 by hammerhead johnson

[Kid Gleason]

...except lynchings didn't happen with the person hanging upside down with forks up their butts. But...yeah...I guess he still meant lynchings.

[hammerhead johnson]

...except lynchings didn't happen with the person hanging upside down with forks up their butts. But...yeah...I guess he still meant lynchings.

 

He was just trying to put a comedic spin on it.

 

I think we all knew exactly what he meant when he said it, though.

[Jenksismyhero]

Oh yeah, and where are all the people outraged at the hecklers using "cracker." Pot...meet kettle.

 

But, but, but, white people have been so advantaged over the years! Black people have been beaten down and enslaved for centuries. It's ok for them to do things like that. It's just them 'getting even.'

 

Seriously though, I think it's all BS. I think this country is a bunch of whiny PC panzies. EVERYONE has a prejudice. Racism is just a prejudice taken too far. It's not right, it shouldn't be condoned, but why are we making such a huge deal out of it?

 

By any chance does anyone listen to Opie and Anthony in the morning? Great show, 105.9 fm in the morn here in Chicago. Anyway they had Patrice Oneal, a big black comedian that often jokes about race ('white people are so crazy...') and it's role in todays society. I completely agree with his assessment of the entire Richards incident. Basically he didn't mind it. He, like me, thought that ass*oles being ass*oles deserved to be treated like an ass*ole. He said he got a call from other comedians who performed at the same place, right after Richards, who said that the hecklers were well known for being ass*oles and they were trying to ruin shows for a long time.

 

Further he went on to 'blame' white people for this entire incident. He said he didn't think too many black people really cared about this, not only because they didn't know who Richards was, but also that it's not as big of a deal to black people as white people make it out to be. Basically his point was that he hopes for the day when he can be called a racist because that will finally make everyone equal. Instead of considering an incident such as this racist, why not just call Richards an ass*ole for doing it? So what that he used a bad word or that he attacked someones ethnicity. Would it make it better if he called him a retard? A child abuser? A sexual deviant? Would he have to go on Letterman to apologize for it? Obviously the answer is a big no.

 

Call Richards an ass*ole. Making him out to be the worst person ever is just ridiculous.

 

This post has been edited by the Soxtalk staff to remove objectionable material. Soxtalk encourages a free discussion between its members, but does not allow personal attacks, threats, graphic sexual material, nudity, or any other materials judged offensive by the Administrators and Moderators. Thank you.

 

I'm sorry but I felt it had to be said. And if I get suspended it's worth it.

 

Wow, seriously?

 

I don't think anyone is approving his actions. Most people don't see the severity of it when so many other people do the same types of things with little to no response.

 

Ignorant boobs like you who are so far out of touch with reality make me sick. I guess I'll meet you in the bathroom.

[Kid Gleason]

Like people have said though, it isn't the use of the "N" word. It's the pure anger in his voice and the statement about lynching. "The Man" bit, IMO, was his continuing to make it into social commentary, but failing miserably.

 

Hammerhead, I know what he was meaning, it was just such an odd thing to say.

 

I don't think Richards is a bigot. I think he has some prejudice (duh...I know), and I think the guy got it right, he knows he is washed up and is probably frustrated beyond belief. 10 years ago he was on top of the world, that night he was being heckled and he had probably finally had it. Just a guess though.

[LowerCaseRepublican]

But, but, but, white people have been so advantaged over the years! Black people have been beaten down and enslaved for centuries. It's ok for them to do things like that. It's just them 'getting even.'

 

Seriously though, I think it's all BS. I think this country is a bunch of whiny PC panzies. EVERYONE has a prejudice. Racism is just a prejudice taken too far. It's not right, it shouldn't be condoned, but why are we making such a huge deal out of it?

 

By any chance does anyone listen to Opie and Anthony in the morning? Great show, 105.9 fm in the morn here in Chicago. Anyway they had Patrice Oneal, a big black comedian that often jokes about race ('white people are so crazy...') and it's role in todays society. I completely agree with his assessment of the entire Richards incident. Basically he didn't mind it. He, like me, thought that ass*oles being ass*oles deserved to be treated like an ass*ole. He said he got a call from other comedians who performed at the same place, right after Richards, who said that the hecklers were well known for being ass*oles and they were trying to ruin shows for a long time.

 

Further he went on to 'blame' white people for this entire incident. He said he didn't think too many black people really cared about this, not only because they didn't know who Richards was, but also that it's not as big of a deal to black people as white people make it out to be. Basically his point was that he hopes for the day when he can be called a racist because that will finally make everyone equal. Instead of considering an incident such as this racist, why not just call Richards an ass*ole for doing it? So what that he used a bad word or that he attacked someones ethnicity. Would it make it better if he called him a retard? A child abuser? A sexual deviant? Would he have to go on Letterman to apologize for it? Obviously the answer is a big no.

 

Call Richards an ass*ole. Making him out to be the worst person ever is just ridiculous.

Wow, seriously?

 

I don't think anyone is approving his actions. Most people don't see the severity of it when so many other people do the same types of things with little to no response.

 

Ignorant boobs like you who are so far out of touch with reality make me sick. I guess I'll meet you in the bathroom.

Hell, a friend of mine at her job -- she disciplined a student because he was continuously talking in class without stopping despite numerous warnings.. As a result, the mother wrote a long e-mail about how she is going to the news and to the administration that the teacher is a racist (along with things like "You must think this is before Civil Rights time and just because my boy is black that he has to shut his mouth" among other gems) So, a lot of this being offended that is going around really is just a really lame whining excuse.

 

As Jenks said -- if he calls him something else or if he is a lesser known comic, nobody is even having this discussion. It's just for white people to assuage their guilt.

[SoxFan1]

I'm with Jenks and LCR on this one. America will always try to find something to complain about. I do not think Michael Richards is a racist. I do think he was intoxicated and frustrated, and all the hate came out. Like LCR said, those aholes who decided to heckle him that night just chose the wrong night and he snapped. If it was a Asian, Latino, or Caucasion that was heckling him, they would have got it just as bad too. It happened to be african american and he snapped.

 

And for reference, I am one of Carlos Mencia's biggest fans. People who don't like his comedy are the real racists. Listen to what he says, but before you do, knock down that wall you have that completely disregards and racial issues that are talked about, and really, REALLY listen to what he says. I dare anyone to tell me he's wrong.

Edited November 22, 2006 by SoxFan1

[bmags]

And for reference, I am one of Carlos Mencia's biggest fans. People who don't like his comedy are the real racists. Listen to what he says, but before you do, knock down that wall you have that completely disregards and racial issues that are talked about, and really, REALLY listen to what he says. I dare anyone to tell me he's wrong.

 

i just think he's unfunny, completely and utterly unfunny. I guess that makes me a real racist.

Edited November 22, 2006 by bmags

[SoxFan1]

i just think he's unfunny, completely and utterly unfunny.

Opinions are like a**holes, everyone's got one.

Edited November 22, 2006 by SoxFan1