Political Correctness and Michael Richards' (Kramer's) Rant

[Yavin4]

Don't confuse the two issues. No sane person is saying that Michael Richards does not have a right to say racist remarks. He has every right. However, we also have the right not watch or buy his movies, DVDs, TV shows, etc. Everything that he appears in should be boycotted completely. As an African American man, I will stop watching Seinfeld all together. I will not purchase any DVDs that he appears in nor will my entertainment dollars go to anything wherein he's cast.

This issue has nothing whatsoever to do with PC.

[ixion]

1. got a link to this rant?

I hadn't heard anything about it... :shrug:

[wryter2000]

4. It's on YouTube

He was doing a comedy routine, was heckled by a couple of African Americans in the audience, and launched into a horrid racist diatribe.

[zreosumgame]

5. only refers to an AOL site=to fucking stupid to know Firefox

so if you have it, instead use the stupid persons browser (invite all those pop-ups and spyware into your PC) and open it in IE

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

2. As a white man, I'm going to join you in that boycott.

What he did was reprehensible. I'd no sooner buy anything of his than I would anything of James Dobson's.

[wryter2000]

3. Thank you

Since when is common courtesy such an onerous burden? That's all PC is, imho.

And refusing to support him isn't censorship. You have no power to censor him.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. Um, that is PC.

Not putting up racist bullshit is all PC basically is.

The anti-PC crowd are basically upset because they use racist, sexist, etc. epithets and they don't want to be called on it.

[BlooInBloo]

9. Close. The bigoted side *created* ("re-tooled" is better perhaps)...

... the concept "politically correct" specifically to cast white folks as victims.

The concept is inherently bigoted. The only way to think otherwise is to not care about history.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. Sure.

They created the term, and then immediately started whining about it.

[bliss_eternal]

52. Color me impressed...

very well said guys! Nice to see some humanity on DU! Have a Happy Holiday! :hi:

[Withywindle]

50. They didn't, really.

As I remember it, it was a concept used BY people on the left as gentle self-deprecating humor. A perfect example would be something that happened when I was in college and a carload of us drove from Ohio to NYC for a big demonstration, and we were running low on gas in the middle of the night, and every single gas station we passed was a company the driver was boycotting (each one for a different reason) and, yup, sure enough, there we were sitting empty on the PA Turnpike at 3 AM.

But it WAS the RW that latched on to it and made it all about angry white men being violently resentful that they weren't "allowed" to say horrible racist and misogynist and homophobic things in polite company anymore. Totally twisting the meaning.

[Lance_Boyle]

28. That f*cking retard

should be bitchslapped for his diatribe.

Was that comment PC or misogynistic?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

33. Neither.

Just dumb.

[TahitiNut]

7. When will he enter rehab?

:eyes:

[BlooInBloo]

8. ROFLMAO! Sigh.

[CrazyForKucinich]

49. Classic American Overreaction....thanks for the laugh. Edit-For the OP

For the Original Poster:

This country has a problem. It overreacts to everything.

Massachussettes allows Gay Marriage...other states come out and write it into their CONSTITUTION to ban it.

A kid is obsessed with Doom...shoots up a school. Videogames are the devil come the jeers from the rafters.

One guy who used to be on a show years ago makes a rascist remark...and the whole show is villified yet many of the other actors have come out against Richards' statement. The guy even apologizes for his remark and people still want to hang him.

My god.

Richards may have some problems...but so does this country. Overreacting to every little thing...just like Richards snapping. You hold everyone accountable for one person's mistake or different take on an issue.

If you want to be mad at Richards...fine. Don't accept his apology. But grouping together the whole Seinfeld cast/crew together is no better than Joe Lieberman grouping people who play videogames together.

Grow up.

[EdwardM]

10. This almost seems like an Andy Kaufman like stunt.

I just can't believe that someone would be so stupid. What the hell is wrong with him?

[radwriter0555]

46. It wasn't a stunt, it was a man revealing his true character... that's for sure.

I'm disgusted by the people who interpret his actions any differently and who are making excuses for his actions.

His actions just simply defined his character. Now that we know *who* he is, we can all treat him accordingly...

[xultar]

12. Plenty of non black comedians have used the N-word and had no

problem. Why? Because mostly it wasn't directed to hurt in particular.

Carlos Mencia has done it and many other white comedians and it was funny.

What Michael R did wasn't funny and it was done in retaliation with a purpose to insult and hurt. That takes it to a whole different level.

[jgraz]

13. You can watch it here

http://www.tmz.com/

Holy fuck, this is some ugly shit

[zreosumgame]

14. what I find funny is...

how nobody even approaches what the hecklers were saying to him. If you WATCH what is recorded instead of just hearing the (ooooh, scary!) n-word and him building a riff on it then making fun of the peoples reactions to it. After and before the build-up of course the 'hecklers' words are not heard, just Richards reacting to it. Fact is NONE OF US have enough info to make a rational judgment, so all we of course see today are the irrational 'string him up!" bullshit.

Humm, kinda reminiscent of a lynching party with a rope and an n-word and a tree all ready...

[jgraz]

16. What could they have possibly said

to justify "fifty years ago you'd be hanging upside down with a fork in your ass"???

He could have been as verbally cruel to those guys as he wanted without bringing race into it. By saying what he said, he attacked everyone in the audience.

[zreosumgame]

18. ah another who did not WATCH it, just emotion

A) try looking at it, at NO TIME during that phase did he point to anyone in the audience, he pointed up and off-stage, he was PLAYING A FUCKING CHARATER at the time ON A FUCKING STAGE.

B) Oh, I don't know they could have been trying to break him from his act and do 'Kramer' or they could have made remarks about him possibly being jewish (is he? I have no idea) and he should have died in an oven, or his family, or made comments about his mother or any children he may have or to RAPE his kids, or KILL them if he does not get off the stage. And yes having been to many comedy clubs, that is the kind of 'heckling' some types (and it crosses the color line) think 'funny'.

To sum up, you STILL do not have enough info, and you seem determined to make sure you avoid as much as possible so you can pretend outrage over this tape.

[jgraz]

19. I see: I disagree with you so I couldn't have possibly watched it

What total bullshit.

Make up whatever fantasy you want so you can still feel good jacking off to your Seinfeld DVDs.

ETA: By the way, dumbass, you might want to take a look at post #13. Learn how to read before you start characterizing peoples' opinions.

[roguevalley]

29. yeah, he was playing a character, a disgusting dumbass. I am

SICK of people, any people, using that word. I grew up with segregation and sundown laws and watching people get bit and shot with water cannons on tv every night. I hated it then and I
hate it now. That word was dying out, ready to go away. No respectable person used it. Now
even a skanky dipshit like this no talent moron feels justified to use it and lynching imagery
against people. I don't care what the provocation was. It isn't justified and if his career
goes south, its his own damned fault. He's worth millions. He has nothing to whine about.
The stupid fools. I heard Rod Serling speak once. He said, "Anyone who can say nigger isn't
a moral man." I agree heartily. As for defending him, go watch Eye On the Prize and then see
if you can.

[wryter2000]

32. I am so with you on this one

I wish no one would use that word. I guess there are people who can use it and not mean what the racists mean, but it gives all kinds of wrong people the idea they can use it, too.

[zreosumgame]

34. OK, watch it again, ALL of it, consider angles

and that he is on a stage. Got that part yet? OK, when he said that part about 'a fork up your ass' where was he pointing (and yes he was pointing and gesticulating)? Go on, take a look. See where he is pointing up and off to his left? Not AT anyone? not AGAINST anyone?

Ok, now try again, and tell us again how the use of the (ahem) n-word by everyone in the world is all Richard's fault...

Personally i did not find the routine funny, and am not really a fan of his (but I do watch Sienfeld re-runs sometimes, but not on a regular basis) and have never seen him live. So, why am I posting about this incident? Because a lot of knee-jerking morons are running interesting threads off the front page and you idiots refuse to get a life beyond Entertainment Tongith BS.

[roguevalley]

35. First of all, none of us are idiots. Secondly, you forget that this

dolt is of an age to have grown up with segregation and Jim Crow. For those of us who remember what that was like, who lived in the middle of it, NOTHING this dolt says is humor, an act, whatever. He has no right to use this stuff like he did. HE KNEW what it meant when it was NORMAL. As for seeing the whole thing, I did. Get over it.

[radwriter0555]

48. As adults we're required to take responsibility for our actions & words. He has NO excuse

for saying such filthy, vile and nasty things under ANY circumstances.

One doesn't say such things unless one has clearly processed and accepted such thoughts in one's own mind.

He has simply revealed his true character as have those people who are defending or excusing his actions.

[Redstone]

47. Got any more excuses?

Redstone

[ellacott]

17. It Doesn't Matter What They Said to Him

They would be wrong also. He should have enough self control not to react that way. He would never have reacted in that way unless these feelings were inside of him to begin with. Just like Mel Gibson's drunken tirade, it was in him all the time.

[jgraz]

20. He actually tells us what they were doing...

They interrupted his act and were talking. Not subjecting him to anti-semitic comments, not insulting his family, just taliking. Again, anyone who says Richards was responding in kind is spinning fantasies.

[Ms. Clio]

22. you don't know jack shit about what people watched

It was clear what was happening there. Some people were "talking and talking," and they interrrupted him. So he lost it, and spewed racial insults. That wasn't part of any "act." Did you defend Mel Gibson, too?

All those people didn't leave because they were so stupid they didn't know what was going on, didn't get the oh so clever ACT.

I have all the information I need. Fuck that noise.

[jgraz]

25. You could have skipped "about what people watched"

[Ms. Clio]

26. true enough

but that would be considered a personal attack. :)

[Lex]

15. Everyone has a "right" to say stupid, racist, homophobic or sexist things.

I have a "right" to call their ass on it, and after I call them on it, you may wish to label me as being "PC" for calling them on it, but I care not.

[Arkana]

21. Sorry, but I'll probably still watch Seinfeld...

he made me laugh too much as Kramer.

But I would never buy anything or go to another show he does after this. It was inexcusable, no matter how you look at it.

[bloom]

23. It is related to the whole PC thing.

Dave McGurgan is quoted as saying:

"To brand Richards a racist based on this clip or the chatter flying around on the Internet and cable news channels would be stupid, naive and uninformed.

But then again, that would be America and its overly politically correct culture in action."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2765903&mesg_id=2765903



The anti-PC thing is a ploy by the right-wingers and libertarians to excuse racism and sexism. And that is why McGurgan said what he said.

We know that a lot of right-wing types are unapologetically racist and sexist.

There are also lot of libertarian comics who don't like PC (and they, like Kramer may very well be racists) because PC would infringe on their "private rights" (to be assholes). I think that they have a huge influence - esp. on young men.

[REP]

24. Just Confirms What I've Been Saying For Years...

...he just isn't funny or adorable. He's unwatchable. I can't join your boycott because I've been avoiding Richards (and Seinfeld) since the show was in production due to the actors being unappealing and the writing unbearable.

You are absolutely correct, though - he has every right to be as much of an ass as he wants to be, and say whatever stupid dreck floats into his head. No one has to think it's funny, or excuseable, or adorable, or in character ... as for me, I don't even have to be surprised.

[NorthernSpy]

27. it was the approving reference to lynching that did it for me...

That was simply beyond the pale, no matter what anyone may think of the ad nauseum use of the word "nigger" in comedy, or of racist tirades in general.

:nuke:

[omega minimo]

30. He doesn't have the right to say racist remarks on DU

[KingFlorez]

31. He's got serious problems if he would react this way

You're right, this is not political correctness. He went off and personally attacked people and that's wrong anyway you look at it.

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. 
[link:www.democraticunderground.com/forums/rules.html|Click
here] to review the message board rules.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

37. TAKE YOUR P.O.S. RACIST ASS AND GO FUCK YOURSELF!

:mad:

[Rabrrrrrr]

38. Bye!

:hi:

[Minnesota_Lib]

39. First post...this was a quick stay. See ya and good riddance

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

40. You fucking racist piece of shit. Crawl back under your bridge. You're stinkin' up the place.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

41. You're disgusting. You'd need a million years of evolution to become plankton.

[LeftyMom]

42. Ever notice how racist motherfuckers are the people least qualified to look down on anybody?

Just because your family tree looks like a railroad track it doesn't excuse being a hateful son of a bitch. Get lost.

[Mz Pip]

43. Mannered White folks?

Like you I'm guessing. :sarcasm:

Mz Pip
:dem:

[MrSlayer]

44. Micheal Richards posting on DU?

Who would have thought it?

[Redstone]

45. Boy, you're one LAME troll. Better luck next time, asshole.

Redstone

[JCMach1]

51. The OP is right on... this guy deserves every POS slung his way

over the coming weeks.

Exactly right, it has nothing to do with PC...

The good news, the only house this guy will be playing in coming years is neo-NAZI and KKK Konventions.