Kramer's Implosion

Ordinarily, I find celebrities self-destructing in public very amusing, but this was completely uncalled for;

Kramer's Tirade

What does everyone think....was that the shot to the head for his career??

 

Wow!

 

Re: Re: Kramer's Implosion

Hummmm interesting thought. It just goes to show that the ditsy and affable character that he portrayed on Seinfeld was -- just an act. After all, he was an "actor."

I'm just trying to figure out what was going through his head. We may never know.

It is unacceptable for a European American to call an African American the n word. Ironically, it is perfectly acceptable for an African American to call another African American the n word. Click here if you want proof.

 

Re: Re: Re: Kramer's Implosion

Michael Richards was way out of line.

On a slightly different topic...

How many African Americans do you really know? I know a lot of Americans that happen to be black but are they truly African Americans? I have only known two true African Americans. One was a soldier of mine from a country in Africa who spoke 5 different languages. Another was a friend of mine who was from South Africa and who happened to be white. Come to think of it, my South African friend also spoke about 5 different languages.

 

Richards was way out of line...

Maybe a little publicity booster...just to get his name re-circulated. He knows his fame is embroiled in Seinfeld.

 

Looks like he didn't take care of his money too well. After making millions like him, I could have quietly faded away...like fishing etc.
Gavin

 

A turd recirculating round and round in a backed up toilet at an old gas station without any toilet paper isn't my idea of good PR.

 

You can be shocking and be funny. You can be obscene and be funny. You can even use words like that (see: Lenny Bruce, George carlin, Richard Pryor) and be funny. I may not agree with them from a moral or ethical standpoint, but that doesn't mean those guys weren't/aren't funny.

But Richard's just a foul-mouthed ignorant bigot. That's just not funny. About as funny as a flaming cross.

 

Re: Re: Kramer's Implosion

Yeah, Seinfeld made his millions from the show and then just up and quit, leaving all his poor starveling lackeys in the lurch. Must be Kramer's frustration coming out.

 

By the way, when someone self-destructs like that, how do you know whether to call it an implosion or an explosion?

 

That's what I really didn't understand....the first time I saw it, I kept waiting for a George Carlin or Lenny Bruce moment, with Richards launching into a philosophical bit about racial stereotypes.

Unfortunately, it never came. He wasn't trying to be philosophical, witty, or funny. He just lost total control.

 

Re: Re: Kramer's Implosion

I actually gave that some thought, Ted.

I went with implosion, because that spectacle injured Richards a lot more than anyone who was in the club. The fallout hasn't even really begun for him.

 

I have a question for you guys. What's the different when a jewish comedian make a derogatory remark about jewish people and a non semitic person making the same remark. Who's considered anti-semitic? I was watching Glen Beck the other day and he stated that it was unfair that black people can call each other the N word and the white can't do it. His argument was that the black people should stop using the N word. Another word, it's the black people fault. What an idiot this guy is? I'm Puerto Rican and I've been called all kind of names, both jokingly and insultantly. Is it right, well, yes and no. When my people make a joke about my race, it doesn't bother me. But a white or a black, watch out....

What Kramer did was way out of line.

And to the person who claimed that black people in America are not African American need to revisit his statement.

Anyone born in another country is classified as that country origin. If a irish person born in America they are called Irish American, other examples are German, Poland etc. Africa is not a country, it's a continent. Technically, there are no African American. People born in Ghanda, Nigeria, South African , etc: would be considered Ghanda, Nigeria, South African, etc: American. Personally, I think calling someone African American is an insult. This indicates that the person don't know where thier ancestors came from, so we will group all of the black together and name you after a continent.

 

I didn't say black people in America are not African American, I said not all black people in America are African American. And I agree with your second statement but I was making a comment in the context of people being classified as European American or African American. I am amazed when I see people trying to be PC by using the term African American. If a person was born in America, then they are American.

 

Yes, we all American. I couldn't agreed more.

 

Once upon a time there were gays. Then gays and lesbians. Then gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. Then gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered. Hence, the GLBT movement.

One upon a time, there were colored people. Then Negroes. Then colored people again. Then Afro-Americans. Then black people. Then African-Americans.

(GLBT African-Americans must really have fun when it comes to nomenclature.)

I've learned to call people what they want to be called. Hence, when I have spoken to pro-life groups, I do not call them misogynist right-wing Reagan-voting anti-choice reactionaries. And when I have spoken to pro-choice groups, I have not called them Democratic communist dope-smoking baby killers.

So I say "African-American." Why? Because that's what African-Americans call themselves. And that's good enough for me - this white boy doesn't feel the need to embrace a liberal guilt complex for 200-plus years of oppression by debating minutiae.

One thing I won't say is "the 'n' word." It's a cop-out. The word is nigger, and it hurts, regardless of who uses it. Bill Cosby got it right - when the world calls you a nigger, the worst thing you can do is dumb yourself down by accepting a lower standard for yourself. And if the comedians who have spoken out about the Richards situation (like Paul Rodriegez and George Lopez) were half as hip as they think they are, they would realize that their own humor does as much damage to the Hispanic and Latino/a cultures.

On the other hand, when Jim McGreevy called himself a "gay American," I laughed my ass off. And he wasn't even joking.

 

Steve, I totally agreed with you. Putting people down because of thier race, gender or sexual orientation is ignorant.

I liked that statement about the white dude claiming to be the first african in space. (lol) I wasn't aware of this.

The reason that I've mentioned that black people did not know where thier ancestor came from was not to be critical. My point was if you were to investigate--- the slave routes was the Ivory coast. Which narrowed the list of countries down. Furthermore, if you were to tracked which ships came from which country, you would be able to narrowed it some more. In other word, count up all the slave ports that were used in the south and match them up to the slave ports utillized in the Ivory coast. It won't be perfect but it's sure as hell make alot more sense than calling a continent your home.

I've spent 3 months touring Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and northern Africa, Morocco. This was a business trip that surely open up my eye to thier version of history. By the way, I was shocked to learned that only 3 African countries contributed to the majority of the slaves exported to America and elsewhere. In addition that the Moors were the main slave traders dealing initially with Spain, England and others that follow.

 

I think Beck's got a point. If someone don't want to have a word used against them, if it's really a bad word, then don't use it yourself. Just my opinion. Maybe reasonable people can disagree on this one.

I may have ancestors from Germany and Scandanavia, but I've never been called German-American or Scandanavian-American. I'm just American. I agree with you, though, I think African-American's an insult. So at least we agree on that. I think.