Kramer's A Racist!!!

[Shifty]

No, it's not that simple.

Whites had their chance to use the word and they abused it. They made it a word of oppresion and tyranny. Now it's the black peoples turn to use the N-word and it won't be a word used to instill fear and self-doubt. It will be a word of empowerment and a celebration of survival.

Richard Pryor didn't see the word like that. After his trip to Africa and reflected on it, he dropped it from his vocabulary. But that's him.

 

[SuperFerret]

No, it's not that simple.

Whites had their chance to use the word and they abused it. They made it a word of oppresion and tyranny. Now it's the black peoples turn to use the N-word and it won't be a word used to instill fear and self-doubt. It will be a word of empowerment and a celebration of survival.

Yes b--ch is derogatory when a men says it to a woman but what you can't seem to understand is how someone like Madonna or Hilary Clinton can use the word as liberating term. Yes gays call each other ****. They do this to take something bad and turn it into a rallying cry.

I may be mistaken, but the N word originally meant, or derived from a word that meant "an ignorant person". If this is true (which I have no proof either way) then it is inherently a word of oppression.

And while I think it's a good idea to turn a tool of hate into a rallying cry for acceptance, not everyone agrees on it's use, and largely it remains a derogatory word.

 

[terry78]

Point blank, the guy is a comedian. A grown man that should be able to control himself on the job. He couldn't, and now he's paying for it. End of story. Too many adults act like kids nowadays and get nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

 

[jono11]

That doesn't change the fact that everytime I see Kramer on Seinfeld I'm going to be reminded how the actor playing him really feels about me and my family.

Acknowledged.

 

[jono11]

I may be mistaken, but the N word originally meant, or derived from a word that meant "an ignorant person". If this is true (which I have no proof either way) then it is inherently a word of oppression.

If you refer to the word "*****rd," I don't think it actually is the root word. The N word is a corruption of Negro, which is the spanish word for black (I think. Maybe it's the Spanish word for dark.)

 

[terry78]

I honestly think that the main issue here is that all these people that have been saying that racism no longer exists and that it's been overexaggerated now have to backpedal to spin their theory somehow.

 

[blind_fury]

I may be mistaken, but the N word originally meant, or derived from a word that meant "an ignorant person". If this is true (which I have no proof either way) then it is inherently a word of oppression.

And while I think it's a good idea to turn a tool of hate into a rallying cry for acceptance, not everyone agrees on it's use, and largely it remains a derogatory word.

It's not a rallying cry for acceptance. It's a rallying cry for survival.

It's also a way to change the intended purpose of the word from opression to resilience.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resilience

 

[blind_fury]

I honestly think that the main issue here is that all these people that have been saying that racism no longer exists and that it's been overexaggerated now have to backpedal to spin their theory somehow.

Yes it's a reminder that racism still exist in the shadows and under the surface.

 

[charl_huntress]

The problem with this is that white people don't use the word like black people. You don't refer to other white people like that and you don't refer to black people like that unless you want...to talk about it...as we are doing now. It's an abberant word for non-blacks, regardless of how you want to look at it.

I look forward to the day when the word is common for all, and it's just a word.

When everyone sees it that way and uses it that way then we won't talk about it anymore. It will be like some stupid old British word they used to insult people. It meant something then but it means jack now.

 

[Kurt Wagner]

Right, because language has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the person who says it. When a black person says, "What up n----," it means exactly the same thing as when some Klansman says, "Man, I'd love to kill all the n-----s."

Of course not. But the word is still derogatory. When a black perosn or any person uses that word n-----, they only encourage that word to exist in language. If people where to stop using such words, then it would eventually fade out of existence in that language.

 

[Kurt Wagner]

what boggles my mind the most is why the hell would any black person use the word N----- regardless of how they use it. It's such a distusting word to begin with.

 

[charl_huntress]

what boggles my mind the most is why the hell would any black person use the word N----- regardless of how they use it. It's such a distusting word to begin with.

IMO, I think the word has some group-defining aspects. Meaning...shared struggled, triumphs, setbacks...etc. It's like a brotherhood, and by owning the word for their own usage...they give their power to it. So...it's theirs. If that makes sense

I think we as humans will overcome this word and move on to more offendable ones sometime in the future

 

[Shifty]

Kramer did like to golf as well....

But I believe Richards didn't golf, it was Larry David writing that for the character. Racism is here to stay. Senator George Allen almost won a seatand he said negative things about Indians and Jewish people. To me that's worse than some essentially retired comedian going into a rage doing standup. Allen was pretty calm.

 

[Sloth7d]

I feel very hurt by this.
Several comedians in the past have been heckled on-stage and none have had to go so barbaric as in to use racial slurs to keep the audience member in check. Really, I mean I used to love Kramer on Seinfeld, but now.... now... now I'm 100% positive the world will be ending soon.

 

[Fading]

Wow first time I saw this, I gotta admit I won't look at him quite the same. Not that I flat out think he's racist, it's just you get an image of a comedian being a bit more lighthearted off stage, guess it just shows that you can't always tell what a persons like.

Way I look at it he's a professional comedian. Hecklers are part of the act, the good comedians incorporate it and can tease the heckler back in a way to make the audience laugh and keep the show going. He seemed more like he didn't care and wanted to argue back. Plenty of comedians I've seen have been heckled and turned it into a joke and kept going. Firemen don't let the first flame turn them back, boxers don't quit if they chip a nail, comedians should be ready to take a heckler as it's going to happen sooner or later.

On the other hand, even if what he said is racist, you have to understand that stuff happens at a comedy routine. Comedians make racist comments all the time, and if you go in there you have to lighten up. If a jokes made, or the comedian makes fun of you because you're fat, or anorexic, or because of skin color, it's something that happens all the time in acts. I do think it's possible the guy overreacted. On the other hand I wish I could see the full act to see if he was going down a racist act altogether, or if it just started where the video started. If that was the only comment he made, I think he should have dropped it and kept the act going. If he had been making jokes like that the whole time, and considering most probably expected a Kramer like routine, I can understand walking out. Worst tho was him walking off stage after that. People paid money to see him, and as a professional he should have kept going and not cut it short.

 

[The Kid]

Maybe this is a publicity stunt.

 

[Sloth7d]

On the other hand, even if what he said is racist, you have to understand that stuff happens at a comedy routine. Comedians make racist comments all the time.

Dude, comedians make sterotypical jokes. And thats what it is, a joke.

BUT--!!

This guy fully went out of his way to not even tell a joke but start a one man vendetta on stage that showed a despicable racist side to him. It wasn't a joke, it wasn't even lighthearted. It was a cruel assalt and showed exactly what he thinks of black people. Because apparently a "blackman" can't interrupt a "white guy".

 

[Sloth7d]

Maybe this is a publicity stunt.

No way. A publicity stunt like this would never help your career.

 

[jono11]

Of course not. But the word is still derogatory. When a black perosn or any person uses that word n-----, they only encourage that word to exist in language. If people where to stop using such words, then it would eventually fade out of existence in that language.

That's a very good point. It's possible that if the black community rejected it, the word would fade from existence.

However, first, it is not "derogatory." It's just dangerous.

Second, can you accept that total subversion of the word may be a prerequisite to eventual rejection of it?

 

[Sloth7d]

If black people rejected the word it would just become more powerful when other races use it. Hence why the word was used by black people in the past in the first place.

 

[War Lord]

That's a very good point. It's possible that if the black community rejected it, the word would fade from existence.

However, first, it is not "derogatory." It's just dangerous.

Second, can you accept that total subversion of the word may be a prerequisite to eventual rejection of it?

Often, total subversion of a word leads to its acceptance.

 

[jono11]

what boggles my mind the most is why the hell would any black person use the word N----- regardless of how they use it. It's such a distusting word to begin with.

Same reason Jews tell jokes about Jews, and actually, all minority comedians tell jokes about their own group. But even your average regular Jew tells a lot of jokes about Jews. And we do it because it trivializes the hatred, and makes those who believe it seem ridiculous. And, like most jokers, we laugh to keep from weeping in a lot of cases.

 

[jono11]

Kramer did like to golf as well....

But I believe Richards didn't golf, it was Larry David writing that for the character. Racism is here to stay. Senator George Allen almost won a seatand he said negative things about Indians and Jewish people. To me that's worse than some essentially retired comedian going into a rage doing standup. Allen was pretty calm.

That was unfortunate, because I really believe that he didn't realize the implications of the word "macaca." I think he really was just spouting gibberish. The word is not exactly common here in the U.S.

I've never actually heard what he said about Jews, but I can't imagine he could be anti-Semitic. He's part Jewish.

All that said, I'm still glad he lost. Democrats are marginally better than Republicans.

 

[Mr. Credible]

so... dave chapelle can come on comedy central at 6pm and say "the N word" 50 times an episode, for all the little boys and girls to hear, chris rock can do a 2 hour stand up, at least 45 minutes of which is dedicated to cracking jokes at white people's expense, but this is not okay?

um... double standard, anyone?

 

[Sloth7d]

so... dave chapelle can come on comedy central at 6pm and say "the N word" 50 times an episode, for all the little boys and girls to hear, chris rock can do a 2 hour stand up, at least 45 minutes of which is dedicated to cracking jokes at white people's expense, but this is not okay?

um... double standard, anyone?

No it isn't even the same thing. Dave Chapelles jokes are hardly even racist more than they are stereotypical(with exeption of his on act where he plays a racist whiteman, but it was all in character) and plus they are just that... jokes. What Michael did was clearly to be offensive and not even funny. There is no defending it and it's not comparable to a stereotypical or racist joke. Dude, if it wasn't okay to make stereotypical jokes about black people then Mind of Mencia would've been canceled ages ago. And I love that show(me being black) and laugh at all the JOKES, because they are just that jokes. I even laughed at Aston Kutchers jokes on the movie Guess Who(exept the last one) because they were all in humor.
What Kramer did was take a terrible time for black people from the past and shove it in our face. Not only that but he declared the white persons superiority over blacks saying,"A black person can't interrupt a white guy" which is just wrong.