Kramer's outburst

[nik0tine]

I love the guys response at the end. "Well I don't know what to say. Sorry about that."



Edit: This is why racism isn't a problem and nobody should care about it.

[Rye]

Ummm, I think everyone is missing the point that there's a BIG difference between getting mad and just letting the n word fly once and getting mad and saying how 50 years ago, the person who have been hung and had a fork up his ass for being black and rude and then using the n word multiple times. You need to have a certain kind of mentality to end up saying the latter, even if you are mad.

[Shiny]

I think you guys are jumping the gun a little. What he said was obviously racist, but that doesn’t mean he is.

That doesn't make any sense. If you say something racist directed towards someone in a hateful way then you're racist and that's it. Being angry doesn't justify the fact that what he said and it wasn't like the word nigger was all he said. The word is unfortunately used alot in today's society, but it's pretty much known that blacks are not accepting of whites using it at all. It's offensive. However, I think that nobody should use is regardless of race. The word nigger can thrown away with the word bling and other pointless words. And "Kramer" can be tossed in with all the other celebrity D-List garbage.

[Cipher]

I would call bulls on this one. If he had done the same thing but said nigga instead of nigger nothing would have changed. It is the context and not the word...and who says it. No white person in their head screwed on right goes around certain neighbor hoods calling each other a nigga or nigger.

To clarify, I stated that as a sort of factoid. There really is a difference between the three variations, at least in some black people's minds. And scholarly linguists (like Geneva Smitherman) are quick to agree.

But the use of the n-word is context more than anything, and I apologize if I wasn't clear about that.

To me it looked like he was going to try to go somewhere with the whole thing but lost his train of thought and just started doing whatever. I thought that comment you quoted was hilarious...as I have already said.

It looked to me like he went off on his rant and as an afterthought attempted salvage his credibility by trying to turn it into a joke. Until the guys in the background said something else, and all thoughts of trying to save face went out the window.

It's all a matter of speculation though, I suppose. No one knows what went on in Richards' head but Richards himself.

[Nasarian Altimeros]

That doesn't make any sense. If you say something racist directed towards someone in a hateful way then you're racist and that's it.

So, if some mortally obese guy was being a jackass while I was talking and I said "Shut it, fatty. Go stuff your mouth with pie or something so we don't have to listen to you talk", it would definitely mean I was prejudice against fat people, and not just looking for a way to embarrass the guy so he would shut the hell up?

[NINJA_Ryu]

Im waiting for someone to say

"Man....you just got PUNKED!!!"

[Moon Rabbits]

That doesn't make any sense. If you say something racist directed towards someone in a hateful way then you're racist and that's it.

So, if some mortally obese guy was being a jackass while I was talking and I said "Shut it, fatty. Go stuff your mouth with pie or something so we don't have to listen to you talk", it would definitely mean I was prejudice against fat people, and not just looking for a way to embarrass the guy so he would shut the hell up?

There is a lot more social stigma attached to racist comments than there is to something like weight. Furthermore, it could very well be argued that you are prejudiced towards over-weight people because you choose to talk to them in such a way.

[Shiny]

So, if some mortally obese guy was being a jackass while I was talking and I said "Shut it, fatty. Go stuff your mouth with pie or something so we don't have to listen to you talk", it would definitely mean I was prejudice against fat people, and not just looking for a way to embarrass the guy so he would shut the hell up?

Yup. Because you are assuming all obese people are fat, because they eat excessively when that's not always the case. That can be considered stereotypical and prejudice. It could also mean you are trying to be purposely mean, but that still doesn't change the fact that what you said was prejudice.

I've seen plenty of comedians handle hecklers in aggressive and offensive ways, but it rarely included using racial slurs. If "Kramer" wasn't racist, he wouldn't have used the word. They say that people's true colors come out in a time of stress and when people's defenses are up. It looks as though his true self appeared.

[Nasarian Altimeros]

There is a lot more social stigma attached to racist comments than there is to something like weight. Furthermore, it could very well be argued that you are prejudiced towards over-weight people because you choose to talk to them in such a way.

Just because something is more socially unacceptable to say (which it shouldn’t be) doesn't increase the chances that they are bigoted for saying it. And while I’m sure it could be argued that someone who said that was predgidous against fat people, I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a single situation in which anyone has ever made a big deal out of it.

It could also mean you are trying to be purposely mean, but that still doesn't change the fact that what you said was prejudice.

That was pretty much my original point =\

What he said was obviously racist, but that doesn’t mean he is.

[Rostum]

Well, it looks like he certainly got some attention.

[Shlup]

He called the guy a nigger. Repeatedly. Maybe we can use the "it's something people say a lot" excuse with that one, but what about the “50 years ago we had you with a fork up your ass” or whatever comment? Or the "that's what you get for interrupting a white man" comment? That is so not okay.

[Nasarian Altimeros]

I don't think you'll find anyone who thinks that what he said was 'okay'.

[Shlup]

Several people in this thread said it's not a big deal, or that he's not really racist, just says horribly racist things when angry.

[Shiny]

Nasarian Altimeros: Not really...you were saying how it's not really a big deal and isn't racist. When I pretty much said the exact opposite. I added the "just because he was angry" part, because I felt that his anger didn't justify his racism. Racism can't be justified. It can be understood, but it doesn't have to be tolerated. Furthermore, you can't say something is racist and not be racist. It's not just the thing he said with the word nigger, but all the other crap he said on top of that; hinting at lynching and acting like a white supremist towards the end. How can that not be racist?

[Nasarian Altimeros]

Several people in this thread said it's not a big deal, or that he's not really racist, just says horribly racist things when angry.

The later doesn't imply that they think what he said was acceptable. The former...well, I probably should have read a few more posts in this thread.

Not really...you were saying how it's not really a big deal

No seriously, where did I say that?

and isn't racist

I started off by saying the comment was racist.