Is Cosmo Kramer a bigot?

[Bob]

I think Michael Richards is a very marginal stand-up comedian. I also think the white race has enough pent-up guilt to last several more generations.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Well, after all the talk on here, I had to go see it. I also found YouTube - Michael Richards' apology on Letterman. -- Worth the watch.

I remember seeing a long interview with Jerry S one time, and in it, he talked of Richard's antisocial craziness on the set. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that his fits of rage could be attributed to BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder).

Some of you mentioned the racial slur, but what about the remark which Richard's made to the black ma, "fifty years ago, your @ss would be hanging upside down from a tree."? From a normal person, that sounds like a threat. From a comedian who was obviously frustrated that people were heckling him, who knows?

Personally, I say if you are a comedian and you cannot handle hecklers, you may as well turn in your microphone. I truly think the man may have BPD, and that would explain his remorse and the sincerely-sounding apology as well as the rage and anger that came across at the "Laugh In" Comedy Club.

 

[Cil]

Some of you mentioned the racial slur, but what about the remark which Richard's made to the black ma, "fifty years ago, your @ss would be hanging upside down from a tree."? From a normal person, that sounds like a threat. From a comedian who was obviously frustrated that people were heckling him, who knows?

Yes, as I mentioned before, Richards' *opened* his tirade with the lynching reference. Rather extreme.
I don't know anything about BPD, but the guy certainly is angry, and the anger spilled out in a way that was both ugly and pathetic.
And yes, Bob, there is lots of white guilt. But then it was only in '98 that the most recent lynching occurred.

 

[steele mama]

Well, after all the talk on here, I had to go see it. I also found Richard's apology clip from Letterman Show. -- Worth the watch.

I remember seeing a long interview with Jerry S one time, and in it, he talked of Richard's antisocial craziness on the set. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that his fits of rage could be attributed to BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder).

Some of you mentioned the racial slur, but what about the remark which Richard's made to the black ma, "fifty years ago, your @ss would be hanging upside down from a tree."? From a normal person, that sounds like a threat. From a comedian who was obviously frustrated that people were heckling him, who knows?

Personally, I say if you are a comedian and you cannot handle hecklers, you may as well turn in your microphone. I truly think the man may have BPD, and that would explain his remorse and the sincerely-sounding apology as well as the rage and anger that came across at the "Laugh In" Comedy Club.

You are definitely right about SOME personality disorder.

Regarding the bigot issue....when people have an uncontrollable anger problem and they get "set off", they can say and do things that they deep down don't believe and don't want to do. I've seen it happen. Sure, it comes from somewhere, be it abuse in their past or mental illness, but they can say things that they really don't mean. Once the cycle starts it has to run its course unfortunately. The answer is anger control techniques, which obviously he has not learned or medication, which he definitely needs. After it was all said and done, I felt sorry for him but really hope he gets the help he needs. He did say he had to do some "personal work". Duh!!!

I'm not the one with the anger problem!!

 

[Smiling JOe]

You are definitely right about SOME personality disorder.

Regarding the bigot issue....when people have an uncontrollable anger problem and they get "set off", they can say and do things that they deep down don't believe and don't want to do. I've seen it happen. Sure, it comes from somewhere, be it abuse in their past or mental illness, but they can say things that they really don't mean. Once the cycle starts it has to run its course unfortunately. The answer is anger control techniques, which obviously he has not learned or medication, which he definitely needs. After it was all said and done, I felt sorry for him but really hope he gets the help he needs. He did say he had to do some "personal work". Duh!!!

I'm not the one with the anger problem!!

People with BPD often need therapy for 3-5 years before they are able to control their fits of rage. Once they hit that anger and rage, the only thing they see or know is that thing which set them off. All else is blocked out. Too difficult for me to explain.

SteeleMama, you are correct that he could be digging into language which he learned from his parents when growing up, and that they are not his own thoughts. There is only one thing you can do when a person with BPD is raging, and that is chill out and walk away. If not, it will escalate rapidly and no one comes out looking good.

 

[steele mama]

People with BPD often need therapy for 3-5 years before they are able to control their fits of rage. Once they hit that anger and rage, the only thing they see or know is that thing which set them off. All else is blocked out. Too difficult for me to explain.

SteeleMama, you are correct that he could be digging into language which he learned from his parents when growing up, and that they are not his own thoughts. There is only one thing you can do when a person with BPD is raging, and that is chill out and walk away. If not, it will escalate rapidly and no one comes out looking good.

And all the people said.....AMEN!!!

 

[potatovixen]

I am surprised to learn of the hecklers thing. I have been to three comedy shows in my life and didn't notice any. PotatoV, what did Elvira do to some hecklers?

She had just told the crowd that she was a lesbian, and some guy in the audience yelled, "I bet I can fix that!" Without batting an eye, she replied, "No, I don't think so. I can get whatever you've got, in plastic, twice as big." There were no more comments from him for the rest of the night.

 

[bsmart]

She had just told the crowd that she was a lesbian, and some guy in the audience yelled, "I bet I can fix that!" Without batting an eye, she replied, "No, I don't think so. I can get whatever you've got, in plastic, twice as big." There were no more comments from him for the rest of the night.

Whoa, that was a good comeback.

 

[mf]

with cases like kerry, faith, mel or michael richards, the excuse that "it was a joke" or "i was drunk" or "i was angry" may be a rationale for the outburst, but it doesn't excuse the content or hurtful remark. now we know how they really feel when the camera's not looking and they aren't sober or aware enough to control what comes out of their mouths. we can tell what's in their hearts.