yea the club should have intervened. But if richards can't handle hecklers he shouldn't be doing stand up.

Posted by: klyde at November 27, 2006 2:45 PM

I find it sad that Chris Mazzeli found more fault with the "hecklers" than Kramer's racially motivated comments. He is right, the club should have intervened. Intervened by escorting him off the stage and not allowing him back. There is no excuse for racism. Comedians know that comedy is interactive. Sometimes it is well received and sometimes it is not. However, the club inadvertently endorsed Kramer's comments by allowing him to continue on. It is one thing to criticize a comic's routine verbally it is another to loosely throw around racist comments in a country that obviously has a long way to come in battling racism. I don't think that any amount of heckling could evoke such a response unless the person who uttered them, in this case Kramer truly meant it. There is nothing funny about Laugh Factory or Kramer. I will never patron Laugh Factory nor view any of Kramer's future/past work. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Posted by: Deanna at November 27, 2006 5:07 PM

There's no question the whole thing was a disaster; of course, the objects of Richards' affections have certainly jumped up to try to make a buck out of it. They were so personally wounded by it all that the only 'news show' they didn't make the rounds to within the week was a public access station in St. Louis. In the end, I'd guess any pending lawsuits is what the comedy club will be most concerned about. I'm not sure how many free drink tickets are needed to make good on that. (note to Deanna; his name is Michael Richards, his character's name on television was 'Kramer'. The inability to differentiate between the two is something which has elevated an admittedly vitriolic and racist rant by Richards into a cause celebre. If this was some Laff Factory regular, nobody would have heard a word about it. Because it was that 'nice' Kramer it becomes grist for the mill. I'm not defending it, I'm just saying...)I don't mean to make light of what Richards said...but if he is successfully sued for what he said, in the context of the comic vs. audience, I'd advise all comedians in the future to just sit there and take it, lest they get served with a subpoena before the second show.

Posted by: Charlie Kane at November 27, 2006 10:59 PM

I do not believe that
Richards was sorry for
is "outburst" or breakdown, or whatever it was. He only expressed what most
Caucasians actually still feel to this day
about African-Americans!!!!!

Posted by: Linda D Bryant at November 28, 2006 12:23 PM

I'am a in my last semester of grad school. My major is African American history. What Richards said is what the vast majority of white people believe. America has never come to tems with race. Explain the incident in NYC, with the police firing 50 bullets at unarmed blacks. When have you ever heard of a black cop shooting or beating up a white person. I believe that white people are racist. Every year there is a law suit which stems from white racism. Richards responded the way whites typically respond-anger. Whai is in white people, eventually comes out. It was probably not the his first, plus he is Jewish.

Posted by: Patrick Brunson at November 28, 2006 3:26 PM