Michael Richards: "A Loathesome, Offensive Brute" or a Reflection of Society?

The Former Seinfeld Co-Star Needs a Better Way to Deal with Hecklers and More

Like millions of people in the last few days, I have seen the obnoxious rant by former Seinfeld "hipster doofus" Michael Richards on various news outlets, and like most, I was appalled and saddened by it. It's hard to imagine what Richards was thinking, and regardless of what that might be, there is no excuse for it. In a Seinfeld episode entitled "The Letter" first aired on Mar. 25, 1992, one of Jerry's never-ending string of girl friends painted a portrait of Kramer. Its buyer described the subject as "a loathesome, offensive brute, yet I cannot look away." I think that is how many people view Michael Richards today.

I also saw the two young African-American men who were the objects of his wrath in an interview, who said the only thing they said to Richards was that "he was not funny." I'm sure there are bystanders who could say who said what and to whom, but the irony of the whole situation does not escape me. You see there was a Seinfeld episode in which Jerry was heckled by an audience member and Kramer advises him to "tell the guy you had sex with his wife". I'm sure Michael Richards wishes he had taken that sage advice, as offensive as it would be to some, it would not have created the firestorm that Richards' real comments have caused.

I've never done stand up comedy myself, and apparently Richards has before, making it all the more inexplicable. I would think a racially charged diatribe would be about the worst way possible to deal with hecklers. In the 90's movie Punchline, a comedian played by Tom Hanks asks a heckler "do you have naked pictures of your wife?". When the heckler responds "no", Hanks' character simply replies "would you like to buy some?"