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1. The Starr Man says:

   December 6, 2006 at 4:13 pm

   Hi guys. I just sent this to Kaffie Sledge.Dear Kaffie Sledge,Just had to thank you.I just finished reading your article titled “Is he racist, or ADHD?” dated December 6 of ‘06 and I wanted you to know it was very funny. I can make that assessment because I’ve been a stand-up comic and comedian for more than half my life. I loved this guy Paul A. Jurek, Ph.D. I hope to work with him on the road sometime.I loved his bit about not having any statistics BUT making a sweeping statement anyway about ‘most stand-up comics’ having ADHD. Killed me. And the way he tried o legitimize his statement with “It’s a real plus to be impulsive, creative and spontaneous.” As if having ADHD makes your brain spark faster and then he goes on to say, “Studies have shown that the brain of ADHD adults can be up to 30 percent slower than the brains of everybody else.” Excellent bait and switch. Very nice.The audience must love when he tells them that even though he’s been treating ADHD in patients for 30 years he’s only recognized it in himself for the last 14 years. I can just picture him doodling on his pad for 19 years of therapy sessions. I tell you, he’s funny.Oh, and this sentence is hilarious “But if he’s not a racist, he’s probably ADHD or bi-polar.” As if racism is itself could be diagnosed as a psychological disorder. Priceless.The only bad line Jurek said was “Comics get heckled all the time.” now that I talk issue with. I have performed for thousands of audiences in the past 19 years. Some as small as 3 people and others as large as 8,000 and I have received 2 heckles, ever. Just over 500,000 people have NOT heckled me.I liked this guy Jurek right up to where he says that he doesn’t take his medicine when he doesn’t want to. If he wants the audience to believe that he’s a psychologist he shouldn’t back peddle and make it sound as if the patient can take or not take their medicine whenever they want. It undermines the character he’s trying to portray on stage.Thanks for the light and witty column today. You made me laugh.Joe Starr

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2. Dan Licoppe says:

   December 6, 2006 at 5:01 pm

   Interesting to me that a psychologist would actually make a statement like this without any statistical evidence to support it. I wonder if he would have been quoted had he made a statement like “I don’t have any statistics, but we do know that most exotic dancers have a history of being sexually assaulted, which can really help them in their chosen profession.”I bet he wouldn’t have made a comment like that lest it be interpreted as sexist or misogynistic, which it would be, without any statistical evidence to support it. That’s the point he and the writer of article seem to have missed. But to make that type of comment about stand up comics is fair game I suppose – they won’t be insulted because they have great senses of humor.Of course, I could be wrong because I just skimmed the article – couldn’t stay focused on reading the entire thing … not sure why. ADHD?

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3. Timmy Mac says:

   December 7, 2006 at 1:29 am

   I don’t have any statistics, but I know that Manny Ramirez hit .800 last year with 4 million RBI.

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4. DrEx says:

   December 7, 2006 at 3:29 am

   Here is the email I sent to Ms. Sledge:Dear Ms. Sledge:Please do the world (at least the standup comedy world) a favor and let people know that heckling is not common (“Comics get heckled all the time.”) at comedy shows, and is certainly not encouraged or appreciated by comics or audience members. It would also be nice to let the world know that most standup comics are not ADHD adults. That has to be the most ridiculous statement I’ve ever seen regarding standup comedy. I doubt Paul Jurek has been to many comedy shows, and to make such stupid, un-supported statements is pretty amazing. I don’t know which is worse, to have someone with a PhD make statements that damage the reputation of PhDs, or to have someone make statements that damage the reputation of standup comics (which I occasionally am).

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