2008 Woodie Awards
Political Chat Goes Haywire At WRCM
Christopher Gorman
Issue date: 12/8/04 Section: News
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On Wednesday November 17th, an impromptu political debate quickly turned to violence. That afternoon, senior Robert Kraminsen attacked junior David Segal in the studio of WRCM, the Manhattan College radio station. Kramisen is a DJ for WRCM, he was midway through airing his weekly show. Between songs, Kramisen commented on the Radical Jasper - a student magazine edited by Segal. Kramisen, displeased at the magazine's content, verbally lashed out against Segal, whom he described as a sort of disingenuous anarchist.
Segal heard this comment while he sat at Locke's Loft, with his friends, Nicole Austin, and Lauren Kaczynski. Segal said, "He had gone on this rant, for probably 10 or12 minutes about the 'zine in general, but about me specifically and me being an anarchist and how, you know, I'm so 'hypocritical', like if I was an anarchist I couldn't buy clothes and what's to keep someone from taking a wrench to my head."
Austin and Kaczynski suggested to Segal that he should go to the radio station studio, located on the fourth floor of Thomas Hall, and speak to Kramisen. Segal obliged and went to the studio. "It seemed he had some serious misconceptions as to what we are about," Segal said. Kaczynski and Austin accompanied him.
Segal entered the studio and said that he and Kaczynski and Austin were the persons who published the Radical Jasper. Immediately, Kramisen called Segal's work "communism". Segal explained to Kramisen that, in his view, anarchism meant a rejection of all forms of hierarchy and that the members of the Radical Jasper had no interest in communism. "Then he started throwing out all these political terms, that he obviously didn't know what the hell mean, like calling us fascists - then alternately fascists and communists," Segal said. At this point, Segal describes the confrontation as simply "a heated political debate."
Then Kramisen leaped from his seat and, shouting, "This is what anarchism is!" began to punch Segal. "Even though I was trying to defend myself, I'm still saying 'No it's not, no it's not'. I tried to hold him at first, at least try and get him into a headlock, I don't want to hit the kid, but he just keeps going, hitting me in the head." The fight moved from the radio booth the hallway, whereupon Austin shouted for the two to stop fighting. "I yelled to two students who were walking in the hallway to get help, while I tried to pull him off of Dave," Austin said.
Segal heard this comment while he sat at Locke's Loft, with his friends, Nicole Austin, and Lauren Kaczynski. Segal said, "He had gone on this rant, for probably 10 or12 minutes about the 'zine in general, but about me specifically and me being an anarchist and how, you know, I'm so 'hypocritical', like if I was an anarchist I couldn't buy clothes and what's to keep someone from taking a wrench to my head."
Austin and Kaczynski suggested to Segal that he should go to the radio station studio, located on the fourth floor of Thomas Hall, and speak to Kramisen. Segal obliged and went to the studio. "It seemed he had some serious misconceptions as to what we are about," Segal said. Kaczynski and Austin accompanied him.
Segal entered the studio and said that he and Kaczynski and Austin were the persons who published the Radical Jasper. Immediately, Kramisen called Segal's work "communism". Segal explained to Kramisen that, in his view, anarchism meant a rejection of all forms of hierarchy and that the members of the Radical Jasper had no interest in communism. "Then he started throwing out all these political terms, that he obviously didn't know what the hell mean, like calling us fascists - then alternately fascists and communists," Segal said. At this point, Segal describes the confrontation as simply "a heated political debate."
Then Kramisen leaped from his seat and, shouting, "This is what anarchism is!" began to punch Segal. "Even though I was trying to defend myself, I'm still saying 'No it's not, no it's not'. I tried to hold him at first, at least try and get him into a headlock, I don't want to hit the kid, but he just keeps going, hitting me in the head." The fight moved from the radio booth the hallway, whereupon Austin shouted for the two to stop fighting. "I yelled to two students who were walking in the hallway to get help, while I tried to pull him off of Dave," Austin said.