August 13, 2019

If someone insults you, you could just walk away, or you could stand your ground like somebody in a gangster movie, like Chris Cuomo.

According to the NY Post, this clip, in which Cuomo strongly objects to the epithet "Fredo," is said to have been "filmed Sunday on Shelter Island and sent to a right-wing website and blog, before being shared on Twitter."



I've got to say — and I have only watched the clip and not read any of the commentary about it — I have no problem with what Cuomo did here. He returned words for words, he defended himself, and he acquired complete submission from the man who provoked him. Maybe some people think the guy who said "Fredo" won because he got his video and Cuomo lost his temper. But I don't think Cuomo is out of control. I think he knew what he was doing and chose to do it. It's quite similar to what Trump does, and I don't think Trump is raging and having melt downs when people who hate him are saying he is. Same thing with Cuomo.
“Don’t f–ing insult me like that,” the Queens native fumes. “You call me ‘Fredo’ it’s like I call you punk b–ch, you like that?”
Oh, Queens! See? Like Trump. It's how they talk in Queens. Don't be prejudiced against the Queensman.

The little man who made the video asserts that he believed Cuomo's name actually was Fredo. Cuomo won't let him back down: "You did not think that… stand up like a man. Own what you said." Manhood is at stake. A hypothetical fight is discussed: "I’ll f–ing throw you down these stairs like a f–ing punk… you’re gonna call me Fredo, take a f–ing swing? I’ll f–ing wreck your shit."

Cuomo doesn't hit the guy. It's macho posturing. Notice the theory, propounded by Cuomo, that the guy is trying to get Cuomo to hit him so he can bring a lawsuit against the deep-pocketed son of a gov.

277 comments:

1 – 200 of 277   Newer›   Newest»
Mr. Forward said...

If Chris Cuomo was a Corleone Fredo would no longer be the dumb one.

tim maguire said...

He said it in front of his daughter. But for that, I might agree with you. Instead I’m going with ridiculous and unhinged.

How weak must his self-confidence be if one word from a stranger pushes him over the edge? In front of his family!

In the deep dark recesses of his soul, he knows the stranger is right.

Kevin said...

Leftists don’t believe in stand your ground.

Ask George Zimmerman.

Chris said...

CNN is now pushing the lie that Fredo is some sort of racial epithet.

Ann Althouse said...

"How weak must his self-confidence be if one word from a stranger pushes him over the edge?"

Do you ask the same question when Trump gives a hot response to an insult?

rhhardin said...

Fighting words produce legal exceptions.

glenn said...

On the other hand Cuomo will be Fredo forever.

rhhardin said...

Trump's tweets are for sand-in-the-gears news narrative purposes, not macho posturing. Trump is amused by it.

David Begley said...

Fredo is like the N word. Wow!

rhhardin said...

Trump is a Don Rickles character, as far as his private sense of humor goes. Change the frame in a way that's amusing.

wendybar said...

Chris said...
CNN is now pushing the lie that Fredo is some sort of racial epithet.
8/13/19, 6:35 AM

EXCEPT when they say it about Donald Trump Jr. or Devin Nunes. https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2019/08/13/cnn-vp-defends-supports-chris-cuomos-reaction-to-ethnic-slur-of-fredo-then-it-gets-awkward-for-cnn/

rhhardin said...

It's not a n-word equivalent unless whites are upset by it. I couldn't guess what ethnic group Fredo is supposed to target so don't know who to protective of, if I want to display my white virtue.

tim in vermont said...

"If Chris Cuomo was a Corleone, Fredo would no longer be the dumb one.”

LOL.

Remember when Bill Clinton was taped in a phone conversation and made a Mafia reference to Mario? He denied it was him on the tape and apologized to Cuomo.

rhhardin said...

That whites have to be upset by it is why blacks can say the n-word. Whites can't shame a black to protect blacks.

It's all an infantilization thing that virtuous whites do for inferior peoples.

Publius said...

Fredo is like the N-word...

We can’t say the N-word, but we can say Fredo?

Bay Area Guy said...

Well, he's not Sonny, Michael or Tom Hagan......

tim in vermont said...

Fredo is an ethnic slur when aimed at an Italian. Watch The Godfather I and II. (III never happened in my world). Call anybody else Fredo and you are calling them stupid and disloyal.

Fen said...

: "You did not think that… stand up like a man. Own what you said." Manhood is at stake. A hypothetical fight is discussed: "I’ll f–ing throw you down these stairs like a f–ing punk… you’re gonna call me Fredo, take a f–ing swing? I’ll f–ing wreck your shit."

That's not Manhood. And it always baffles me how women think they are SO complex in comparison to men. You have no idea. It's an ocean you've barely waded in.


Althouse: Do you ask the same question when Trump gives a hot response to an insult?

A hot response or a threat of physical violence? You are smarter than this.

Kevin said...

Do you ask the same question when Trump gives a hot response to an insult?

Fair question. Cuomo lost the high ground at “Fredo is the Italian N-word”.

He couldn’t just handle this as a one-on-one encounter. He had to make it about racism.

He needed a bigger storyline.

tim in vermont said...

Fredo is gonna stick because Cuomo reacted so strongly to it.

David Begley said...

In all seriousness, most of the news readers on CNN and MSNBC are insane. Trump has exposed them.

Willie Geist just cited the Bible saying that children should not be separated. I thought he was reasonable.

Fen said...

Fredo is an ethnic slur when aimed at an Italian.

Get in line behind Redneck aimed at rural whites.

The use of Fredo as a derogatory term is owned by the Right. We first started using it to describe what would become the NeverTrumpers and Cucks in our own ranks: Fredo-conservatives.

tim in vermont said...

“I’m not Fredo! I’m Michael! Any fool can see that!"

Fen said...

Geez I'm a grump today. Sorry for the tone.

rhhardin said...

It's the female short-circuit to feelings instead of system analysis. There are lots of deeper layers available with safe outs at every level, to a guy.

The exchange is to acknowledge that the other guy understands the system. If he doesn't take a safe out, then he doesn't and he loses.

rhhardin said...

The safe out for nagging is don't say anything. Different systems.

Ann Althouse said...

"Fighting words produce legal exceptions."

Not any exception that would be relevant here.

Fen said...

Fair question

No, it's a stupid question.

Althouse is conflating a "hot response" with the threat of physical violence.

And in this day of Leftists threatening to main and murder conservatives, it's irresponsible. The two are not the same and she is giving life to the current mindset that Speech is Violence and therefore it's fair to crack your skull open with a bicycle lock or shoot you up at a softball practice.

rhhardin said...

The legal exception is for who threw the first punch. It's the guy with the insult.

Fen said...

Again with the Grumpy. I'm off to mainline coffee.

rhhardin said...

In Ohio blocking public passage counts as fighting words, in case you're planning a protest.

Ann Althouse said...

Is anyone suggesting that Cuomo (or the other guy) should be arrested for their words?

AllenS said...

"I’ll f–ing throw you down these stairs like a f–ing punk… you’re gonna call me Fredo, take a f–ing swing? I’ll f–ing wreck your shit." -- Fredo

I've never heard Trump threaten anyone.

Ann Althouse said...

"You are smarter than this."

I would have responded to you, but that kind of talk disqualifies you in my book.

rhhardin said...

They don't arrest you for fighting words. You just lose your place as a victim in any subsequent action.

TheThinMan said...

I’d think a law professor wouldn’t gloss over these two very distinct kinds of speech: It’s absolutely illegal to threaten to harm someone (you don’t have to carry out the threat). But it’s not illegal to insult someone.

Cuomo broke the law in response to someone behaving lawfully.

And you defend an illegal act by bringing up Trump’s style of speech, but Trump just insults people back (as do most normal people). When has he ever threatened a heckler with violence?

Commenters on your blog are always hurling insults at each other and it’s no big deal, but if someone responded with physical threats I assume you’d block them, if not ban them for good. After all, it’s criminal behavior.

Birches said...

Fredo is not an epithet, it's a characterization. Big brother gets to be Governor of NY and Chris gets to be on CNN because of his last name. He's the family screw up.

mccullough said...

Cuomo got the guy to back off.

The guy was a pussy. Be prepared to escalate or keep your mouth shut

daskol said...

I really hope Trump calls him Fredo in a tweet. I also credit Cuomo for his spirited response, but it's a little much to compare threats of physical violence to calling people funny and mean names. They're both from Queens, and both showing some thin skin, but Cuomo's response is not to insult the guy back, more cuttingly and creatively, which would be the Trumpian response. Don't be confused by the fact that Cuomo's antagonist submitted to this macho display.

AllenS said...

Fredo Cuomo. Ha! I'll have to remember that one.

daskol said...

Also, while Chris Cuomo went to Yale, he was a frat boy and, per one of his frat brothers, he did like to mix it up a bit. He doesn't just play a macho hothead on TV--he also plays one off the air.

rhhardin said...

A guy would have a response for you are smarter than this. E.g.

You are smarter than this.

I'm more of an achiever.

It doesn't end the conversation but tests how far each can follow the system.

daskol said...

That said, Cuomo reminds me more of Otto from a Fish Called Wanda, than Fredo.

Fen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Marcus Bressler said...

The Hostess's reference to Trump is weak. Fredo weak.

THEOLDMAN

The instigator was an ass. Cuomo could have responded better, but hey, he's Eye-talian and you know those guys are hot-tempered.

Kevin said...

Fair question

No, it's a stupid question


No it’s a fair question because she saw it simply as Trump and Cuomo defending themselves.

If that’s how you see it, I understand why she would read some of these responses as a double-standard.

Fen said...

"You are smarter than this."

I would have responded to you, but that kind of talk disqualifies you in my book.

Whatever. Equating Speech with Violence is the kind of talk that disquals you in MY book. Maybe you didn't think it through, maybe you are too proud to walk it back. We've done this dance before and I never did understand what you lose by admitting a mistake to a nobody like me. I'm not going to think less of you. But you don't want to explain that you didn't mean Speech = Violence, fine.


I just watched the video. What a poser. He's going to "wreck him" but not unless the other guy swings first, while his friends hold him back. Guys see this "fronting" repeated from Junior High all through College. It's always the insecure guy mouthing off, and on the few occasions he is cocky enough to act on his trash talk he almost always gets taken down by the quiet guy who wasn't looking for a fist fight.

It's sad that he's still trash-talking like a punk at his age, and it's sad that he had this meltdown in front of his family. Undisciplined and insecure. Low impulse control too, I'm sure his wife endures it. And what a snowflake, trying to make a unfavorable comparison to a movie character into some kind of ethnic slur.

Sydney said...

My Italian-American husband and I were laughing at this video at breakfast. We've never experienced the term "Fredo" as an insult like the N-word. We figured it must have been a name the Cuomos gave Chris growing up.

rehajm said...

Imagine if Trump threatened threatened to throw one of his antagonists down the fucking stairs...

We need a chart explaining the level of offense: how bad the words vs how high your office. We won’t since the left enjoys the asymmetry.

rehajm said...

Cuomo is a hard hitting journalist that pulls no punches. He’s fighting for us.

walter said...

Gee,
I was hoping for a historical fisking of Fredo vs Nigger.
But Good job there Chris.
You will be Fredo forever now.

Fen said...

Cuomo got the guy to back off. The guy was a pussy. Be prepared to escalate or keep your mouth shut

Escalate how and with what? A firearm?

This kind of over-reaction to "disrespect" is what's painted the inner cities red, 36% of murders and 52% of all murder victims

Cuomo is going to wind up in either the ER or prison, probably over a parking spot.

Fen said...

Was Cuomo the one on "JournoList" who bragged they should shove some conservative guy through a plate glass window? Or was that a different reporter?

I can't google the actual quote.

daskol said...

Don't call him stupid, or Fredo.

D 2 said...

Apparently 600 kids were given the name Frederick in 2018. Seems to be holding steady at that number for last two decades. (Source: SST folks)

I never knew that so many people never saw the Godfather.

daskol said...

Fen, that was the diminutive tough guy Spencer Ackerman.

Paco Wové said...

Fuckin' Chris fuckin' Cuomo. Fuck.

I guess Italians aren't white anymore.

Bay Area Guy said...

Mario Cuomo - Vito Corleone

Andrew Cuomo - Sonny Corleone

Chris Cuomo - Fredo Corleone

Jerry Nadler - Clemenza (leave the gun, take the Canolis)

D 2 said...

He should have called him Sonny when he got hot and started biting his fist

Anonymous said...

Fail for the insulter. Cuomo's threats in that context come across as ordinary Queen's hyperbole. Nothing to see here.

When Cuomo said "I'm an anchor on CNN" I heard it as "I'm an actor on CNN". Either one works.

rhhardin said...

"If someone insults you, you could just walk away"

The sotto voce remark was invented as an alternative, say when your boss walks away.

It's used on HR departments a lot.

tim in vermont said...

Maybe the insult hit a little too close to home.

Amadeus 48 said...

"Fredo" kinda lost it here.

Nice insight into Althouse and her views of Trumpian behavior. I agree with her.

In a free society don't expect to go around mocking people and not get something back, maybe something you won't like.

Also, gentlemanly behavior does not include always ignoring those who insult you. It includes responding with comparable or superior wit. But that is not to say that either Cuomo or Trump behaves in a gentlemanly way.

D 2 said...

Is it wrong for strangers to start asking him if he has seen Mo around lately or did you ever see that crazy dance in Havana.

Howard said...

I'm with Fen on this. Does not rise to the level of fighting words, therefore Fredo's empty threat of violence was just weak assed cuck talk. Fredo lost his shit over a comment he must be used to hearing frequently. He's a public figure for Christ sake, it's part of his job to finesse these types of petty insults.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Cuomo did threaten him with physical Violence.
Like a mobster would.

But Cuomo is on the left, so he gets a pass.

Meade said...

“We can’t say the N-word, but we can say Fredo?”

“The F- word” is already taken. We’ll just have to call it “the Fredo-word.”
Cuomo is now Fredo Guy.
Sorry, Fredo Guy. You did it to yourself by acting like a Fredo Guy.

Rick said...

A hypothetical fight is discussed: "I’ll f–ing throw you down these stairs like a f–ing punk… you’re gonna call me Fredo, take a f–ing swing? I’ll f–ing wreck your shit."

Don't we already have a word for "hypothetical fight": threat? I don't think I've ever seen Althouse claim she has no problem with threats before.

There's a difference between a racial slur and implying someone is stupid and incompetent while believing he's smart.

Fen said...

Fen, that was the diminutive tough guy Spencer Ackerman.

Ah thank you. Ackerman said:

"What is necessary is to raise the cost on the right of going after the left. In other words, find a rightwingers and smash it through a plate-glass window. Take a snapshot of the bleeding mess and send it out in a Christmas card to let the right know that it needs to live in a state of constant fear. Obviously I mean this rhetorically."

If right-wingers are subjected to Leftist violence it will be because they enabled it.

Eric Clanton got 3 years probation for multiple felony assaults. He should be spending the rest of his days in a hospital bed. We are teaching the Left they can get away with violence. That's foolish.



Temujin said...

Cuomo has every right to defend himself. But keep in mind, he spends every evening on NATIONAL TV denigrating anyone and everyone who does not agree with him and definitely likes to think of himself as a tough guy. He does post his workout videos online for people to ooh and ahh at. Who does that? Fredo does.

Since when is Fredo an Italian slur? It's a slur, and a clever one, by Rush Limbaugh on Chris Cuomo. Fredo being the nitwit son of the Godfather. And Rush intimating that Mario is the Godfather of NY politics, Fredo is his nitwit son.

Yes- he certainly has the right to defend himself from public harassment. But he is so Fredo.

narciso said...

Cnn and frum, have used the slur against trumps family.

Fen said...

In a free society don't expect to go around mocking people and not get something back, maybe something you won't like.

Yup. You exercise your right to disgrace the nation's flag in protest, someone might set you on fire too. You were asking for it.

(what did coal miners do when all the canaries died?)

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Cuomo family is like the mob anyway. How many freaking Cuomos are there?

daskol said...

APES DON'T READ PHILOSOPHY

stlcdr said...

Blogger Ann Althouse said...
"How weak must his self-confidence be if one word from a stranger pushes him over the edge?"

Do you ask the same question when Trump gives a hot response to an insult?

8/13/19, 6:35 AM


Is there any video [or other evidence] of trump going off the deep end, so to speak, in public, against an individual? Maybe there is, I would have thought the media would have rolled that out.

It seems like this is conflating Twitter with Real Life.

Sharc 65 said...

"Stop stereotypically comparing me to a gangster just because I'm Italian, or I'll throw you down a flight of steps, because you're not a real man."

h said...

Isn't there a thing called the Streisand effect? Cuomo just spread the news to millions of people who had never heard this that some people call him "Fredo" after the mentally and morally weak brother in the Corleone family.

Leland said...

By Althouse moral standard, Cuomo did the right thing. I can agree with that standard. But by Cuomo's on air moral standard, he lost. He should be made to live by the rules he applies to others.

tim maguire said...

Ann Althouse said...
"How weak must his self-confidence be if one word from a stranger pushes him over the edge?"

Do you ask the same question when Trump gives a hot response to an insult?


I used to. Until I recognized that Trump’s “hot responses” are actually calculated and manipulative and usually achieve their intended results. Which is to say, when I recognized that Trump’s unhinged tweets weren’t the slightest bit unhinged.

Fen said...

So when Cuomo calls me a racist, I can take a baseball bat to his head?

I'm just testing the water here, new rules and all. It's odd for me because I have always had to be so... restrained. Sure, I've got that Bucket List full of names, but I always figured I would put it aside in the end, out of some naive belief that we are better than this.

Hell, ignore all that. If you want to let Fen off the chain, I'm game. :)

narciso said...

He was grazing on qatari chow:


https://mobile.twitter.com/TheRickWilson/status/1020051106762842112

Ann Althouse said...

"They don't arrest you for fighting words. You just lose your place as a victim in any subsequent action."

If you hit someone who's said "fighting words" to you, you can be arrested for assault and can't say you're off the hook because you were triggered by the words. The "fighting words" exception applies if they arrest the person who said the words and he tries to defend by saying it's protected free speech. If they really are fighting words, it's not protected free speech, but that says nothing about the other person, the one who went to physical violence. He'd be charged for the action, not the words.

Ann Althouse said...

You don't get carte blanche to physically attack people because their "fighting words" cause that person to "lose [his] place as a victim." It might make other people not care about his victimhood.

tim maguire said...

Kevin said...
Fair question

No, it's a stupid question

No it’s a fair question because she saw it simply as Trump and Cuomo defending themselves.


Actually, it’s bullshit whataboutism.

tcrosse said...

Did this guy learn his gangster talk in the street, or did he learn it in the movies?

John henry said...

A number of people beat me to it.

From now on I will think of him as Fredo instead of "the Cuomo kid".

John Henry

Bay Area Guy said...

Chris Cuomo = Fredo

Chris Cuedo, This is CNN!

Beasts of England said...

Ana Navarro called Don, Jr. a 'Fredo' on CNN - on Cuomo's own show!!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Cuomo said 'I'm an anchor on CNN."

That's racist. He's admitting he is a racist, since all CNN anchors are racist.

William said...

The plumage of words. As trash talk goes, it's pretty good, but it's not the sort of exchange that you want captured on camera. I don't blame Cuomo for getting hot, but Fredo is not the n-word. For that matter, wop is not the n-word either. In any case, Fredo is more a personal insult than an ethnic slur...As others have commented, he's now stuck with the Fredo moniker for life. This will be presented in the media as a great victory for Cuomo, but they would say that wouldn't they. They're all a bunch of Fredos.....Maybe the Fredo appellation only works on Italians from rich, powerful families. So it's kind of an ethnic slur, but very particularized.

Francisco D said...

Fredo is an ethnic slur when aimed at an Italian.

I guess that LLR is a slur when aimed at Chuckles.

Drago must be banned or Chuckles has every right to beat the crap out of him as he has often threatened.

We cannot tolerate leftists being denigrated.

narciso said...

So you see, professor, how this is just posturing by a criminally irresponsible network.

Fernandinande said...

I never even knew there was such a thing as a "Fredo Cuomo", which sounds like a desert.

John henry said...

Two defenses of Fredo Cuomo. (the lesser Cuomo kid)

From Ace "Fredo had a good heart"

From Don Surber "he's not Fredo, he's Jeb"

John Henry

William said...

I wonder if blacks will be offended by Cuomo's cheapening of the n-word in the way Jews are offended by inappropriate use of Holocaust terminology.

tim in vermont said...

Can I just say that, while I probably line up philosophically with Drago, and consider Chuck a kind of political idiot, I almost never bother with Drago’s predictable comments and generally read Chuck. I also pretty much agree with FullMoon, but I can never understand why anybody gets into one of his greased pig routines with him.

dreams said...

Well, Cuomo is a big guy like Trump but Trump is a good man.

tim in vermont said...

"From Ace 'Fredo had a good heart’"

No, just no.

Boxty said...

No comments on Cuomo's casual use of homophobia? Calling someone a punk ass b- is slang for the f-word.

John Borell said...

As glenn said, "on the other hand Cuomo will be Fredo forever," so he lost this fight.

Vito would have walked away. Sonny would have punched the guy. Fredo would have bitched about it.

His actions were so, so Fredo.

Nice job, Chris "Fredo" Cuomo!

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

can we still call Trump 'Hitler', though he has German ancestry?

Cuomo's upset he's viewed as the weak thug,
so tried to act like the tough thug, but ended up looking like a thin-skinned thug who lost his shit.

Tommy Duncan said...

Isn't this toxic masculinity? Where is the "toxic masculinity" tag? Where are the feminists?

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

It’s not the threats, it’s the stupidity. Cuomo must know that his response ensures that, on the Internet at least, he will be forever called Fredo. Indeed, in Guy World, he just about made it mandatory.

Birkel said...

Chris Cuomo achieves domination?
Was it domination when the other guy removed his glasses?
Althouse is out of her depth.

narciso said...

And point of personal privilege, that whole arc of the middle of the second film is pro castro propaganda, because the mob owned a few casinos there, funded through the teamsters pension fund, that justified a revolution.

Ronald J. Ward said...

I suppose the argument of civility is as good as any in the present rise of white supremacy. I suspect it won't be long before we hear more of the term "compliance".

Fernandinande said...

Guidos don't like being called Fredo.

Brent said...

I expect more of this in our hyper tribalized America. But seriously, the only other pejorative today that's anything like the "n" word is calling someone a "racist". I expect that soon the word will fly and a physical brawl will ensue . . . . and people will be overall okay with the fight.

Anonymous said...

Blogger Ann Althouse said...
Is anyone suggesting that Cuomo (or the other guy) should be arrested for their words?


Probably not. I don't know the law in NY, but in Texas threatening someone in that fashion is a class b misdemeanor. Section 22.07 of the Texas Penal Code:

(a) A person commits an offense if he threatens to commit any offense involving violence to any person or property with intent to:
...
(2) place any person in fear of imminent serious bodily injury;
...
(c) An offense under Subsection (a)(2) is a Class B misdemeanor


ga6 said...

Ms A: Illinois Statutes on Simple Assault:

§ 12-1.  Assault.

(a) A person commits an assault when, without lawful authority, he or she knowingly engages in conduct which places another in reasonable apprehension of receiving a battery.

(b) Sentence.  Assault is a Class C misdemeanor.

(c) In addition to any other sentence that may be imposed, a court shall order any person convicted of assault to perform community service for not less than 30 and not more than 120 hours, if community service is available in the jurisdiction and is funded and approved by the county board of the county where the offense was committed.  In addition, whenever any person is placed on supervision for an alleged offense under this Section, the supervision shall be conditioned upon the performance of the community service.

This subsection does not apply when the court imposes a sentence of incarceration.

Wince said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
dreams said...

"I have no problem with what Cuomo did here. He returned words for words, he defended himself, and he acquired complete submission from the man who provoked him."

Sorry, but that's Althouse spin, that guy didn't back down. I have no problem with what Cuomo did either but he didn't win that exchange. I bet that guy feels like he got the better of Cuomo, he got his goat. And I bet Cuomo wasn't feeling very good after it was all over, he lost his cool.

Wince said...

Isn't the use of "Fredo" as an insult more like "Uncle Tom" than the n-word?

The insult is that the person, "Fredo", is not living up to the standard of peers, not an insult to his entire peer group.

And like the epithet "Fredo", hasn't it been the left that uses the insult "Uncle Tom" almost exclusively?

The ridiculousness is in Cuomo's and CNN's hypocritical invocation of racism.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...


Fredo Cuomo is a shitty fake then. He’s allowed guests on his show to call Trump Fredo and several called Don Jr. Fredo as well. Gee if it was really “like the n-word to Italians” like Fredo claims here then he would have stood up “like a man” when he was on camera instead of letting his network show be used to smear Trump family members with such racist talk. But he didn’t. He can pretend to be macho to some goofball on the street but keeps his lipstick-votes mouth SHUT when his friends are being racist (his term!) on CNN. How can you defend this assholery, Althouse?

MacMacConnell said...

Ah thank you. Ackerman said:

"What is necessary is to raise the cost on the right of going after the left. In other words, find a rightwingers and smash it through a plate-glass window. Take a snapshot of the bleeding mess and send it out in a Christmas card to let the right know that it needs to live in a state of constant fear. Obviously I mean this rhetorically."

Obviously Akerman has never tried to throw a person through a plate glass window. The person bounces back faster than you threw them.

Fredo is a punk, he handled this like a punk. He's a punk like Booker and Biden are. When someone insults you, you smile and walk on by. If they lay hands on you, then you fuck them up. That is what a man does.

traditionalguy said...

Hurray for the Professor. She approves of aggressive verbal sparring in public. She has come a long way baby. And it is an Italian thing, or better yet it's a Sicilian thing,The Godfather being from the Corleone district of Palermo.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

"Stop stereotypically comparing me to a gangster just because I'm Italian, or I'll throw you down a flight of steps, because you're not a real man."

almost like insulting the 'Religion of Peace'

dreams said...

And this.

"There is one gigantic problem with Cuomo’s rant: He used the term to criticize Donald Trump, Jr:}

.@ananavarro slams Don Jr. for likening border wall to zoo fence: He's an "entitled, rich, spoiled little brat whose only call to fame is being his daddy's son."
"[D]addy kept Fredo back home...Who cares what [he] says. I don't want to talk about that entitled little brat." pic.twitter.com/zpTtp8ZfAd
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) January 10, 2019

"Naturally, DJT Jr responded:"

"Hey @ChrisCuomo, take it from me, “Fredo” isn’t the N word for Italians, it just means you’re the dumb brother. �� https://t.co/sgg6yF7UDO
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 13, 2019

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/08/cnns_cuomo_explodes_in_profanityladen_rant_over_the_nickname_threatens_violence_likens_godfather_reference_to_nword_cnn_supports_him.html#ixzz5wUW9Mhz5

Tank said...

Has anyone mentioned that several radio talk show hosts, including Rush and, I think, Chris Plante, routinely refer to Cuomo as Fredo? Many of us actually think of him that way, although we know it's not his real name.

JAORE said...

Do you ask the same question when Trump gives a hot response to an insult?

Yeah. I was really upset when Trump said he would fucking throw AOC down the stairs.

Martha said...

Fredo Cuomo forever!

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
8/13/19, 7:38 AM
I thought Chris was Fredo also. The truth hurts. Totally lost it! Low ratings ⁦‪@CNN‬⁩

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Cuomo plays the nice guy on talk shows, but he's a roid rager.

Chuck said...

Shame on Matt Drudge for his bogus headline for this story: that Cuomo “Rages at MAGA” and “Goes Nuts.” Some guy got in Cuomo’s face in that quintessentially Long Island/Queens way where they all think they know everything and everybody and their view gets to casually dominate any conversation. The guy approached Cuomo in a hostile way. He was an asshole, or an idiot, or both. Did h somehow represent something larger? Something that Matt Drudge headlined as “MAGA”? Perhaps so: And if so, shame on “MAGA.”



Ken B said...

The point is Cuomo's claim about how offensive Frodosupposedly is . As many have shown, the claim is completely hypocritical.

William said...

A few kind words for Cuomo: He responded to the insult in a recognizably human way. That's worth something.....Okay, he could have done better, but his lack of cool is a point in his favor.

Ken B said...

How did Althouse get onto arrests and hitting? People are mocking Comoros for
1 acting just like Fredo
2 bogus claims about the name Fredo
3 hypocrisy about his past attitude to the name, which was used on his show to insult republicans.

He's a twerp. That is why he is being ridiculed. Nothing about violence here.

MacMacConnell said...

Fredo Cuomo constantly bangs the climate change drum. His hypocrisy was on display a couple of years ago when he wrecked his classic souped up Camero doing burnouts in the Hamptons.

FYI, over at ACE he is always referred to as Fredo. Cuomo has sealed Fredo to himself after this stupidity. Fredo is an insult to only Cuomo.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

I'd rather insult Dawn Lemon, a much softer target.

Anyway, don't these people know that harassment in public goes with the territory? Let's keep it up until they learn, and then continue so they don't forget.

daskol said...

It's Don LeMon.

daskol said...

But agree, he's creepier than Cuomo. He's full of rage and scary stupid.

Fernandinande said...

"Stop stereotypically comparing me to a gangster just because I'm Italian, or I'll throw you down a flight of steps, because you're not a real man."

Poor Fredo is such a Guido. The heartbreak of anabolic steroids.

MacMacConnell said...

I always thought Don Lemon was just a stupid young guy. Till a realized he was 53 years old and he was just an idiot. Of course he's got a dish soap named for him.

Fernandinande said...

Fredo (British rapper)
Not to be confused with Fredo Santana.

Chuck said...

These are all much the same guy; Cuomo, his New York adversary; Donald Trump; Sean Hannity.

I’d love a life where I didn’t have to encounter a single one of them.

Curious George said...

Devin Nunes was referred to as “Fredo” on CNN in March.

CNN’s David Gregory compared @DonaldJTrumpJr to “Fredo” in February.

And in January, CNN’s Ana Navarro referred to @DonaldJTrumpJr as “Fredo”...to Cuomo on his own show.

mikee said...

I once threatened to douse a very aggressive panhandler with gasoline if he took one step closer to me as I refueled my car. In very harsh language. In front of my son.

Because my son was seat-belted in the car I was refueling, doors open, I could not retreat, nor otherwise deal gently with the possible mugger while maintaining a safe distance from him. So I immediately made it clear I was ready to escalate the situation far beyond anything reasonable, to stop the man.

Cuomo was with his kid. Yes, Cuomo is an utter ass whose success comes solely from nepotism. But approach with obviously non-friendly intent at your own risk when a parent is with their child. What Cuomo said made no sense, but it conveyed the right message: stay back, go away.

Cuomo is absolutely a Fredo. And Cuomo deserves to be ridiculed in public. But not when his kid is standing there. Standards, people, allow you to live well after you win. Otherwise it remains mob rule all the time.

MacMacConnell said...

Curious George
That's just push back from the left, because they all know Chris Cuomo has been referred to as Fredo for years in the right media.

Birkel said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Birkel said...

Imagine a life in which somebody gave a shit what serial threatener Chuck, fopdoodle extraordinaire, has to say about anything.

Chuck, the self-admitted serial liar and racist, probably calls people Fredo all the time.

MacMacConnell said...

mikee
With children around a better response is to just smile and ignore. It's a good teaching moment for the children.

MayBee said...

The stupidest thing is Cuomo trying to make it into racism.

FullMoon said...

he defended himself, and he acquired complete submission from the man who provoked him

Huh? The guy took off his glasses and never backed up an inch...he was ready to go..

apology if it has been already noted..

Anonymous said...

The funniest part of this is that Cuomo reacted exactly like Fredo did to a perceived slight: "I can handle things. I’m smart. Not like everybody says, like dumb. I’m smart and I want respect!"

Francisco D said...

Isn't this toxic masculinity?

Yes. Before the world became woke, it was called:

Boys being boys

Of course, these were men acting like little boys.

TreeJoe said...

Anyone defending Cuomo here is basically saying: It's ok to threaten immediate and substantial physical harm when you are called a word that offends you.

And that stance is being defended by mainstream media in front of the entire world - kids, teenagers, adults. Whomever.

Fredo should be fired for this. He is the face of a TV network threatening immediate and substantial physical assault in response to being called a name he doesn't like.

It's not that his actions are indefensible. It's that they are unacceptable. Period.


P.s. I can stand on the moral high ground here as an outsider with no bone in the fight. If some kids at the playground walked up to my 7 year old and began verbally harassing him and he used threat of physical harm to get them to back down I'd:

A. Tell him next time to keep his cool and walk away
B. Privately in my own head cheer him on for not being subdued.

But that's just me being messed up and conflicted on the matter.

rcocean said...

Cumuo is a clown. Either throw the guy down the stairs or shut up. He's not just from Queens - he's a drama queen. Can anyone watch that clip and think, "Yeah, Fredo Cuomo is smart, he can do things".

And lets not forget taht Cuomo stated that "Fredo" is a deadly Italian "slur". Like calling a black man Nigger. He was just lying about that.

Quaestor said...

Althouse writes: It's quite similar to what Trump does...

A distinct odor of bullshit arises. When Trumps threatens violence on the members of the MSM (mendacious sophistic media) THEN it's quite similar. As things stand now it's not REMOTELY similar.

Actually the comparison of Chris Cuomo, the privileged son of a wealthy and powerful man (How does Althouse think he landed that plum job on CNN, by merit?) to Fredo Corleone is apt. He's not dumb, not like everybody says. He not dumb, he's smart. And he wants respect.

rcocean said...

This is "fighting with your mouth" lots of tough talk and profanity and idle threats. I notice a lot of Journalists, lawyers, etc. do this. First, most of them are pansies, and second deep down they know paper pushing and talking is somewhat unmanly so they overcompensate with the tough talk.

I've been around these kind of men, and had found they always backed down when confronted with real physical violence.

Rabel said...

No.

Cuomo escalated the situation and challenged the man to a fight.

You seem to be reading "Take a fucking swing" as a question by Cuomo relating to the man's intention to start a fight and sue.

It's not. It's a challenge to fight (and a dick move when not physically threatened) and is repeated several times by Cuomo.

And the Trump comparison is completely wrong. The thing Trump doesn't do and Cuomo did is lose his composure and start trying to get someone to throw a punch.

LA_Bob said...

Amazing to me to me how it's claimed Donald Trump has "cheapened" and "coarsened" the discourse, and then a CNN "star" does this.

And of course, Sleepy Joe Biden and Spartacus Booker want to beat Trump up.

Cuomo came across as more of an Antifa guy than a professional journalist (or whatever he passes for).

A better response might have been, "Hey, pal, careful whom you call 'Fredo'. Say it to the wrong guy and you might regret it -- I mean, really regret it. Just a word to the wise. By the way, I'm Chris. [Extends his hand] Nice to meet you."

rcocean said...

He was with his son. What a lame excuse! So, why didn't he behave like a man, or just like a non-asshole and drama queen? Some stranger called him "Fredo" and he gets involved in this crap. What a lesson for your son! Of course, the son probably knows he has "Fredo" for a father.

Beth B said...

I thought Cuomo's tough guy act was pretty laughable, actually, especially his change of dialect. Suddenly, he's Joe Pesci on roids, threatening to "ruin" some "punk ass bitch" and throw him down the stairs? Fredo, please...

And the idea of "The F Name" being somehow comparable to "The N Word"? By all means, do try to justify that one, Chrissy.

Enjoy the nickname. You've earned it!

rcocean said...

There is no comparison to trump. He doesn't issue threats of physical violence unless he's trying to be funny. For example, after Biden said he would beat Trump up, Trump said he could could take Slow Joe.

rcocean said...

Everyone at CNN is afraid of violence anyway. Remember how scared they were when the CNN Logo got beat up?

Laslo Spatula said...

If they are not fighting words, then Cuomo would also get a pass if he said this to a pesky woman?

I am Laslo.

chuck said...

The male of the species is a mystery to some. Just sayin'.

Quaestor said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rcocean said...

Key moment:

Fredo Cuomo - I'm going to throw down those stairs!
Other Guy - Go ahead and do it. I'd love it.
Fredo - yeah, you'd love me to do it, so you could sue.

Just a little doggie. All bark and no bite.

Orly said...

Hey Chris Cuomo, wanna go fishin?

Quaestor said...

Fredo Cuomo threatened to throw someone who offered what is only a mild insult as things go (The unnamed person didn't call Cuomo a nazi or a racist, did he?) down a staircase. That's something on a different level entirely than gentlemanly "step outside" fisticuffs. Being thrown down a staircase is to be assaulted with intent to kill. The history of crime is full of murders and possible murders did precisely in this manner. Look up Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester for starters. That is not what Trump does to his detractors and someone how makes that comparison owes us a very careful explanation.

(reposted with type fixed)

Leland said...

The unnamed person didn't call Cuomo a nazi or a racist, did he?

These days that is the n-word to describe generic white people. It lacks the longevity of the other n-word, but it is used as a similar invective for a specific race by the same type of people that used the other word.

Quaestor said...

It's how they talk in Queens.

I got yer staircase right here, Fredo!

Mark said...

Fredo Cuomo: This ain't the way I wanted it! I can handle things! I'm smart! Not like everybody says, like dumb! I'm smart, and I want respect!

FullMoon said...

It's how they talk in Queens.

I got yer staircase right here, Fredo!

Yeah, bend over, I'll give ya yer staircase, right up your ass

(You better believe it)

Quaestor said...

That is not what Trump does to his detractors and someone how makes that comparison owes us a very careful explanation.

Someone how? Transposing letters is something I do when I'm dumbfounded.

effinayright said...

Fredo is here acting a lot like the hotheaded Sonny. We all know how *he* wound up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrv1roq_gBw

FullMoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fernandinande said...

Huh? The guy took off his glasses and never backed up an inch...he was ready to go..

Correct. Fredo was called on his threats and lost.

Fredo: "I'll throw you down these stairs like a fuckin' punk."

Guy: "Well why don't you do it then?"

Then two or more of Fredo's handlers get between them to protect Fredo.

The youtube video has some extra Guido stuff, er, I meant Fredo.

Now do Beto.

JPS said...

I read Althouse's take and started out sympathetic to Cuomo.

Then I saw the clip and was just embarrassed for him. Whether he's that upset or pretending to be, that tone does not inspire respect. That the guy tried to claim that he genuinely thought Fredo was Cuomo's name doesn't change it. (I can't decide if he was weaseling out or trolling with that claim, though I did notice his taking off his sunglasses.) The whole thing came off as two fake tough guys trying to sound like real ones.

Skippy Tisdale said...

Ann, you are so full of crap.

M Jordan said...

Ann... it is definitely NOT like Trump does. I’ve never seen him lose his temper like this.

You suffer from what Selena Zito saiid the MSM suffers from: taking Trump literally but not seriously. Trump always fights with a wink in his eye.

Yancey Ward said...

Like most school yard "fights", it is all bluster. In that video, however, Cuomo lost badly- the insult clearly stings him, and he is clearly aware that the moniker is used to describe him a lot. He will be hearing over and over now whereever he appears in public.

Limited blogger said...

Can't wait to hear Scott Adam's take on this.

Yancey Ward said...

I mean, really- Cuomo trying the "Italian for n-word" ploy was incredibly stupid- it is Italian for moron, and Cuomo more or less proved it is appropriate in his case.

Bay Area Guy said...

After Chris Cuomo went off, the dude should have quickly shifted gears, shrugged, and said, "Lighten up, Fredo"

M Jordan said...

I’m so sick of libs, when their fangs get exposed, immediately saying “Both sides do it.” That argument Helps perpetuate many centuries-long tribal wars. No, Both sides didn’t do any particular incident, Judge. That guy did it, Fredo over there, and he’s an asshole. Trump’s map has never come close to that pathetic, pussified display.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

"I'll fucking ruin your shit."

-Chris Cuomo - CNN

This is CNN

MacMacConnell said...

Does Cuomo come off as Fredo or Tommy DeVito from Goodfellas in this interchange? In real everyday life he is Fredo.

MacMacConnell said...

Bay Area Guy nails it.

Yancey Ward said...

AAT said...

"Fredo is gonna stick because Cuomo reacted so strongly to it."

I think it is a bit more complicated than that, but this is essentially correct for what actually happened. I think Cuomo had two good responses available, either of which would probably raise my estimation of him- he could have ignored it altogether, or he could have just walked up to the guy and shoved him to the ground- he chose neither one, but instead chose exactly the one that will get him called Fredo whereever he goes- it will become a chant now.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The hack-D circle the wagon press are reporting that the "rightwinger" was the aggressor.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I hope this poor guy doesn't get Seth Riched.

Fernandinande said...

"CNN legal analyst Elie Honig got in on the action and threw his support behind the raging Cuomo. “Somebody threw an ethnic slur at @ChrisCuomo."

A guy with a girl's name should know that one HURLS slurs.

LA_Bob said...

Sean Hannity defends Cuomo, similar to the way mikee at 9:57 AM defends him.

I think mikee's situation was different -- serious threat vs someone just being a jerk in the Cuomo case.

Limited blogger said...

Oops! Scott Adams calls "The Godfather" overrated.

Doesn't seem to understand what the Fredo reference even meant.

Fernandinande said...

"We're all Fredos on this CNN."

rhhardin said...

Rush takes credit and covers it in the beginning of the first hour.

Guy was a Rush listener, thought his name was Fredo.

Fernandinande said...

Italian Americans, unlike real Americans, have a fluid naming tradition—i.e., they can earn new names.

An Italian American wise woman explained this concept to me with nature imagery. Some people are like lakes; they change very little during their lifetimes. Others are like losers in a Godfather movie that may change dramatically as they get a talking-head job thanks to their daddies.

Italian American children are given names that suit their personalities. If a name is given and proves to be a bad fit, the name is changed. As the adult progresses through life, new names can be awarded.

Family and society award the new names, which provide the individual with a strong social bond to community as well as family. This naming tradition helps to motivate the individual to freak out in public and make embarrassing empty threats throughout his life.

Yancey Ward said...

"After Chris Cuomo went off, the dude should have quickly shifted gears, shrugged, and said, "Lighten up, Fredo"

Remind me never to get into a name calling fight with Bay Area Guy!

That would have been beautiful, but I also liked the "I thought that was your name," bit, too. Of course, Althouse completely missed that that was also an insult.

Quaestor said...

It's like the n-word to us.

And I thought wop, greaseball, and guinea were like the n-word to them.

Fernandinande said...

An Italian American name can reflect your personality, what you accomplish, or what happens to you. The name Fredo sounds beautiful to our ears, like "free dough", or "money", but Italian Americans know that this name warns of a volatile, angry disposition. It serves as a warning to others as well as an incentive to Fredo to earn a new name. The name Fredo is a common name, but if the name is changed to Wounded Fredo, society knows the individual is suffering and needs special care. If an individual makes great threats, a new name like “Fredo Stairs” may be given to recognize the individual’s clear-sighted threats as well as a special connection between heaven and stairways to heaven.

The Italian American naming tradition inspires the individual to strive to be curse better, to threaten more, and to have bodyguards to protect him.

The bond between society and the individual is very personal.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joe Biden, America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Imagine, if Sean Hannity lost his shit like that.

And remember, behind every double standard is an unconfessed single standard. And that standard only applies to the non-leftwing

Known Unknown said...

Maybe the guy should've called him Barbra. It has a certain effect.

Molly said...

(eaglebeak)

Cuomo's act would be more convincing if he hadn't let Never Trumper witch Ana Navarro call Don Trump Jr. "Fredo" on his (Cuomo's) CNN Tv show.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/08/figures-cnns-chris-cuomo-allowed-far-left-guest-to-call-donald-trump-jr-fredo-said-nothing-video/

Laslo Spatula said...

Althouse's disability to distinguish between Trump's Tweets and Cuomo's Tantrum is a strong example of why a liberal woman should never be elected President.

There are calibrations of offense, response and escalation that are writ large over global affairs, and the inability to distinguish the shades of the conflict penumbra could lead to a miscalculation that could explode the planet.

The world is what it is: it operates on a grade-school playground level, not that of a university law classroom.

The university law classroom is a better approximation for a future drone of the United Nations.

I am Laslo.

Bobb said...

I would be more sympatric to Cuomo if he had not condemned Nick Sandmann for having a smirk.

Bobb said...

During his “closing argument” segment, Chris Cuomo accused the group of teenagers of being “unduly provocative” and questioned the whereabouts of the chaperones and why they were wearing MAGA hats. He then singled out Nick Sandmann, who he said made a choice to get into a “standoff” with Phillips. https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/cnns-chris-cuomo-don-lemon-pile-on-covington-students-over-maga-hats

M Jordan said...

Laslo is right.

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