Martin Van Nostrand - Bizarre Beliefs and Philosophies

Bizarre Beliefs and Philosophies

Kramer is known to embrace opposite and reverse philosophies and to reject acceptable social behaviors or established facts. For example:

• In "The Jimmy" he insists that you have to eat before undergoing surgery because "you need your strength", even though patients are told not to eat before an operation because doing so can interfere with anaesthesia. Kramer does insist, however, that one should not brush one's teeth 24 hours before seeing the dentist.
• In "The Heart Attack", Kramer reveals he does not believe in being treated at hospitals when he warns George that his friend Bob Sacamano went in for a hernia operation which was botched and now speaks in a falsetto voice. Because of this he recommends for George to opt for a holistic healer. When George finds out how much cheaper it is, he goes with Kramer's advice, which he later regrets.
• In "The Slicer", Kramer reveals that he once had his picture taken with President Ford, but eventually had Ford airbrushed out of the picture.
• In "The Opera", Kramer wears casual clothes to an upscale opera, commenting that "People do (dress up when they go to the opera); I don't." Kramer also admits that he suffers from coulrophobia (fear of clowns). Kramer also expresses his belief that Italian people used to sing to each other, but they stopped because 'they couldn't keep it up; they got tired'.
• In "The Strike", Kramer is enthusiastically eager to celebrate Festivus, a holiday ("for the rest of us") created by Frank Costanza. He has an abrupt change of heart at the end of the episode, and walks out on the Festivus dinner without performing the "Feats of Strength" as instructed by Frank.
• In "The Andrea Doria", when he developed a severe cough; Kramer refused to see a doctor, after he claims they botched his vasectomy, preferring instead to be treated by a veterinarian. His rationale is that veterinarians are superior physicians because they are expected to care for multiple species.
• In "The Foundation", Kramer inspires a despondent Elaine to have greater self-confidence with the "Katra" philosophy that she thinks he learned in his karate class. As it turns out, "Katra" is a Vulcan trait that Kramer saw in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and in actuality, Kramer is the only adult in a karate class full of children.
• In "The Sponge", arguing that it is a meaningless gesture compared to actually walking, Kramer adamantly refuses to wear a ribbon at an AIDS walk for charity, causing fury (and eventually physical violence) among his fellow walkers (including two men who stole an armoire he was saving for Elaine in "The Soup Nazi").
• In "The Butter Shave", Kramer finds butter is a better protection for his skin after shaving. His skin feels so good with butter he takes to spreading it all over his body (which entices Newman's voracious appetite).
• In "The Cafe", Kramer adamantly insists that a time limit on the application of a law is a "statue of limitations". Jerry attempts to correct him on this, but gives up in the face of Kramer's stubborn ignorance.
• In "The Wallet", Kramer declares that he believes that all home package deliveries should be abolished because it renders homeowners vulnerable to intruders.
• In "The Dinner Party" Kramer tells George that he never carries a wallet because it throws his hips "off kilter".
• In "The Engagement", Kramer claims that he does not use a watch, and that he tells time by the sun. He also claims that he can guess "within the hour".
• In "The Hot Tub", Kramer tells Jerry that he does not use or trust alarm clocks and that he uses his "mental alarm clock" claiming that it never fails. He also says that your body knows what time it is.
• In "The Masseuse" Kramer tells Jerry and Elaine that Joel Rifkin was a serial killer because he was adopted and that being adopted is one of a serial killer's major traits.
• In "The Old Man" Kramer says senior citizen services are fronts for money launderers and cons who steal old people's life savings.