old enough to know better

One of the things that terrifies me most about growing up is being forced by society to give up the fun things. Some adults (such as my dad) have been stubborn enough to refuse to fully grow up. In the episode "The Contest" the cast of Seinfeld shows viewers one more example of how they haven't fully grown up.

In todays society we are constantly exposed to all kinds of sex in the media so a show talking about masturbation is not to risky. Although they never used the exact word 'masturbation' I'm sure a young child with basic sex ed could pick up on what they were referring to. I think one main reason the show was so popular is America's blatant obsession with sex and sexuality. People are interested in anything to do with sex. I can remember sitting through Health class in high school and seeing people come out of their deep sleep when our teacher mentioned sex. It is incredible how something that used to be so hushed up is now plastered on the covers of magazines and sold as entertainment.

Another thing that I think made this episode so popular is its basic humor. There is something about the idea of four adults competing to see who can go the longest without masturbating that makes this episode stand out from the rest. In most of the other episodes we watch these characters deal with situations fairly similar to our everyday lives. This, however, is something most adults have probably not done. It is something you expect to see happen in a locker room or a bet between college boys, not on a sitcom.