#11 Stereotyping SEINFELD

SEINFELD is no stranger when it comes to discussing and portraying race(s); many episodes use race as the theme of the episode or as the basis for many of the jokes told on the show. SEINFELD is careful to not state whether it dislikes or likes a particular race, but merely shows stereotypes of the race that everyone can find humor in. For instance, in "The Chinese Woman," SEINFELD comments on how it is easy to associate the last name of a person to a certain race even without meeting them. The punch line of this episode comes when the characters find that the mysterious, "oriental" woman they believed they were talking to is in fact white.

SEINFELD is doing two things with race and humor: first, it does not state or imply that the show dislikes orientals, specifically the Chinese in his episode. The stereotypes are simply mentioned as a mistake that is common among individuals; SEINFELD is actually making more fun at people who assume someone's race, rather than poking fun at a specific race. Second, SEINFELD does not single out a race. Even though this episode is about the Chinese, the overall theme of the episode could be applied to any race. It is very possible that SEINFELD could've used an Arabic, Irish, French, even Jewish last name for the episode and the main thought and joke would still be the same. By doing this, SEINFELD avoids being subject to people exclaiming the shows dislike towards a particular race.