#8 A Trace Of Race

Seinfeld in the episode “The Wizard” uses several ways to highlight racial issues that affect American societies but with unexpected twists.

In one of the subplots, Jerry and George are trying to figure out if Elaine’s boy friend is “black” and the show is dominated by stereotypes that are synonymous with our perception of African Americans. For instance when Elaine goes to visit her boy friend the ubiquitous hip hop music associated with African Americans turns out to be neighbor’s music but amusingly when the boy friend bangs on the neighbors door he says “Yo yo turn down the music” expectedly in an African American style. Elaine’s suspicions are further proven when she notices African artifacts and masks adorning her boyfriends’ apartment walls.

The episode suggests people tend to assume traits and characteristics once they become associated with “other groups”. Elaine addresses the African American waitress as ‘sister’ and justifies herself by saying she has a black boy friend. This is when she finds out that her boy friend is not black and that he thought she was Hispanic because of her curly black hair and her last name “Benes”.

The episode brings out the stereotypical images of racism and the underlying knowledge that society believes it is wrong to indulge in any kind of ‘racism’ but cannot help itself.

#8 Is It All Just Black & White?

Yes it is true that America has come a long way since the Civil War and Civil Rights movement, but despite that fact, some people do still have a problem with interracial relationships, and many people just feel uncomfortable addressing race at all. In "The Wizard" we see Elaine dating a new guy who she thinks could be black. She stereotypes him from the rap music she hears when she goes to his apartment and from the African tribal masks she sees on his wall. She finally comes to a conclusion that he is black (even though he is not) when they are eating at Monk's and he points out a couple staring at them because they have a problem with interracial relationships. Now Elaine is convinced that she is dating a black man (not that there's anything wrong with that), but little does she know, her boyfriend thinks he is dating a Mexican woman because Elaine would always take him to Mexican restaurants for dinner.

Throughout this episode we hear Elaine asking several people if they think her new boyfriend could be black and they answer "Does it matter?" and she replies, "I just want to know." I get the sense that she is covering up the fact that she actually could have a problem with being in a relationship with a black man by saying she "just wants to know." This also displays the fact that she could be uncomfortable dating a black man all together.

"The Wizard" also displays how badly the American society tries to be politically correct all the time. Neither Elaine or her boyfriend will ask each other if they really are a different race other than caucasian because it wouldn't be PC. Although we have become a country of mixed races, cultures, and identities, many people still find it hard to not stereotype those different things and be comfortable together in society.

#8 The assumptions about race today

In the past racism was a bigger issue than it is today. In recent society a lot of times racism is used in comical situations. Seinfeld shows a perfect example of this in the episode "The Wizard." Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is dating a white guy however she thinks he might be black. So through out the show she tries to find out all the clues she can to find out that he is African American. The clues in which she assumes he's black are his African tribal music and masks hanging on his apartment wall. When Jerry and George get involved, George is confused on why he is black because of his skin color and Jerry doesn't know if it is weird to date a black guy. Later on, Elaine and him are ordering food and the waitress happens to be black. Elaine then makes a comment about being a "sister" with the waitress. She thinks it is normal since she feels like she is in an interracial relationship it is. Then it sparks the conversation on what race they both are. He happens to think she is Hispanic because of her name, and after discussing they figure out their just another plain white couple. After, they both suggest to go to the store The Gap, meaning that is something they could both shop at being white people. In the past no one used to date outside of their skin color. This episode suggests that today it is acceptable and interesting to date outside of their race. However it still shows the little side comments and assumptions that could be made about being a certain race.

#8: America's Racial Spin Around

Throughout generations, people hear it all the time: America has come so far with prejiduce and segregation within our country. But is it really true? Of course, to some extent it is. Our country is not nearly as racist and divided as it was at one time in history, however we will never be able to have complete unity. Whether looked at as good or bad, race will always matter and there is no stepping over that. In "The Wizard", Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) thinks she might be in an interracial relationship and does everything to find out if the man she is dating is African American. She uses common stereotypes to assume the man is black; hearing rap music come from his apartment and him having African masks hanging on his wall. When she is in the coffee shop, she uses "African-American slang" with the waitress, saying, "It's okay, my boyfriends black". When finding out he is in fact white just like her, she is actually disappointed they are another boring couple. So even though there is not the racial divide there used to be in the past, there still is some effect (maybe a little positive effect) in our American culture still.
Another example of there being a positive racial divide in America is shown in the SEINFELD episode "The Chinese Woman", where Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and Estelle (Estelle Harris) are both disappointed to find out a woman they thought was Asian, turns out to be a blonde-haired blue-eyed girl from Long Island.
Although there still is racial separation in America, it seemed to have taken a slightly turn for the better, and SEINFELD's episodes slip that message into our heads.

#8: What do you call a race car driver? A racist!

As an international student it is justifiable to state that the lack of geographic knowledge amongst today's generation of teenagers in America is pretty sad. Ignorance I think is the best word to describe how race is percieved in today's society, followed by intimidation, I've come to an alarming realisation that whilst during my freshman year, people would turn around towards me in shock after hearing me respond to a question in class or simply participating in a discussion, after all how can a dark- skinned individual who looks asian speak perfect english with an english accent?

"The Wizard" perfectly defines this countless attitude I've been accustomed to, how do you address an individual if you're unsure of which race is he from? Is it polite to assume which nationality he/she originates from just from external appearances? Is it rude to inquire, and what if we as an indivdual inquire inappropriately? Elaine's uncertainty to identify the guy she is dating fuels her anxiety to get to know where he is from. Jerry presumes he is African America just by looking at the skin colour, so does Elaine after hearing the loud hip/hop music coming out of his room. However the audience and Elaine find out that that isn't the case, and she becomes overwhelmingly curious to find out her dates race. Elaine's uncertainty and fear to approach the topic of race and ethnicity is representative of the majority of Americans in todays generation.

History and society, especially in America has rendered such topics as socially inappropriate, due to perhaps social norms passed on from the previous generation to the current generation This could perhaps answer where Elaine's uncertainty derives from, and the rest of the characters as they overtip the waitress due to guilt. The fear is possibly explainable due to the lack of knowledge that the X- generation acquires, where the inability to identify an individual's nationality, race, or ethnicity doesn't bode well as it challenges everything they're accustomed to. Both fear and uncertainty are interlinked and Seinfeld best portrays this in "The Wizard" where race and ethnicity becomes a major issue amongst the four friends, to the point where eve ntalking about is portrayed as taboo.

# 8 Are you Asian?

The episode, “The Chinese woman” showed how American think about Asian well. I am an Asian who is from Korea and who experienced American’s attitude toward Asian. In the “The Chinese Woman,” as Jerry heard her name with Chang, he just thought she is from China right away. George’s mother was sure that the woman who name with Chang is from China and also she thought all the Chinese have better wisdom than other people. But the women was on the phone was not Asian but a blond woman. This episode showed well that American’s stereotypes about all the Asian would have better wisdom and certain name sound. And “The Chinese woman” showed breaking people’s thinking not only Asian have wisdom and certain name sound but also other countries might have one. I experienced before when I was in high school. After many people watched many Chinese movies, many people think that most Asians can fight like Jackie Chan. Many Asians learned Karate and Tekwondo when they were young but not everyone. As I saw the “The Chinese Woman,” that reminded me my experiment. Maybe most people have some stereotype of other races but it is better not to have stereotype and just accept their culture not as different people but same people as what we are.

#8: In This World We Will Have Trouble

These days many people look upon race as a way to stereotype or group others into one specific category. In order to determine race, one may look to the use of language that one uses or even how they dress. First impressions are almost entirely non verbal, meaning the way one determines one's attitude towards another may be significantly based on how they dress and present themselves. "The Wizard" highlights the sensitive subject of discussing race. We might glean from "The Wizard" that it can be difficult to rely solely on skin color as a means of identifying a certain race. This is demonstrated in "The Wizard when Elaine attempts to uncover Darryl's race by making assumptions based on the music that he listens to and the African masks that she sees in his apartment.

It is true to say that many people try to admit that our culture is generally no longer racist and that race has no influence on our perceptions of others, but unfortunately racism is still very prevelent in numerous parts of America. No matter where you go, there are going to be racist people. There is no escaping the fact that many people are still very racist. However, our country has certainly come a long way from the days of slavery. I have faith that our generation will be more accepting of others, regardless of race and we will teach or children and our children's children to be accepting and soon a person's race will no longer be influential on our perception of others. In the end, we are all human and we were created equal so it is my great hope that racism will eventually diminish.
John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

#8 Race-Does it Matter?

Unfortunately for many race is the foundation for how they perceive others. Race can determine ones' attitude towards another, their speech, and even how they dress. Today in America we try to admit that we are no longer racist, and that the color of someone's skin does not influence our perceptions at all. Yet clearly this is not true.

The Democratic candidates for presidency, specifically Barack Obama, is a prime example of this. Simular to Elaine trying to uncover Darryl's race in "The Wizard," the "is he black" question has popped up in Obama's campaign. Despite the qualifications Obama brings to the table his color ("mixed" according to George) and last name will be a stopping point for some voters, a truth that is a "should we be talking about this" topic that will quickly be swept under the rug.

Although racism is still prevalent, the fact that Obama is even a candidate for presidency demonstrates how far the country has come from the days of slavery. Younger generations will soon overpower the old racist mindset, and hopefully a person's race will no longer be a factor of how others treat them.

#8 Stereotype Awareness 101

Seinfeld deals with race in a unique humorous manner. The writers of Seinfeld incorporate it into some of the episodes with a bit of humor. They emphasize the fact that many people really do stereotype different races, even if they mean no harm. In “The Wizard," Elaine thinks that the African masks hanging on her new boyfriend’s wall must mean that he is from an African American culture. She believes that he is partially black for most of the episode because he says that he is from South Africa. He also mentions that they are an interracial couple. Ironically, he thinks that Elaine is Hispanic because of her curly dark hair and the restaurants that she has been taking him to. Both of these assumptions they make about each other are based upon stereotypes.

Seinfeld seems to be pulling out the typical stereotypes that people associate with certain cultures. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the humor they are making. After all, the writers are making viewers aware of how it is very easy to stereotype certain cultures when a lot of the time the stereotypes are not even true. Both stereotypes that Elaine and her boyfriend made about each other were false. The underlying message of this episode is don’t judge someone or assume something about a person just because of their race. We are all unique and different and we should never judge anyone or assume anything about a person just because of stereotypes.

#8: Will Convert For Jokes

SEINFELD deals with Christianity in a similar way to Judaism and Catholicism as seen in “The Burning” and “The Yada Yada” because each religion is joked about by both Tim the dentist and Father Curtis. However, Christianity is dealt with in a harsher and more out in the open way than the ridiculous notion of converting from Catholicism to Judaism in order to tell jokes about rabbis and the Pope. One example is Elaine’s continued use of making “Devil’s horns” with her fingers and lolling her tongue in a manner to imitate someone who’s been possessed. On top of this, the Jewish writers portray Christians as extremely judgmental, obsessed with Christian radio, and thinking highly of themselves since they aren’t, "going to hell." Catholicism is also shown in a negative light since Father Curtis is rather insensitive to Pudge’s plight about going to hell due to his sexual indiscretion with Elaine outside of marriage because he offers to tell more religious jokes. The writers probably managed not to offend as many Christians as they could have by glancing over awkward situations with more and more lighthearted or childish jokes and extreme stereotyping of religions.

#8; The Name Game

In our society, racial stereotyping is dominant and SEINFELD illustrates its correlation with names in the episode “The Chinese Woman.”

In this episode, Jerry accidentally contacts a woman by the name of Donna Chang while trying to get in touch with George over the phone. Because of her last name, he assumes she is Chinese; Jerry has never dated a Chinese woman and so he proceeds to take her out. It turns out that Donna Chang is a blonde haired, blue eyed girl from Long Island; Jerry is extremely disappointed. Names are very important in our society, and we tend to rely on names as a “racial indicator.” As a society, we expect a last name to correlate with the race of a person and therefore we make assumptions about the person. This episode clearly illustrates this phenomenon.

Also in the episode, George’s mother, Estelle, comes into contact with Chang over the phone. Estelle takes advice from Chang simply because she thinks she is Chinese. When Estelle finds out Chang is not of Chinese descent she completely ignores the given advice. Here, SEINFELD illustrates how names can lead to racial stereotyping. Estelle takes Chang’s advice because the Chinese are stereotypically known for their wisdom.

In conclusion, SEINFELD illustrates the importance of names and its correlation with racial stereotyping and how in certain situations there can be no correlation between the two.

#8 Is This Considered Racist?

Majority of Americans accept the fact that America is the home of many types race and religion. In order to live in some type of peace and harmony, some people try not to bring up the subject of race and/or religion to avoid any conflicts. SEINFELD on the other hand brings up these subjects and uses them for laughter. In "The Wizard," we notice that the subject of race is humorous because Elaine is unable to determine her boyfriend’s race, but there were a couple of accounts where after awhile it became uncomfortable to talk about. Why is this? Maybe because of the fact that it is wrong...or maybe because it was a bit racist...or maybe because it was once a huge issue in our U.S. history. SEINFELD defiantly shows how race can be "not right" to talk about to friends, family, or to a boyfriend/girlfriend because nobody wants to be considered a racist. A positive way to look at this is that people in America are trying to change...change for the better without the issue of race. This may be what SEINFELD is bringing across to the audience. Though we know that race and religion in America is a very sensitive subject that can be seen as something funny or easy to make a joke about, we must remind ourselves that it can be hurting someone.

#8 Chinese Wisdom

Racial and ethnical stereotyping is easy to find in America and SEINFELD does an excellent job of portraying some of these stereotypes in “The Chinese Woman.” Jerry is excited after speaking with a woman on the phone because he is under the impression that she is Chinese solely because her last name is Chang. While on the phone with her, he sets up a blind date with her at a familiar Chinese restaurant. Elaine tries to point out Jerry’s ignorance but he comically refutes everything she says. SEINFELD is suggesting that many Americans can associate names or other traits with a certain race when in reality it may be absolutely false. Jerry, like many people, associates “Chang” with a Chinese person. Although many Chinese people may have this last name, it is not fair to jump to conclusions. SEINFELD’s message regarding race and other issues may be a common moral that everyone knows. Don’t judge a book by its cover. This can easily be applied to race and of course everyone that accepts these racial and ethnical stereotypes. I believe that the underlying message is simply that Americans, in general, submit to the limitless number of stereotypes and SEINFELD manages to find the humor in this.

#8: Religion or Race?

For this week's blog (Mar. 3-9), respond to ONE of the following questions:

RELIGION
Elaborate on this question, which we considered briefly in class last week: does Seinfeld deal with Christianity any differently than it does Judaism or Catholicism? Why or why not? In your response, please use evidence from "The Burning" and "The Yada Yada."

RACE
What underlying message about race in America may we glean from either "The Wizard" or "The Chinese Woman"?