#11: Politics As Usual?

Aside from abortion ("The Couch"), what other politically-charged topics does Seinfeld use as fodder for its storylines? Furthermore, how does the show deal with the issue you selected? In other words, is it ambiguous in its stance, or is it biased about the subject matter? If so, how can you tell--via the dialogue, actions? As always, cite examples to support your points.

For this week's blog (Mar. 31-Apr. 6), please cite only episodes that we have screened IN the classroom. Thanks!

#11 Maybe There is Something Wrong with It

SEINFELD is an unbelievably clever show, the way that it can touch on obviously with blatant remarks or simply touch on with subtle comments that not everyone always picks up. I know I would not have picked up on half of the stuff in SEINFELD such as the comment about the black and white cookie and the political leaders if it weren’t for Dr. Marshall pointing it out.
In the episode “The Outing,” SEINFELD dives into the issue of homosexuality and its parameters. Despite the fact that SEINFELD uses techniques such as having Jerry and other characters repeat the line “not that there is anything wrong with that,” they make it perfectly clear that indeed many people do think there is something wrong with being a homosexual. If you simply look at the way the reporter who Jerry is originally supposed to interview with and later sees romantically jumps on the story of him being gay. If being gay was ordinary then she would not have been so incredibly fascinated with him being a homosexual and been dying to write the story. That may sound a little weak as far as evidence goes so try looking at the reactions of both the reporter and Kramer (Michael Richards) when they discovered he was ‘gay’. If it was no big deal there would be no reason for Kramer to jump back and have such a disgusted look on his face. It is the simple things like that make SEINFELD special when dealing with certain issues such as this.

# 11 racial references

Seinfeld talks about race in a way that is very comical. I do not believe the show is biased against any one race. In the episode “The Wizard” there is many references to all kinds of races such as black, white, Asian, and even South American. The whole episode Elaine is trying to figure out what race her boyfriend is. Starting at the beginning she thinks he might be black, and then finds clues to believe he is African because of the music. When she walks into the apartment he tells her there are South African tribal masks. So Elaine then tries to be clever and ask him what race he is and he responds Asian…just for a joke. Later on at the restaurant, Elaine makes a comment to the waitress saying, “Sister….It’s ok I’m with him.” He then catches on that she thinks he is black and then tells her he thinks she is Hispanic. The whole time they go through several different races and don’t have a problem with it; it’s only until they both realize they are just a boring white couple that it is not fun anymore. Since they are both white I don’t think they are singling any one race out.

#11: Staying on the Fence

In addition to abortion, Seinfeld also uses the topic of homosexuality in its episodes as fodder for its storylines. In one of the most popular Seinfeld episodes is “The Outing” (February 11, 1993), an article is written by an NYU student that announces Jerry and George have a homosexual relationship and the episode takes off from there. From this episode, the famous line “not that there’s anything wrong with that” is incorporated to make an obvious and blatant ambiguous stance on the gay issue. However, this clear stance is excessively used for humor instead of its intended meaning of there’s not anything wrong with being gay.
For example, at the end of the episode, George arrives at Jerry’s apartment to find Jerry and the NYU student together on the couch. In order for George to convince his girlfriend that he is gay he begins to come onto Jerry by touching him excessively. As a result, the NYU student walks out saying that it was too weird. Jerry takes offense to that and repeatedly yells down to the hall that “it’s not true!” After a moment’s pause, Jerry then blurts “not that there’s anything wrong with that.” Seinfeld took an ambiguous stand on the issue because it didn’t want to offend any of its viewers, but by doing so, it also used the issue as its main punch line for humor throughout the episode. Therefore, Seinfeld’s ability to not take a stand on the issue leaves the topic open for discussion to its audience and the reason “not that there’s anything wrong with that” is such a popular punch line.

Politically Incorrect

The show Seinfeld does a good job of typically maintaining a neutral standpoint on politics. One political topic that we see constantly reoccurrung is the issue of religion. Seinfeld is constantly described as a Jewish comedy, which is fitting because the main character Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) is a Jewish man himself. The show uses the kind of humor that audiences enjoy because the Jewish characters are able to poke fun at themselves. In the episode "The Cigar Store Indian" Jerry exclauims, "I mean, aren't we all getting a little too sensitive? I mean, someone asks me which way's Israel, I don't fly off the handle." This suggests that our country has become obsessed with being politically correct and a little over sensitive about their religion and ethnicity. Seinfeld is able to step back and make fun of this without offending anyone from any race of religion.

#11 The Political Side of SEINFELD

One of the most hit-on politically charged topics in SEINFELD is the issue of religion, especially Judaism. In about every single episode of SEINFELD, there is a subtle statement how Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) or someone else is Jewish. With how much controversy there has always been about religion, I would think that more people would read into the show and see really how much they make Jewish references. However, there has never been a huge controversy over SEINFELD's thoughts on religion, possibly because it is such a comically light show nobody has ever thought twice about it.

Another politically charged topic in SEINFELD is the mention of homosexuality, especially in the episode of "The Boyfriend" (Feb 12, 1992). Throughout the entire episode, Jerry and George's (Jason Alexander) friendship keeps getting compared to a homosexual relationship. As the show goes along, they keep yelling that they are not in anyway gay, but quickly add on, "Not that there's anything wrong with that.." Many people, especially in the early nineties, would ever go near this subject, and SEINFELD not only opened it right open without tiptoeing around the subject, it was also a huge hit with its viewers.

There is few, if any, other sitcoms that so broadly hits on political topics that even today people have a hard time talking about in public. I believe SEINFELD is a stepping stone to make some touchy and controversial issues more open on the table.

# 11 Issue for race

Other politically-charged topics Seinfeld use as fodder for its storylines is racism. And usually they are taking ambiguous in its stance about the subject matter. For example, in “The Chinese woman,” (October 13, 1994) Jerry tried to call to George but phone line kept went to wrong number so he talked to the woman named Donna Change. Jerry was interested in her and he thought she is Chinese because of her name. However when he met her, she is not Asian but Ireland woman who has blond hair. He was disappointed but he was still seeing her. After that, George’s mother who was trying to call George accidentally talked with Donna Change and she strongly believed that Donna Change is Chinese. She talked to Donna Change to get some advices because she thought Chinese have better wisdom than other races. However later she found out that she is not Chinese and she rejected every advice from her just because she is not Chinese. Although both Jerry and George’s mother were interested in Chinese woman, after they found out she is not the one, they have two responds that Jerry accepted but not George’s mother. And this showed that where characters stand view of different races. George’s mother was so acceptable to the Chinese but not Ireland’s wisdom.

NIGGAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In today’s society there are many different political and social issues that we deal with. SEINFELD does an extremely good job of taking these “hot topics” and making them humorous in an effective way. One of the funniest and most well done examples of this is when SEINFELD deals with race.
I think that “The Wizard” (2/26/98) was a great example of SEINFELD’S creativity and wit when dealing with America’s struggle with race relations. This episode showed how me awkward white people could feel when conversations and situations dealing with race arise. I got the feeling that a lot of white people are extremely cautious when it comes to race. For example when George (Jason Alexander), Elaine (Julia-Louis Dreyfus), and Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) were sitting in the restaurant, they were talking about Darrell, Elaine’s apparent black boyfriend. While Elaine and Jerry were loudly questioning Darrell’s race, George interjects with, “Should we be talking about this?” George, being the humble and courteous man that he is (complete sarcasm), was simply not trying to offend anyone.
This is a small but great example of my point. I get the feeling that a lot of Caucasians feel bad about race relations in early American history. They don’t want to offend minorities and are slightly cautious with what they say and do around them. Being a minority myself, I think it’s slightly humorous.
Another example of this was when we were in class and Dr. Marshall showed us the Chris Rock skit. He was poking fun at black people by crudely explaining the difference between black people and “niggas.” I had heard the skit before so I only laughed a little at the beginning. At this time the entire class was laughing as well. As soon as I stopped, all other laughter just ceased to exist. Strange. I could feel the eyes burning into the back of my head. A cloud of awkwardness seemed to hover over the entire classroom. It was a little weird at first but then I realized that the rest of the class didn’t want to offend me by laughing to hard. Being one of two black people in the entire class, you would think that I felt uncomfortable. It’s ironic because I actually think that they felt more awkward then I did. Funny.

#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.

Should We Look to the Cookie?

One of Seinfelds greater feats in approaching controversial topics would be the fluid interaction with the issue of race. In "The Wizard", Elaine dates a man of an unkown ethnicity. She is completely satisfied with the relationship until his race is questioned and she becomes almost obsessed with figuring out the truth (Feb. 26, 1998). Constantly throughout the episode Jerry asks, "Should we be talking about this?". Seinfelds opinion on race remains unbiased yet it artfully shows the reality of societys discomfort with the topic. Although Seinfeld does not appear to be racist, its' characters frequently enhance ethnic stereotypes. Any ethnic character is usually stereotypical to the extreme such as the host in "The Chinese Restaurant" (may 23, 1991). In, "The Chinese Woman", Jerry's 'attraction' to a woman he met on the phone is brutely rebuffed when he discovers that despite her last name, 'Wong', she is a extremely jewish (Oct. 13, 1994). Here, Seinfeld highlights society's stereotypical thinking and superficial assumptions. Along with stereotypes an ignorance on race, Seinfeld portrays many people's hopeless outlook on the subject. During "The Dinner Party", Jerry eats a black and white cookie and spouts his philisophical parallelim of the cookie and racial issues in society, "The thing about eating the black and white cookie, Elaine, is you want to get some black and some white in each bite. Nothing mixes better than vanilla and chocolate. And yet somehow racial harmony eludes us. If people would only look to the cookie all our problems would be solved"(The Dinner Party Feb. 3, 1994). Not long after, the cookie causes him to vomit and ultimately display the idea that races cannot exist in harmoniously. Each of these circumstances show that Seinfeld does not take a stance on the subject, merely it displays our discomfort and unsure mannerisms about the issue.

#11: A Contest Where Nobody Wins

Sexuality is a taboo subject often linked to the “adult” industry. It is this stigma that causes relevant and sometimes embarrassing issues that do concern a vast number of people to be overlooked, but not by SEINFELD. In “The Contest”, SEINFELD addresses the issue of abstinence from masturbation. While not viewed by many as a mainstream political issue, its impact on the populace is apparent in confidential forums like http://beta.grouphug.us/. People clearly feel guilty about their sexual wants, but SEINFELD put it out there. The bet between the fearsome foursome in this episode was a pact to see who could keep from masturbating the longest. Kramer is the first one out, followed by Elaine, but it is unclear if George and Jerry tied or if one might have held out longer. The audience is left with that question in their minds which opens up discussion of the issue among viewers. Perhaps that was the true intention of the writers, to start conversation about masturbation and subsequently, sexuality.

SEINFELD doesn’t take much of a stance on these issues in this episode. At first, it seems that the writers wanted to discourage masturbation by making the bet a pact between friends to kick a habit that George was caught doing by his mother. We later see, as the title suggests, it was nothing more than a contest between middle-aged children which completely undermines the seriousness of the issue that they brought to a prime time television audience.

11: Do You Have Your Green Card?

In SEINFELD (1989-1998), the writers have frequently written an episode with a topic that is very controversial in American society. Race, a rather heated issue in my own mixed race home and background, brings out a particular instance in mind. In the Chinese Woman, George's phone line is crossed with a particular woman, Donna Chang, who Jerry assumes she is of Asian descent. When they end up going on a date, they end up going to a Chinese restaurant. Elaine mentions that just because she is Chinese, doesn't mean that she likes Chinese food, and all four of the primary characters are surprised when Donna Chang is a white woman!

Americans perceive race very differently than Argentines do. In Argentina, it does not matter what your background is. Here, even on our very own campus, do we find huge divisions among race. The "white" kids sit in one side of the Main, the "black" kids in another, and furthermore, the "Africans," who rarely mix with the "black" kids, in another section. Why does this happen? Particularly, in the country that was founded for freedom? Is America truly the melting pot it advertises to be?

#11 There's Actually Nothing Wrong With Them..

Seinfeld addresses homosexuality in several episodes. In “The Outing” (February 11, 1993) where Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and George (Jason Alexander) are falsely identified as a gay couple they treat the issue of homosexuality very carefully. To me there are no negative inferences by the writers, however I see how one could come to that conclusion. This particular episodes catch phrase of “not that there’s anything wrong with that” has given some people a negative connotation, but I believe that if taken at face value no ill will is intended. Some people’s argument is that the fact that the characters say this implies that there is something wrong with homosexuality. To me it is more of someone being identified as something they are not and trying to rectify the situation. If you are left handed and someone tells you that you’re actually right handed I am sure that you would try to correct them. While they definitely don’t put a positive spin on being a homosexual I think it is easy to say they have NOT put a negative view of homosexuality in this episode. With all the stereotypes and rude words that could have been used I think the very careful treatment is proof that the writers and producers have consciously decided not to pick a stance on the issue!

#11 Are you in or out?

Next to abortion, the topic of gay rights is next in line when it comes to politically charged topics. The subject of homosexuality is seen on "The Outing (02/11/93),"which Seinfeld deals with in a humorous manner. As with "The Couch (10/27/94)," Seinfeld seems to be ambiguous when it comes to homosexuality for the constant phrase of "not that there is anything wrong with that." Yes, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and George (Jason Alexander) freak out when accused of being gay, but with the that constant phrase "not that there is anything wrong with that," I believe it is Jerry’s and George’s way of saying that it is their (homosexuals) business what they do in their lives. Seinfeld does a good job in portraying both sides of the positive and negative undertones when it comes to abortion and homosexuality. Seinfeld is neither in or out when siding with both topics.

#11: Is Seinfeld Racist?

Another politically-charged topic that Seinfeld uses to fodder its storylines is the issue of racism. Unfortunately, in our society racism is still very prevelent today anywhere and everywhere you go from the people who suggest that racism is "the way of life" to the media and even education from parents to their children. Although we have come a long way over the years, it is a sensitive issue that is hard to simply not discuss, because it does come up quite frequently. Seinfeld deals with this sensitive issue by staying neutral and not leaning towards one side or another. This is demonstrated in an episode that we screened in class, "The Wizard," as the characters discuss whether or not Elaine's date is black or white.

As they are discussing the matter, George asks, "Should we even be talking about this?" and Elaine replies that she doesn't need to know his ethnicity, although it is clear that she does care. Another example of the way Seinfeld deals with racism on the show is demonstrated in the same episode when Elaine goes over to her new boyfriend's apartment and hears loud blaring rap music. After hearing the music, she assumes that he is African American. I think that the reference of rap music was not biased because once Elaine arrives to his door, she is proved wrong when he apologizes for the loud music being played by his roomate. I admit that Seinfeld is clearly bringing racism up as an element in the show, but because of the way the characters handle each situation, (once proven wrong) they realize that they were wrong for making such strong assumptions. I wouldn't consider Seinfeld as racist in any way. I think that if racism was meant to be portrayed, they would have found a different way to make this apparent in the show. Overall, I think that Seinfeld is ambiguous in its stance concerning racism among other politically-charged topics because of the dialogue and the actions of each of the characters.

#11 Race Matters

The issue of race is frequently discussed in the series SEINFELD, taking both an ambiguous and biased stance throughout the series' run. At times the race issue is made obvious such as in "The Wizard" (Feb. 26, 1998) where Elaine is somewhat obsessed at discovering the race of her boyfriend, going at any length to unveil the true color of his skin. Here, it is made clear that race is a very important issue, despite Elaine taking a "not like there's anything wrong with that" attitude on the topic. Overall, African Americans are rarely seen in the series, or if so are given minor roles such as the family George (Jason Alexander) bombards in "The Couch" (Oct. 27, 1994). Perhaps the main African American seen in SEINFELD is Jackie Chiles (Phil Morris) who plays a parody of the famous O.J. Simpson lawyer Johnie Cochran. Writers gave Chiles a biased approach, most likely since the current murder trial was filled with controversy at the time. Chiles, who is Kramer's lawyer, is somewhat of a crazy professional, exaggerating Cochran's actions and quotes while providing a comedic experience for the viewers. Personally, Chiles is a representative for all African Americans featured on the show. Although he is not a main character, he does provide support for the four friends and adds to the comedic experience.

#11 The Homophobic Homosexuals

In the episode, “The Outing” (February 11, 1993), Seinfeld deals with homosexuality. Both Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and George (Jason Alexander) are accused of being gay because a student newspaper writer overhears them playing a joke about being gay while they are eating at Monks. Jerry is absolutely embarrassed when he thinks that the writer is going to post an article about them being gay together. He freaks out and tries to make her realize that he is not gay and that it was just a joke. Finally, she believes him and she even agrees to go on a date with Jerry. George, on the other hand, is trying to break up with a girl. He decides that he will take advantage of this situation by pretending that he is gay. George ruins Jerry’s date because he acts like him and Jerry really are gay. This was a very humorous ending to this episode because Jerry is so mad at him because he absolutely does not want to be gay.

I think that this episode is biased in not favoring homosexuals. Both Jerry and George try to tell everyone they aren’t gay, but they always say “not that there is anything wrong with that.” This phrase is constantly repeated throughout the episode and I think that it actually makes it seem like there is something wrong with it. Also, Jerry constantly freaks out when anyone thinks he is gay because he doesn’t want anyone to think that. This episode is humorous, but it might not be funny to gays because they might believe that Seinfeld is implying that being gay is a bad thing. Nevertheless, Seinfeld takes this controversial topic and puts it into a humorous light.

#11 Homosexual Happenings

In “The Outing” (February 11, 1993) Seinfeld dealt with the somewhat political topic of homosexuality. Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and George Costanza (Jason Alexander) are accused of being gay because of a newspaper article that a NYU graduate student published. Seinfeld handles homosexuality with caution but is submissively sly about it, especially with the comments that the characters make. There are several negative undertones about homosexuals such as the classic one-liner “not that there is anything wrong with that (homosexuality or homosexuals).” Jerry and George continue to repeat this line suggesting that there is, indeed, something deathly wrong with homosexuality. I believe that Seinfeld is negatively biased about the topic of homosexuality. The characters also seem to be rather homophobic which I believe reinforces that fact that Seinfeld has a negative opinion about homosexuals in general. Jerry accuses Kramer of fitting the “stereotype” of homosexuals and in turn Kramer freaks out. Altogether, I believe that Seinfeld skillfully found the fine line between offensive content and a harmless television show. 

#11: Ignorance is NOT bliss!

My selected issue for this week's blog deals with racism. To me racism is a pandemic that needs to be wiped out, it's creeped into our social and domestic livelihoods, work places, educational institutions, and of course politics. Seinfeld's treatment towards racism is neutral i believe where they represent their views about a particular race, but instead protray the the general notion of certain races.

For example in "The Wizard" as Jerry and George and Elaine discuss whether Elaine's new date is black or white George nervously inquires, "should we be talking about this" and even though Elaine insists she doesn't "need" to know his ethnicity she, like George and Jerry out of guilt over-tip the waitress at the cafe, who is ironically black. Music is another tool that Seinfeld uses to mimick race, as Elaine visits her boyfriends apartment, she overhears loud hip/hop, and asuming she's finally figured out his race nods her head in approval. Without the show establishing it's own views, Elaine's gesture symbolises our perception as the viewer will assume along with Elaine that where there's hip/hop there's an African American. Ironically this isn't the case as Elaine's boyfriend apologises for his roommates loud music.

Im sure you will agree that current political affairs stem from a deep root of hatred and racism, and whilst Seinfeld depicts it's own comical spin on the issue, in reality it is very serious!