Kolonusz 1

Lauren Kolonusz

Professor Frechette

CM 384-01

Final Research Paper

December 14, 2021

Seinfeld: Problematic or Progressive?

Seinfeld, a popular American sitcom, propagates issues regarding society’s perception of

race, sexuality, and gender. Even though the show is hilarious, these facets involve stereotypes,

expectations, and cultural norms depicted in society that are ultimately harmful. Conversely, the

producers, writers, and characters of Seinfeld are predominately ethnically Jewish, and their

perception of society is thereby easily analyzed. Upon first glance, many might think that

Seinfeld lacks diversity; however, all of the main characters are a minority. There are many

instances of stereotypes involving Jewish culture, a type of comedic self-awareness, that brings

attention to the issues that Jewish people might face from society, and from each other. Thus, the

viewer is presented with a dichotomy between harmful stereotypes, and viewing society through

the lens of the Jewish minority. Further, regarding the characters’ sex, Elaine is of particular

importance as she is the only main character that is a woman among the other three characters

who are all men. In hindsight, this created a snowball effect; many modern sitcoms mimic this

three-to-one token female character ratio. Lastly, I will analyze spin-offs of Seinfeld that

continue to show these themes.

To begin, it is of utmost importance to first understand the hegemonic nature of television

networks. This importance is mainly derived from the fact that if a particular ethnic group or
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gender class is in control of media content, then the lens through which the audience views it will

also be limited then and thereby. In other words, those who share the same ethnic group, class,

and gender, will tend to have similar political views and, at the very least, similar cultural

backgrounds and motivations.

Seinfeld was produced in 1989 by Larry David with the co-owner being Jerry Seinfeld

himself. These two individuals are ethnically Jewish, the latter of which self-identifies as Jewish

on the show itself, which is important to keep in mind as analysis of NBC ownership is

explained. The current chairman of NBCUniversal, their television production division, is Mark

Lazarus, who is Jewish (Lex, 2019). Comcast is the parent company of NBC with the CEO being

Brian Roberts, who is also of Jewish descent (Guttman, 2014). Comcast was founded by Brian

Robert’s father, Ralph Roberts, in 1969. The senior advisor and vice president of Comcast is

David Cohen, sharing the same Jewish background as the aforementioned Roberts family

(Rogelberg, 2021). Thus, it is accurate to say that Comcast is an oligopoly: an instance of a

particular industry that is dominated by a small group of large spenders. This is particularly

significant when analyzing the demographics of the United States; ethnically Jewish people are

reportedly 1.9% of the population as of 2020 (Berman Jewish Databank, 2016). Through this

narrow ownership, the audience has a limited lens through which they view media content.

According to Rosalin Krieger, author of Journal for Cultural Research, “Jewishness” is a

significant cultural signifier present within Seinfeld. She claims that it is the result of a

compromise between negotiations of Jewish cultural identity and the prominent cultures present

within North America. Seinfeld is particularly noteworthy: “Seinfeld is a breakthrough ‘Jewish’

sitcom because it is the first time, since The Goldbergs left the air in the 1950s, that a Jewish

lead character is directly defined (Jerry self-identifies both directly and indirectly) as Jewish”
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(Krieger, 2003, p. 387). She continues to discuss how, historically, the standard television

practice regarding Jewish ownership is, “Jewish self-censorship, and it also employs primarily

negative stereotypes” (Krieger, 2003, p. 387). This ties in with the previous quotation regarding

the compromise between Jewishness, as a cultural signifier, and the predominant North

American cultural groups. She continues to discuss how the characters within Seinfeld can be

described as Jewish or not Jewish, and possess many of their respective stereotypes. Since

Jewishness is presented ambiguously within the show, she argues that, “Jewishness appears as

signifiers … that can be read as Jewish (food, philosophical references) and possibly Jewish

(mannerisms, phenotype, anxiety)” (Krieger, 2003, p. 387). She also takes note of how Jewish

people in society are often classified as “unmarked whiteness” while still possessing their own

unique ethnic and cultural group.

Seinfeld is often touted as a show about nothing. It follows the everyday lives of four

main characters, and thus can be perceived as an accurate, though exaggerated for comedic

effect, portrayal of real life. Thus, Seinfeld serves as an effective medium for describing and

propagating certain notions about race, gender, and political issues, all of which stem from the

lack of diversity present within the ownership of both the show and the parent companies (NBC

and Comcast). Beginning with gender and sexuality, Seinfeld discusses both throughout the

show, both directly and indirectly. Various negative gender stereotypes and examples of toxic

masculinity are present throughout the show. In the episode The Airport, Elaine comments how

George “runs like a girl” when he is seen running through an airport. This propagates the tough

guy narrative often displayed in media content, thereby discouraging men from expressing

behaviors traditionally regarded as feminine. Furthermore, both George and Jerry are both

described as exhibiting effeminate behavior throughout the show, even to the point where an
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entire episode, The Outing, revolves around people mistaking them for a homosexual couple

(Krieger, 2003, p. 400). This is not only untrue, as the two characters date women consistently

throughout the show, but also reinforces the negative stereotype that homosexual men act

effeminate. Jerry is regarded throughout the show as purportedly possessing feminine qualities,

such as a desire to maintain a neat apartment or certain fashionable qualities. Krieger mentions,

“it is ironic that some Jewish men … have represented themselves on television as ‘happily

subordinated’ despite considerable power in Hollywood” (Krieger, 2003, p. 400). This ties in

with the previously discussed self-censorship of Jewishness.

Jewish humor is a recurring theme in Seinfeld. According to Cohen, journalist and author

of Jewish Humor, “The Jewish humor tradition continues today, with Jewish humor much

entwined with that of mainstream humor, as comedies like Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm

indicate” (Cohen, 2015, p. 2). Cohen goes on to further explain that self-deprecation is a staple

element of Jewish humor. Indeed, throughout the show the characters poke fun at their

ethnoreligious group. As to why Jewish humor has developed self-deprecation as a cornerstone

for their humor, “Early students of Jewish humor including Freud and Sig Altman have

suggested that the self-critical apparatus became a necessary defensive device throughout Jewish

history” (Wright, 2011, p. 671).

One example of overt Jewish humor, rather than the usual subtle intertwining of Jewish

humor and mainstream humor that Seinfeld famously utilizes, is in the episode The Yada Yada.

Jerry’s dentist converts to Judaism and begins making jokes about Jewish people. As Jerry

describes to his rabbi, “I suspect that Whatley [Jerry’s dentist] has converted to Judaism purely

for the jokes!” (Union Bulletin, 2018, p.1). The rabbi replies, “And this offends you as a Jewish

person?” to which Jerry replies “No, it offends me as a comedian!” (Union Bulletin, 2018, p.1).
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A paradigm is also established in this episode between dentistry and Judaism, being made in an

absurd, yet hilarious, manner. Jerry states he dislikes the dentists, to which Kramer uses the term

“anti-dentite” to describe Jerry thereafter. “The dentist replies ‘Jerry, come on! It is our people’s

sense of humor that has sustained us for three thousand years!’ Jerry, nonplused, replies ‘Five

thousand!’” (Union Bulletin, 2018, p.1). Thus, the writers and creators of Seinfeld are poking fun

at themselves and offering exposure to Jewish humor. In other words, “Jewish humor makes him

all the more ethnic, all the more kosher, and just that much more Jewish” (Union Bulletin, 2018,

p.1). This ties in with Cohen’s statements about Jewish humor and the usual theme of self-

deprecation, poking fun at themselves.

Seinfeld employs many negative gender stereotypes consistently throughout the show. In

one episode, The Reverse Peephole, Elaine bursts into laughter when her boyfriend at-the-time

walks into a restaurant wearing a fur coat. She mocks her boyfriend as she “feels it is

inappropriate for a man to wear fur - she is actually against anyone wearing fur … but especially

a man” (Delaney, 2006, p. 111). In another instance, Jerry explains how he believes women are

faster at writing checks because women write more checks. According to Jerry, men have a

completely different perspective on writing checks than women since it “makes them look

effeminate” (Delaney, 2006, p. 115). Further, he explains that a check is “like a note from your

mother that says you don’t have any money, but if you contact these people, surely they will

vouch for you” (Delaney, 2006, p. 115). There are two trains of thought that can be derived from

such a statement: either one views this as reinforcing negative stereotypes, or it is simply social

commentary (as is typical for comedians, which Jerry is both in real life and in the show) and

thus ultimately pokes fun at societal conventions rather than the act itself. However, I personally
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believe that the way to interpret these types of scenes is more nuanced than that. In other words,

it both makes fun of societal conventions while also reinforcing gender roles.

Gender stereotypes continue in the episode The Male Unbonding, in which Jerry “offers

his stereotypical view of men and their desire to watch other men work” (Delaney, 2006, p. 115).

According to Jerry’s observations, men in a given neighborhood love to come out and watch

other men work on construction and use tools. He states that it’s as if “...men are magnetically

drawn to this activity … the sound of a drill is like a dog whistle that calls men out of their

homes” (Delaney, 2006, p. 115). This specific example is more easily interpreted as social

commentary rather than mocking a particular group. Moreover, it can be described as self-

deprecation since Jerry is, after all, a man. However, it perhaps contains an overall harmful

element in the sense it may imply you are not really a man if you do not want to watch other men

work, although I personally would say that is a stretch. Another example of social commentary

rather than reinforcing gender stereotypes is when “Jerry mentions that men like the television

remote in their hands and that they like to channel surf more than women do … women will want

to see what the show is before they switch channels. Men like the thrill of the chase and therefore

constantly switch from channel to channel” (Delaney, 2006, p. 116). Indeed, the differences in

overall personalities between genders extends to something even as minor as channel surfing - at

least according to Jerry. It thus becomes a question of whether or not men are programmed this

way by society, or if it is the result of millennia of biological evolution, and the debate usually

lies therein.

Expanding more upon homosexuality, Seinfeld is no exception to the plethora of sitcoms

that make commentary about it. While some of it is simply social commentary, there are

certainly examples where they reinforce negative stereotypes or, in one episode, blatantly false
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information. George, a main character, has a relationship with a woman named Susan. The

relationship slowly deteriorates throughout the season until it is revealed that, after they split up,

Susan “decided” to give lesbianism a try. According to Delaney (2006), “This episode is

controversial in that it reflects the belief by some people that homosexuality is a choice. Other

people believe homosexuality is determined biologically” (p. 119). While I understand the

argument put forth by postmodernists regarding sexuality not being a choice, I would personally

argue that Susan was exploring her sexuality and trying something new, rather than definitively

deciding that she is a lesbian. After all, there are many instances where people fail in

relationships because they later find out that they are not truly heterosexual. However, the

verbiage used within the show certainly implies that she decided to become a lesbian, and thus it

can be interpreted as harmful. A more apt way of describing it would have been to say that Susan

was experimenting, but perhaps this can be chalked up to the shortsightedness of the characters

in the show. Either way, it can certainly be interpreted as reinforcing negative stereotypes.

George is also uncomfortable with the fact that Susan started dating another woman after they

broke up; he interprets this as an insult to his manhood. In other words, he implies that his

relationship with her was so bad that she was turned off by men completely. This is an example

of toxic masculinity as it implies Susan’s decision to experiment was strictly because of a man’s

inability to sustain a relationship with her, rather than the more realistic compounding and

cumulative result of years of relationships with men. It should also be noted that all the owners,

executives, characters, and producers that were initially mentioned in the opening paragraph are

heterosexual, and thus we are faced with another example of a limited perspective.

Now that the problems with Seinfeld’s gender role and sexuality stereotypes have been

established, it is important to turn our attention to the only female main character present
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throughout the show: Elaine Benes. Elaine is a particularly important character, and it is

interesting to observe the route the writers have decided to take with her. Since the writer,

producers, and owners of Seinfeld are all male, it is no surprise that they decided to place Elaine

relatively higher on the masculine side of the feminine-masculine spectrum. Indeed, it is easier

and more affordable for the creators of Seinfeld to write a character that shares traits more similar

to them rather than flesh out the deeper intricacies of a feminine character. It could be reasonably

argued that Elaine’s character is progressive since the writers ascribe certain masculine qualities

to her personality, thus breaking traditional gender stereotypes. However, if one analyzes

Seinfeld as a whole, especially when taking into account the aforementioned propagation of

gender role stereotypes that it consistently employs throughout the show, it becomes quite clear

that the writers were not doing this to be progressive, but because it was convenient and

profitable for them.

In one episode, The Contest, insinuations are made regarding a bet between the main

characters of the show. Summarily, the characters bet money with each other to see who can

cease masturbation the longest. This episode, overall, is a prime example of the creators of the

show assigning traditionally masculine qualities to Elaine. As mentioned in the show, Elaine

asks to join the contest, with a resounding “no” being the response from the male main

characters. The characters compare the alleged differences between males and females

masturbating: “... like apples and oranges. Jerry tries to explain to Elaine that for men,

masturbation is necessary; it is part of their lifestyle. Kramer says it’s like shaving. Elaine

mentions that she shaves her legs. However, as Kramer explains, not every day!” (Delaney,

2006, p. 125). According to Larry Charles, a supervising director for the show, “Julia loved it …

As an actor [sic], she looked at it as an incredible challenge. Where else would she get the
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opportunity to explore female sexuality?” (Tunick, 1994). This type of raunchy humor was rarely

seen before on television, at least during the era in which Seinfeld aired. Thus, not only did this

episode discuss a topic typically sensitive for Americans, it also served as a breakthrough in

discussing traditionally taboo subjects regarding female sexuality. Indeed, the sentiment that

everyone masturbates is, in hindsight, quite obvious, but it was rarely acknowledged on

television. Seinfeld approached the topic in a roundabout way; they never directly say the word

“masturbate”, instead making allusions to it.

Interestingly, NBC had made it a condition that they added a female main character to the

show in order for it to be aired. According to a reporter working for Vulture, Marianne Eloise

(2019) states “The show was ordered by NBC on the condition that they added a woman” (p. 1).

Thus, it was a conscientious decision to add a female main character and, in fact, was essentially

forced upon them by the owners of the network. Eloise further describes the decision to add a

female main character as what made Seinfeld unique amongst other sitcoms of its time. “Back in

1989, women like her were not allowed on TV. The loud, clumsy, sexually progressive, and very

lovable Elaine subverted every trope we came to expect from women on the screen” (Eloise,

2019, p. 1). Thus, the decision to make Elaine “one of the boys”, so-to-speak, was very

progressive for its time while also giving the all-male writers and producers an easier time

creating a character that shared similar qualities to them.

An important distinction to make is that, while Elaine was progressive in a myriad of

various ways, she was far from being hypersexualized. “Even though Elaine has slept with Jerry,

the men of Seinfeld still by and large find her pretty sexless” (Eloise, 2019, p. 1). This is essential

for pushing a more progressive agenda, as sexualizing a character makes them human, but only
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to an extent. Sexualizing someone too much, especially a woman character, reduces their

character and limits them simply to what is between their legs.

The idea to have three male main characters and one female main character, henceforth

referred to as the three-to-one ratio, was a relatively unique concept for Seinfeld’s time. In

hindsight, it has proven to be influential, inspiring the same format in many sitcoms for the next

decade. This has given rise to a phenomenon known as the Smurfette principle, in which “one

lone female is included in an otherwise entirely male cast” (Richards, 2011).

A popular sitcom that first aired in 2005, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, followed the

same format for its first season (it was not until later seasons that they added a fourth male main

character, played by Danny DeVito). Three male main characters, Dennis, Charlie, Mac, and one

female main character, Dee. Glenn Howerton, the actor for Dennis, explained to reporters that

Seinfeld inspired their show (Topel, 2021). In fact, it was so inspired that It’s Always Sunny in

Philadelphia recreated a scene from Seinfeld. By including a female main character, not only

does it obviously diversify the cast of characters, but it also takes advantage of including a token

female character. In other words, in comparing both sitcoms to each other, both Seinfeld and It’s

Always Sunny in Philadelphia portray the leading female character as “one of the boys”. Of

course, not every sitcom follows this format, if they did then that would be problematic as it

could reasonably be interpreted that in order to be funny and have a role in a sitcom, you must

possess masculine qualities. Upon analysis, we know this to be far from the truth, and instead the

decision to slide both Elaine and Dee further towards the masculine side of the spectrum only

served as a way to dismantle gender roles.

Another sitcom that shares similar themes with Seinfeld is New Girl, and the three-to-one

ratio is no exception. The producer of New Girl has mentioned Seinfeld as being a key
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inspiration for the characters they decided to cast (Delley, 2017). Furthermore, New Girl is also a

show that is about “nothing” and follows the same format as Seinfeld in the sense that they both

provide social commentary and humor through the usage of irony. There is no denying that the

relationships between the characters are also very similar to the friendships in Seinfeld.

A sitcom about the life of Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm, is easily the most similar

show. Jewish humor is especially prominent in this show, except this time it is far less subtle

than it was in Seinfeld. We can once again witness the theme of self-deprecation, a key

component of Jewish humor, “As a comic figure, David fuses a decidedly Jewish sensibility with

one that openly criticizes the religious and cultural tenets of both Christianity and Judaism”

(Wright, 2011, p. 660). Just like Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm is written, produced, and

owned by Jewish people, and the ever-prominent theme of Jewish humor, self-deprecation, plays

a key role in the series (Wright, 2011, p. 670-671).

In analyzing the target audience for Seinfeld, a self-described “show about nothing”, it is

important to keep a few things in mind. First and foremost, the audience must be relatively

educated and able to discern between satire, comedy, and subtle truths contained within the

show. As previously discussed, there is a fine line between reinforcing negative stereotypes and

pointing out society’s absurdities. This requires a very perceptive audience, and this is part of the

reason why Seinfeld’s comedy is largely hit-or-miss. Anecdotally, it seems as if people I talk to

about the show either find it to be extremely hilarious, or painstakingly boring. Seinfeld employs

dry humor, which is ironic since it is a sitcom and thus employs the use of laugh tracks.

Nonetheless, the humor is tailored to a very specific crowd: those who can recognize and

understand the absurdities of some of society’s conventions (Baroudi, 2019, p. 4-7).

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Seinfeld uses irony as a base for its humor. “Jerry uses immense irony to visualize various

truths of life. He craftily discusses hypocrisy, misunderstanding, and the various daily challenges

that a normal person undergoes” (Baroudi, 2020, p. 4). He often criticizes many parts of society,

including politics. Through the use of irony, he criticizes the New York Police Department and

their inability to catch criminals. Specifically, after having something stolen from him, he asks

the police officer if they ever catch anyone, to which the officer replies they almost never do

(Baroudi, 2020, p. 3).

In short, Seinfeld is a hilarious show that reinforces negative stereotypes regarding race,

sex, and gender. However, the show primarily does so as an extension of social commentary,

which requires an educated audience that is perceptive around them in order to not incur further

issues. Furthermore, ownership of the production companies, and of Seinfeld itself, possesses a

strikingly alarming lack of diversity. Through this channel, many viewers of the show will not

find it relatable and thereby the possibility of finding it offensive becomes a reality. Instead of

being represented in a strictly positive light, the humor of Seinfeld pokes fun at many different

groups. Those belonging to certain racial, cultural, or sexuality minority groups, may find that

so-called humor in the show is unfair and should only make fun of groups that society generally

finds to be “acceptable”. Thus, it is pertinent to include many members of various minority

groups in the ownership of television networks; in the case of Seinfeld and NBC, as discussed,

almost all of the key ownership figures are ethnically Jewish, leading to a limited lens through

which the audience views the show. The issues revolving around Seinfeld’s use of humor is

nuanced, and it would even be apt to describe it as both progressive and nonprogressive. This all

depends on the audience’s interpretation of the jokes.

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Overall, the show causes the audience to think about certain elements of society, and

even raise awareness of various political issues. Sitcoms ultimately have a lot of growing to do,

and this is reflective in the issues provided when analyzing Seinfeld. Writers and producers need

to be more conscious of these issues moving forward to produce content that is well-versed with

members of minority groups. Additionally, as audience members, it is crucial that we exercise

media literacy skills in recognizing how certain groups are taken advantage of then and thereby.
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Berman Jewish Databank. (2016). 2016 World Jewish Population.

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Cohen, S. (2015). Jewish Humor. Apple of His Eye Mission Society.

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Cooper. (2019). “You know, support the team”: Representations of gentile masculinity on

Seinfeld and Curb your Enthusiasm. Jewish Film & New Media, 7(2), 187.

https://doi.org/10.13110/jewifilmnewmedi.7.2.0187

Delaney, T. (2006). Seinology: The sociology of Seinfeld. Prometheus Books.

Delley, C. (2017, July 20). Is new girl the new Seinfeld? WFUmediaphiles.

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Guttman, N. (2014, March 2). Brian Roberts' Jewish roots and outsized ambition drive

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Lex, M. (2019, November 3). Mark Lazarus: NBC sports. Medium.

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Union Bulletin. (2021, September 22). The lighter side: Documentary on Jewish humor will be

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