Has there ever been a show you watched where a line of dialogue or a plotline has stopped you dead in your tracks, one where you hear it, pause, and ask yourself 'Did they really just say that?' -- DOnovan HArris, 10th Grade
Has there ever been a show you watched where a line of dialogue or a plotline has stopped you dead in your tracks, one where you hear it, pause, and ask yourself “Did they really just say that?” Usually, this is because of how offensive, misguided or just how it comes off makes you question if you heard what the character said correctly, whether it be an older example such as the Jerry Springer Show, or one such as South Park or Family Guy. Those who have watched an episode of the 90’s sitcom Seinfeld, you’ve most likely had at least one moment where this has happened to you. Today, we discuss this iconic 90’s landmark of television’s wildest moments, and how they hold up, or… don’t.
Season 2, Episode 7 - The Revenge.
Synopsis: The episode follows George’s plot to exact revenge on his boss by spiking his drink at a party thrown in his honor. During this escapade, Jerry deals with the possibility of a laundromat having stolen money from him, and Kramer’s constant complaints of their neighbor, Newman threatening to kill himself by jumping off the roof of their building.
On that morbid note, we will now discuss Does It Hold Up Or Not? Well, the short answer is No. If this episode were aired today, It would not sit well with a lot of people based on the Newman issue alone, as Kramer openly admits “If you’re going to kill yourself, do it already, and stop bothering me”. Newman eventually does jump… from the second floor and survives, which Kramer finds very amusing. Due to the improvements of mental health treatment and awareness, this will not sit well with many people. In the 90s, this type of humor didn't come off as offensive to most people. Before that, it practically just wasn't cared about at all. Writers of the show most likely weren't aware or didn't care about the repercussions of this dialogue by today's standards. If a person is struggling with mental health or a rough patch in their life to a certain level of severity today, they aren't going to find this supporting, or comedic in any way.
Season 4, Episode 17 - The Outing. In this episode, an NYU journalist erroneously outs Jerry and George as gay. This triggers a series of controversial reactions, including the now classic catchphrase used among Seinfeld fans "not that there's anything wrong with that," which leads us into Does It Hold Up or Not?
Well, Mostly Not. All characters have somewhat homophobic reactions, whether they were intentional or not, such as Jerry’s father Morty saying “It was those damn culottes you made him wear when he was five”, and Kramer commenting “How could you? I thought we were good friends!” Again, this won’t sit well with people in the LQBTQ+ community for the homophobic undertones of all the characters. The episode makes little to no effort to educate viewers on issues such as this, which is why it gets the controversy it does. An example could be if someone was thinking of coming out, or possibly even a part of the LGBTQ+ community already saw this episode, this would not have a positive effect on that person because of the values and beliefs held by these characters.
Season 7, Episode 6 - The Soup Nazi. This episode is one of the well known in the entire series, and follows the four main characters’ conflicts with Yev Kassem, the eccentric, somewhat tyrannical owner of a Soup Kitchen. They refer to him as the “Soup Nazi” due to the manner he demands his customers to act while they order. The Soup Nazi has become somwhat of a cultural icon, as even a restaurant chain, called “Soup Nutsy” has emerged in the eastern United States and Canada.
However, the name is what leads us into the question Does It Hold Up or Not? The answer to this, Kind of. Again, the ‘Soup Nazi” has become somewhat of a cultural icon, with Pop Toys being sold of he character under Yev Kassem, rather than “Soup Nazi”. If people were to see a toy being sold that so much as said the word ‘Nazi’ on the packaging, that’s not going to go over well with people because of the gruesome historical correlations that word holds. Same goes with the Restaurant chain previously mentioned, people aren’t going to want to dine at a restaurant with the word ‘Nazi’ in the title for the same reasons, this is most likely why they chose to do this play on words. This is the main reason why this probably doesn’t hold up or sit well with a lot of people, but at the same time, this could most likely just come off as dark humor. Jokes involving the Nazi party are still frequently told today, and movies involving the Nazi party, such as The Mortal Storm, The Great Dictator, and Watch On The Rhine to name a few. Seinfeld has always had a morbid sense of humor, and this was just one of the contributions of it. While it may have come in somewhat poor taste, it’s far from the most controversial thing the show has done due to its landmark status.
Ultimately, this article is not telling you not to watch Seinfeld, it is reflecting on was a show that was about four unique characters and their day to day lives, and used many controversial methods to do so. Throughout the 1940’s to the early 60’s, TV and film were extremely strict about censorship. There wasn’t any nudity, blood, gore, or even swear words in anything. The 70’s and 80’s began to pick up on these factors, with the rise of Neo-Noir and chick flicks. The 90’s and 2000s took this to a whole new level, movies like Kids, Mean Girls, TV Shows like South Park and Family Guy, piqued with offensive, dark humor, troubling plotlines and extremely graphic scenes and storylines. From the 2010s forward, we’ve almost come full circle, as violence in films is still prevalent in film today, but certain types of language and scenes in movies have begun to adapt to the changing of times, with topics such as mental health and sexual orientation have begun to be taken more seriously. Seinfeld was caught right in the middle of this cycle, and a lot of the jokes on that show possibly open old wounds for some, and new ones for others.
Season 2, Episode 7 - The Revenge.
Synopsis: The episode follows George’s plot to exact revenge on his boss by spiking his drink at a party thrown in his honor. During this escapade, Jerry deals with the possibility of a laundromat having stolen money from him, and Kramer’s constant complaints of their neighbor, Newman threatening to kill himself by jumping off the roof of their building.
On that morbid note, we will now discuss Does It Hold Up Or Not? Well, the short answer is No. If this episode were aired today, It would not sit well with a lot of people based on the Newman issue alone, as Kramer openly admits “If you’re going to kill yourself, do it already, and stop bothering me”. Newman eventually does jump… from the second floor and survives, which Kramer finds very amusing. Due to the improvements of mental health treatment and awareness, this will not sit well with many people. In the 90s, this type of humor didn't come off as offensive to most people. Before that, it practically just wasn't cared about at all. Writers of the show most likely weren't aware or didn't care about the repercussions of this dialogue by today's standards. If a person is struggling with mental health or a rough patch in their life to a certain level of severity today, they aren't going to find this supporting, or comedic in any way.
Season 4, Episode 17 - The Outing. In this episode, an NYU journalist erroneously outs Jerry and George as gay. This triggers a series of controversial reactions, including the now classic catchphrase used among Seinfeld fans "not that there's anything wrong with that," which leads us into Does It Hold Up or Not?
Well, Mostly Not. All characters have somewhat homophobic reactions, whether they were intentional or not, such as Jerry’s father Morty saying “It was those damn culottes you made him wear when he was five”, and Kramer commenting “How could you? I thought we were good friends!” Again, this won’t sit well with people in the LQBTQ+ community for the homophobic undertones of all the characters. The episode makes little to no effort to educate viewers on issues such as this, which is why it gets the controversy it does. An example could be if someone was thinking of coming out, or possibly even a part of the LGBTQ+ community already saw this episode, this would not have a positive effect on that person because of the values and beliefs held by these characters.
Season 7, Episode 6 - The Soup Nazi. This episode is one of the well known in the entire series, and follows the four main characters’ conflicts with Yev Kassem, the eccentric, somewhat tyrannical owner of a Soup Kitchen. They refer to him as the “Soup Nazi” due to the manner he demands his customers to act while they order. The Soup Nazi has become somwhat of a cultural icon, as even a restaurant chain, called “Soup Nutsy” has emerged in the eastern United States and Canada.
However, the name is what leads us into the question Does It Hold Up or Not? The answer to this, Kind of. Again, the ‘Soup Nazi” has become somewhat of a cultural icon, with Pop Toys being sold of he character under Yev Kassem, rather than “Soup Nazi”. If people were to see a toy being sold that so much as said the word ‘Nazi’ on the packaging, that’s not going to go over well with people because of the gruesome historical correlations that word holds. Same goes with the Restaurant chain previously mentioned, people aren’t going to want to dine at a restaurant with the word ‘Nazi’ in the title for the same reasons, this is most likely why they chose to do this play on words. This is the main reason why this probably doesn’t hold up or sit well with a lot of people, but at the same time, this could most likely just come off as dark humor. Jokes involving the Nazi party are still frequently told today, and movies involving the Nazi party, such as The Mortal Storm, The Great Dictator, and Watch On The Rhine to name a few. Seinfeld has always had a morbid sense of humor, and this was just one of the contributions of it. While it may have come in somewhat poor taste, it’s far from the most controversial thing the show has done due to its landmark status.
Ultimately, this article is not telling you not to watch Seinfeld, it is reflecting on was a show that was about four unique characters and their day to day lives, and used many controversial methods to do so. Throughout the 1940’s to the early 60’s, TV and film were extremely strict about censorship. There wasn’t any nudity, blood, gore, or even swear words in anything. The 70’s and 80’s began to pick up on these factors, with the rise of Neo-Noir and chick flicks. The 90’s and 2000s took this to a whole new level, movies like Kids, Mean Girls, TV Shows like South Park and Family Guy, piqued with offensive, dark humor, troubling plotlines and extremely graphic scenes and storylines. From the 2010s forward, we’ve almost come full circle, as violence in films is still prevalent in film today, but certain types of language and scenes in movies have begun to adapt to the changing of times, with topics such as mental health and sexual orientation have begun to be taken more seriously. Seinfeld was caught right in the middle of this cycle, and a lot of the jokes on that show possibly open old wounds for some, and new ones for others.
