Seinfeld is certainly one of the more daring shows in the history of sitcoms. While shows now focus on punching up and making tasteful jokes, the series is very much a product of its time and does the exact opposite of the same. It manages to get away with some of its risky jokes, while others get called out in today’s time.
Regardless of what group of people the series is offending in today’s time, the common consensus that the world has is that a show like this simply would not work in today’s time. With this in mind, here is one of the most daring jokes that the series made.
Seinfeld’s risqué joke that didn’t land
Seinfeld was known as a series that had no exceptions when it came to the groups they insulted. Be it homophobia, sexism, ableism, or even racism, the series was always consistent with the groups they offended. One of the most perfect examples of this has to be the sixteenth episode from the fourth season, titled The Shoes.
Being ahead of its time, the series took a meta kind of approach around this point of its story, putting George and Jerry’s characters in quite an interesting position professionally. They were given an opportunity to make a television show about their own lives. However, as one can imagine, things did not go very smoothly for them.
At one point, the president of NBC, Russell Dalrymple, is interested in their show and becomes a recurring figure in the series. However, things go south when he catches George staring at the cleavage of his underage, fifteen-year-old daughter.
After this, their show is almost canceled, until they trick Russell into staring at Elaine’s cleavage to prove that any man in the same position would do the same.
A product of time and the ever-changing guidelines
It is safe to say that in any context, George staring at a minor’s cleavage does not paint a positive picture of the series. Additionally, rather than reprimanding his character for his action, his point is proven by the end of the episode, making it seem as though his actions were justified, simply because he was a man.
Considering this, many fans have pointed out on Reddit that the scene is quite a bizarre moment from the series. Such jokes may have worked in a time when television sensitivity wasn’t taken very seriously. People did not read much into just commentary or try to analyze the implications of them.
staring at a 15 year olds cleavage??
byu/Yank_Pat_Fan inseinfeld
However, a lot of much-needed positive changes have been implemented in the film industry to make sure such jokes cannot be easily used in media. With this in mind, it is safe to say that such a joke would not work in today’s demographic and mentality, and for good reason.
Seinfeld is available for streaming on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
