To All The Intelligent People Who Don’t Like Seinfeld
by Sanjoy
Till a few hours ago I was under the impression that the world was divided into three kinds of people. The first kind consisted of dumb people who could sit through anything on television. The second kind consisted of slightly less dumb people who liked F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and not Seinfeld. The third consisted of the kind who knew what sort of rubbish F.R.I.E.N.D.S. was (that does not imply they hated it though …) and loved Seinfeld. The verifiable evidence I had for this hypothesis was the fact that I was yet to meet someone intelligent who had watched Seinfeld and did not love it. This was, however, applicable till only a few hours ago. One of the few genuine people I know, Ramkumar (http://artagnon.com), announced that he’s seen a few episodes and that he liked none.
The reason why people like F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is the fact the everyone finds a little bit of themselves in the cast. Everyone in the audience is a linear combination of all the characters on the show and every character on the show is a linear combination of everyone watching it (of course one follows from the other). The happy are the ones who’ve realized this subconsciously. But once you start thinking on these lines with conscious effort, the show falls apart and becomes a soap opera with better lines and a huge budget. Another reason might be the fact that the plot is determined a group of writers. The individuality is lost.
The only reason that can explain someone with any brains not liking Seinfeld (other than the possibility that they’re deluded about the size of their brains) is the fact that they were expecting something else. Face it – no matter how aged, scotch is never sweet. Seinfeld parodies life and to understand Seinfeld, one must understand life. You are not supposed to identify yourself with the characters, you are not supposed to place yourself at their level. Seinfeld revolves around Nihilism – no episode of Seinfeld makes a pointsimply because nothing does. You are supposed to look at the show from the perspective of a person who looks at the world as a zoo (which it really is) and human beings as little more than meaningless self-sustaining chemical reactions (which we really are).
Here is a small extract from one of the Seinfeld episodes (courtesy http://seinfeldscripts.com).
(Newman, with the woman he wished for, are riding in his car. He stops at a stop light - right next to Kramer)
NEWMAN: (To his new girlfriend) You see, my dear, all certified mail is registered, but registered mail is not necessarily certified.
WOMAN; I could listed to you talk about mail all day.
NEWMAN: Anything you wish.. I'll tell you a little secret about zip codes: They're meaningless! (Laughs evilly, driving away)
Compare this to all the conversations you’ve had with your better half. How are they fundamentally different?
Watch the episodes “The Puffy Shirt” (Seinfeld) and “The One in Vegas” (Friends) one after the other. The ‘hand’ subplot in both is similar. It contrasts the difference between the shows nicely.
The show was over hyped, it was aggressively unfunny. There was a lot of outrageousness, screaming and strong attempts at irony from the characters, with heavy laugh tracks thrown in for such mundane things as deadpans or Kramer throwing his head back in astonishment, but very little actual comedy. I realize Larry David was involved in it, but I don’t know why I find Curb Your Enthusiasm so funny and Seinfeld seems to come up so short.
I also watched a few episodes of the show and just did not find it funny. I was in a phd program and would prefer to watch 2/12 men which is a new odd couple.
Is everyone not open to an opinion, regardless of perceived intelligence or wisdom? I dare ask you to remove the black framed glasses you look over while you stare down your nose at us “Morons” and think with a candid, open mind about what it is you’ve said. To classify people into intellectual groups by enjoyment of a television show makes you a belligerent, stupid person yourself. Now, you’re welcome to continue watching your seasons of Seinfeld, or you can continue penning your script while you sit and sip your Latte in Starbucks, just keep your underdeveloped opinions to yourself.
Seinfeld is the greatest comedy series of all time. Period.