Current Events > lol @ this NPR piece on Seinfeld's recent comments

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https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2024/05/04/1249034786/jerry-seinfeld-comedy-politics

In the midst of the much more important stuff happening in the world, you may have missed a recent interview with Jerry Seinfeld. While doing the press rounds to promote his upcoming movie, the billionaire comedian offered a few thoughts about "why TV isn't funny anymore." His explanation? Political correctness and the extreme left. (His new movie, by the way, is about the race to invent the Pop-Tart a topic so edgy and iconoclastic that I'm surprised that the woke-mob that runs Hollywood let it happen at all.)

dayum

I dont see how one has anything to do with the other.

bigblu89 posted...

I dont see how one has anything to do with the other.

The author is contrasting Seinfeld's whining about how comedy is dead due to "woke" and "PC culture" with his new movie being about... how PopTarts were made.

Reeeeaaallly pushing boundaries there, Jerry.

You never know, maybe there is some hella dark history to the pop tart industry we never knew.

bigblu89 posted...

I dont see how one has anything to do with the other.

Seinfeld is an idiot whining about literally nothing.

Wonder if they're going to bring up the controversial Pop-tart kid.

But as one of my favorite comedians, Gary Gulman, has put it, "I notice that the people who are saying you 'can't say anything,' are saying everything on Netflix for $20 million a whack."

Which has me wondering: If the ones who complain loudest about "PC culture" are wealthy, beloved, highly respected power players who have the resources to again, make a movie about Pop-Tarts who is the real crybaby after all?

And this is something I said in the other topic: Funny how the people who whine the most about "PC" and "cancel culture" also happen to be some of the biggest and most successful names in the business.

>_>

Wait he's a billionaire? WTF is he complaining for then?

His new movie is being called one of the worst of the decade so far.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2024/05/02/unfrosted-review-netflix-jerry-seinfeld-pop-tart-movie

Unfrosted is so consistently awful it makes the aforementioned Flamin Hot seem like The Social Network. If there was a thing called the IMDB Witness Protection Program whereby you could get your name taken off the credits of a particular project, this would be that project.

It has Melissa McCarthy in it so I'm not surprised it's awful

Seinfeld's standup is some of the most unfunny garbage I have ever seen. He should be thanking the universe his show was 1000x better

So basically his whole complaining about ""wokeness"" is basically PR to attracted the perpetually outraged mob.

Because it turns out the movie is good enough to attract attention legitimately.

Axiom posted...

Seinfeld's standup is some of the most unfunny garbage I have ever seen. He should be thanking the universe his show was 1000x better

I never thought about it until he started complaining about "kids today," but all my favorite moments from Seinfeld are the other 3 characters and he's often just standing there grinning.

It is kinda weird the cleanest comedian of all time is complaining about this.

Hexenherz posted...

You never know, maybe there is some hella dark history to the pop tart industry we never knew.

It's a fake story of the brand's origin. It's literally just fiction and it's already being roasted in the reviews.

Not sure if his flaccid comment about "woke" and "PC culture" came before or after the reviews, if it was after then it sounds like he's just being a salty bitch. If it was before then it sounds like he's going down the Maher/Chappelle "rich old comedian hates that the times are changing and their form of comedy is outdated to younger viewers" route.

He's just bitter that 17 year olds don't think he's cool anymore.

boomgetchopped3 posted...

It is kinda weird the cleanest comedian of all time is complaining about this.

No kidding. Pretty sure Seinfelds greatest contribution to comedy was the Soup Nazi bit. Bob Sagat was a way raunchier and edgy comic when he wasnt doing family-friendly stuff, and in an interview I read from a few years back he stated he regretted some of that content, and moved his style to a better balance.

So on the one hand, we have one of the most milquetoast comics ever complaining about woke, and on the other you have one of the most brazen who adjusted his comedy style for the times and wish he hadnt done some of what he had done. Which one had greater success after their 90s sitcom ended, I wonder?

HylianFox posted...

The author is contrasting Seinfeld's whining about how comedy is dead due to "woke" and "PC culture" with his new movie being about... how PopTarts were made.

Reeeeaaallly pushing boundaries there, Jerry.

While I disagree with him that comedy is dead because of "woke", he can make that statement while making a goofy "safe" movie.

It's not like any of his comedy was pushing any boundaries to begin with. Which is probably what got him the attitude he has now. He's probably one of those people that sit on his throne and somehow only hears the loud minority that wants to pick apart every piece of comedy or interview, searching for anything to be offended by.

Kinda like the call a few years ago to "cancel" John Wayne (who died in 1979) for something he said in an interview in 1973.

I was actually semi-interested in the Pop Tarts movie, as someone who was a fan of the dessert pastry. Real shame they couldn't have made it good/funny/entertaining for a subject matter I'm into.

It's just particularly hilarious that he of all people went down the "woke mob won't let me do comedy like I used to" bit when Curb exists.

Shadow_Don posted...

It's just particularly hilarious that he of all people went down the "woke mob won't let me do comedy like I used to" bit when Curb exists.

Combined with the fact that his comedy was never really all that "Edgy" to begin with.

bigblu89 posted...

While I disagree with him that comedy is dead because of "woke", he can make that statement while making a goofy "safe" movie.

It's not like any of his comedy was pushing any boundaries to begin with. Which is probably what got him the attitude he has now. He's probably one of those people that sit on his throne and somehow only hears the loud minority that wants to pick apart every piece of comedy or interview, searching for anything to be offended by.

It'd be one thing if he made the argument, "I'm not offensive but I stand by people's right to be offensive," but he's taking a step farther to "comedy is dead if we can't be offensive" which is weird since he was never using for those offensive jokes.

I keep coming back to his Tim Whatley converts to become Jewish. In the episode he's very strongly making the argument that not everyone can make Jewish jokes. He understands the problem with bigotry in comedy when it affects him, but there's unfortunately a lot of groups he doesn't acknowledge as deserving to be free of bigotry.

Kinda like the call a few years ago to "cancel" John Wayne (who died in 1979) for something he said in an interview in 1973.

On the one side that is absurd. On the other, I think even Seinfeld can agree that in 1973 and earlier there were a lot of racist decisions made in creating films. Those films did not allow for diverse voices and a lot still hold those films from that time on a pedestal. Knocking them off the pedestal, is it cancelling or is it moving on?

bfslick50 posted...

It'd be one thing if he made the argument, "I'm not offensive but I stand by people's right to be offensive," but he's taking a step farther to "comedy is dead if we can't be offensive" which is weird since he was never using for those offensive jokes.

I keep coming back to his Tim Whatley converts to become Jewish. In the episode he's very strongly making the argument that not everyone can make Jewish jokes. He understands the problem with bigotry in comedy when it affects him, but there's unfortunately a lot of groups he doesn't acknowledge as deserving to be free of bigotry.

Yeah, he was able to recognize how not everyone can make Jewish jokes, but then will have a bit on the show about exploiting the homeless, people retroactively finding it problematic, and his saying everyone else needs to lighten up.

On the one side that is absurd. On the other, I think even Seinfeld can agree that in 1973 and earlier there were a lot of racist decisions made in creating films. Those films did not allow for diverse voices and a lot still hold those films from that time on a pedestal. Knocking them off the pedestal, is it cancelling or is it moving on?

Oh no doubt on that 2nd part. But that's not what the John Wayne controversy was about. He said some VERY bigoted things, but a lot of it was simply him being an old man who lived in some very racially uneducated times. I just found it humorous that people were attempting to "cancel" someone that passed away 40 years after saying what he said.

It's tough to cancel someone that stomach cancer canceled 40 years ago.

bigblu89 posted...

While I disagree with him that comedy is dead because of "woke", he can make that statement while making a goofy "safe" movie.

It's not like any of his comedy was pushing any boundaries to begin with. Which is probably what got him the attitude he has now. He's probably one of those people that sit on his throne and somehow only hears the loud minority that wants to pick apart every piece of comedy or interview, searching for anything to be offended by.

Kinda like the call a few years ago to "cancel" John Wayne (who died in 1979) for something he said in an interview in 1973.

Something he said? He was the one who tried to assault Littlefeather for something she said. He had to be restrained by six security men.

https://aframe.oscars.org/news/post/sacheen-littlefeather-oral-history-the-oscars-marlon-brando-legacy-of-activism

boomgetchopped3 posted...

It is kinda weird the cleanest comedian of all time is complaining about this.

No really. He saw what it did for Chappelle so why not do the same? This whole idiocy is about money...plain and simple.

Hexenherz posted...

You never know, maybe there is some hella dark history to the pop tart industry we never knew.

The pop tart commercials were darker than their invention.

boomgetchopped3 posted...

It is kinda weird the cleanest comedian of all time is complaining about this.

Pretty sure Bill Cosby is the cleanest comedian of all time. Now look at him.