Jerry Seinfeld is one of the greatest creative minds and the comedic genius behind Seinfeld. As the creator of one of the most iconic sitcoms, he’s celebrated for having a sharp wit, and hilarious observational humor.
The show was filled with quirky characters and absurd scenarios, but some of its scenes haven’t aged well. Let’s look at one such gag that might be a bit controversial today, and Seifeld’s candid admission about the same.
The joke in Seinfeld that crossed the line
In season 9, episode 17 of Seinfeld, titled The Bookstore, Kramer comes up with the plan of starting a rickshaw business in New York City. In that era, rickshaws were hand-pulled carts, famously used for short-distance travel in India. Kramer’s idea in the show was ambitious and impractical, and its execution in the plot led to some uncomfortable territories.
When Jerry Seinfeld raises the question about who would pull the rickshaws, Kramer casually suggests that they would hire homeless people, as “they’re outside anyway.” Then the latter teams up with George to interview homeless individuals who are all portrayed to be erratic and unreliable.
One of the recruits steals the rickshaw, and the duo later names all the places where one could catch him. They go to a park and find him sleeping on a bench with the rickshaw parked next to him, and retrieve their property with ease.
Jerry Seinfeld reflects on why the joke wouldn’t work today
The jokes in this episode rely heavily on harmful stereotypes and exploitation for laughs. A lot of people find “punching up,” to be commendable in comedy, i.e., cracking jokes about politicians, influential people, or dismissed problems. But “punching down,” is frowned upon, which is sort of what the scene does at the expense of a marginalized group. In an interview with The New Yorker, Jerry Seinfeld was honest about why he wouldn’t do the joke today.
We did an episode of the series in the nineties where Kramer decides to start a business of having homeless people pull rickshaws because, as he says, “They’re outside anyway.” Do you think I could get that episode on the air today?
We would write a different joke with Kramer and the rickshaw today. We wouldn’t do that joke. We’d come up with another joke. They move the gates like in the slalom.
Seinfeld is aware that comedy has evolved in the past decades. His show often pushed the boundaries with edgy humor, but now people expect comedians to be more aware of issues like homelessness and representation. He also acknowledged that stand-up comedians are somewhat allowed to still cross the line, but they can take the risk because it would only affect them on an individual level.
There are some modern shows that still get away with it because they have already found and built their audience. But cancel culture can be unpredictable, one night you’re sleeping safe and sound, and the next day, the internet has dug up an old tweet, and a grave for your career. So you may never know what would get someone in trouble, and make them lose everything in an instant.
You can watch Seinfeld on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
