Out of Control Cancel Culture Targets ‘Seinfeld’ Reruns
The beloved '90s show is in the woke mob's sights, but can Jerry and co. prevail?
Cancel Culture types loathe success, perhaps because they rarely achieve it.
Think about it. When Kevin Hart earned the gig of a lifetime – hosting the Oscars – the woke mob scrambled to “cancel” him in record time.
And it worked.
When “Jeopardy” picked Mike Richards to be the show’s new host following Alex Trebek’s passing the mob dug up enough dirt on him to ensure he never hosted a single show.
The same holds true for 2018 Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray, who basked in the award for less than a day before someone unearthed “problematic” posts from his youth.
He didn’t even get a full 24 hours to enjoy what likely will be the greatest moment of his sports career.
Were any of the scolds who took them down as talented, or as accomplished, as their targets?
That helps explain the fervor to cancel “Seinfeld,” the ultimate show about nothing.
RELATED: ‘Seinfeld’ Scribe: Why Jerry Never Got on a Soapbox
It’s only one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, a comedy that sparks new fans whenever it shifts to a fresh platform. It did it again earlier this year when Netflix began airing the show’s nine sublime seasons.
And, for at least six years, the woke mob has insisted we shouldn’t laugh along with Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer.
Take this 2015 article, which declares one of TV’s supreme sitcoms is now too “racist” and “sexist” to enjoy. The article sprang to life after Seinfeld admitted he’d never play a college gig because students are too easily offended.
If you stick a thumb in the woke mob’s eye they quickly retaliate.
Still, the article didn’t inspire a movement. Nor did subsequent pieces hammering similar themes. The far-Left Bustle attacked singular jokes from the classic show, 13 in total, as being offensive with its 2018 screed.
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The trend continued in 2020, with Cheat Sheet bemoaning that Seinfeld refused to apologize for the show’s jokes. The woke mob loves apologies. They’re rarely accepted, of course.
The Hostage Apology is akin to Struggle Session lite.
The far-left Screen Rant decided, apparently, that 2021 is the year to kickstart “Seinfeld’s” cancelation. Back in May the site ran an op-ed taking down George for his problematic behavior.
His antics “haven’t aged well,” we’re told. Screen Rant wants every character in a sitcom to behave like a gentleman, thus negating all of George’s broad comic tics.
Looper attempted its own cancellation essay this year, all the while admitting how foolish such a measure is.
Sure, Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer — and on a meta level, Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld and everyone else behind the “Seinfeld” scenes — would undoubtedly laugh at the notion of an article like this, offering a snarky remark and a reminder that the best humor (and an invaluable life necessity) comes from laughing at things society takes seriously. Nevertheless, it’s hard to dispute — these “Seinfeld” moments have not aged well.
Screen Rant’s latest broadside against “Seinfeld?”
Seinfeld: 10 Things About Jerry That Have Aged Poorly
The Screen Rant article is another listicle, but this time focusing on Seinfeld’s anti-hero. The site clutches serious pearls over comic bits that, we’re told over and again, might not sit well with modern audiences. Audiences today curl into the fetal position, apparently, upon hearing the “wrong” joke.
Examples? Remember the time Jerry pretended to be a Nazi. Why, that’s beyond the pale. In fact, let’s memory hole “The Producers,” stat.
“Springtime for who??”
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And what about when on-screen Jerry tried to swap out girlfriends? Why, that’s “creepy and sleazy,” we’re told.
It’s always couched with one of the following four phrases:
- Problematic
- Racist
- Sexist
- Aging poorly
Different words. Similar meanings. Isn’t it time to erase this material from pop culture?
A devil’s advocate could say, “It’s just an op-ed or listicle.” What’s the big deal? All opinions are welcome in a free society. That’s correct, of course, but sometimes a single op-ed can spark a cancellation. Remember how an LA Times essay temporarily canceled one of the most popular movies of all time?
Or how a single naysayer got “Kindergarten Cop” removed from an outdoor screening venue?
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It’s no wonder big screen comedies have all but dried up and we turn to classic sitcoms, like “Seinfeld,” to remind us what’s funny again.
At least we can still do that.
UPDATE: It’s worth noting one of the core “Seinfeld” stars, Jason Alexander, recently avoided addressing Cancel Culture when pressed by a reporter on the issue.
“Anything but that,” the 62-year-old actor said when asked if some “Seinfeld” jokes would be acceptable today.