Pro-Cucumber Or Pro-Pizza?

The wonderful thing about "Seinfeld" is that, no matter how many times I see an episode, I almost always find something new in it.

For example, tonight I saw the episode where Poppie pees on Jerry's sofa for about the seventh time (that I saw the episode, not that Poppie peed on Jerry's sofa seven times). During the argument that Kramer and Poppie have about when a pizza becomes a pizza (Kramer arguing that it's not a pizza until it comes out of the oven, while Poppie insists that there can be "no debate" about the fact that it's a pizza "de minute you stick-a your fist in de dough"), I suddenly realized that this argument mirrored the "abortion debate" subplot: does a fetus become a baby ONLY when it comes out of the womb ("the oven"), or is it a baby at the moment of conception ("when you stick-a your fist in de dough!")?

Boy, this is a deeply-layered show! Naturally, it was a Larry David script. I hope that this observation shows that we Seinfeldians ARE in touch with and think about contemporary issues, even when we choose not to read that weekly pack of lies published under the title of TIME Magazine. :-)

Lee, Quite insightful!!! I am like you...I keep learning new things in episodes I have seen over and over. Keep watching!

Joe

It took you seven times to notice that? ;) I noticed it right away!

Actually, I remember wondering if staunchly Pro-Life people would complain about Poppie episodes, saying it was just example of The Media portraying Fundamentalists, or Christians, or Pro-Lifers, or whatever, as bumbling idiots who don't wash their hands and pee on other people's furniture.

I never did hear anyone complain, though.

-Jen

Lee Salem wrote:

You had to see it seven times before you actually realized what they were really taking about?

The point may have failed to catch people's attention because, well, it wasn't very well written. The question of when a pizza begins to be a pizza did not come up naturally in the conversation and did not really serve a purpose in the argument that included it.

Mark L.

I thought the 'abortion' analogy was pretty obvious - if you missed it they also talk about CHOICE of toppings and make a big deal of CHOICE.

"Mark L." writes:

The point may have failed to catch people's attention because, well, it wasn't very well written. The question of when a pizza begins to be a pizza did not come up naturally in the conversation and did not really serve a purpose in the argument that included it.

I agree that the "when does a pizza become a pizza" section was set up in a very clumsy way, but that should make it _more_ (not less) obvious that the dialogue wasn't really meant to be about pizzas.

In article ,

I'm nnt trting to a smart ass or anything like that but.................. I saw the abortion debate mirrored in the pizza (if you will) as soon as Kramer mentioned the "when a pizza becomes a pizza" sub plot. And I aggree "no mater how many times you see........."

Yeggster

In article Lee Salem writes:

This is the same episode where Elaine refuses to eat at Poppies because of his anti-abortion stance and then breaks up with her Dream man because he is anti-abortion.

There was also a great line in this episode(IMO). Jerry and Kramer were discussing Jerry's failure to offer the movers a drink. Kramer:"What kind of a person are you?" Jerry:"I don't know!"

Was this written tongue-in-cheek? Or did it really take you seven viewings to make the (fairly obvious) connectio between the pizza debate and the abortion debate?

--Sean Peirce