Seinfeld insulting Melbourne

Does anyone know why Jerry Seinfeld called my hometown Melbourne, the Anus of the World?

I know he apologised... but in what context did he make the remark?

Thanks guys.

Jacqueline in Vancouver (on the Pacific Rim of the World) =)

It was something along the lines of, if you think of the world as a body, then Melbourne is about where the anus would be. That's not exactly what he said, but he says that that is what he meant.

On Mon, 10 Aug 1998, Jacqueline wrote:

*************************************************************
Brendan Bugeja
Email: [email]
http://www2.one.net.au/~brendanb/index.html

Bassoonist/Contrabassoonist, Composer Vice-President, Australasian Double Reed Society Psychology and Sociology Graduate, Swinburne University

oh it's a joke! i get jokes!

It was never intended to be a slam against Melbourne, Australia, or Australians. Jerry was talking about his trip down under, and it was an ad-lib joke about Geography. If the Earth was an ass, Melbourne was where the anus should be. If you look at a globe, you can see his point. He certainly didn't mean to insult anyone. Actually, he had a great time in Melbourne.

Spread the word to other Melbournians (?), Jacqueline.  It was simply a
misunderstood attempt at humor.
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I cannot understand the analogy here (pun intended!).......if the earth is the ass (misspelt as all fellow Aussies know it is spelt ARSE!!!!!!!!) then Melbourne is illogically the anus according to Mr Seinfeld. Well, it could then be extrapolated that Chicago or New Orleans or San Francisco are equally geographically sited to be arseholes too...in fact ANY site on the globe....and I don't think that they are any more deserving of this insult than we are. Holding a globe up, there is no correlation as to where our wonderful city Melbourne is to an earthly arse. If you fail to see why we are insulted here Downunder in OZ (if you read the papers and listen to the radio, the consensus is anti-Seinfeld) then you have missed the point. (When the last episode is eventually screened here in Melbourne, many will tune out after the recent insult.) If he had any respect for our sensitivities, he could easily have said...we are the dimple on the right cheek...........but his choice of wording was deliberate and calculated. It really was indefensible. I don't think any welcome mat will be rolled out should he come back.........I can well recall the uproar when the late Frank Sinatra referred to a female journo here as a whore......he was subsequently hounded. It seems to me that he has derided us, thinking that his joke routine would not reach our shores. I would find it equally as offensive if he had said the same thing about our other lovely OZ cities...and Jonathon Agar...I genuinely love Adelaide and think that you should have kept the GP! Gee I'm a turncoat...hahaha

Dave wrote in article ...

Anus

You're missing the point. For whatever reason, way back when, cartographers decided that North would be Up and South would be Down on all maps and globes. Now imagine a globe as a living organism, taking on the basic properties we've come to understand about living beings on Earth. Where's the "arse"? By and large, it's towards the back and towards the bottom. Now imagine someone who grew up in the US looking at a globe. Which way is he going to hold it? Yup, with North America facing him. Without becoming emotional or insulted, think about where the rear end would be. It does kinda seem like Australia fits the bill. Tell me I'm wrong.

Sure, he could have used Chicago or San Francisco, but then people would wonder what an anus would be doing up where the "face" would be, and they wouldn't understand the humor. Maybe it was his choice of the word "anus", or maybe Jerry's big mistake was in uttering a phrase that Americans would find funny and Australians, due in no small part to national pride, wouldn't find funny at all. Maybe it can be chalked up to the fact that this was not a scripted joke, it was simply an ad-lib. He just blurted it out when the subject of geography came up.

You're holding the globe facing Australia, aren't you? Try to see it from Jerry's perspective. And bear in mind this comment should have been buried amidst the many good things he had to say about your country. In various interviews, he went on and on about how friendly the people and how beautiful the scenery was. Does this sound like someone who holds some grudge against Australia?

Maybe that's part of the problem. Don't believe everything you read or hear. I'd hate to think some moronic radio personality or reporter with some personal vendetta is affecting the way a whole nation thinks.

Then it's a real shame that people will toss out 9 years of fandom just because of a simple misunderstood quote. It's your loss.

Now you're being silly and oversensitive. Don't be like those thin-skinned "ban the Puerto Rican Day episode" people.

As "deliberate and calculated" as any off-the-cuff comment could be. Really, you're starting to sound like a conspiracy theory nut here.

Was she? Frank believed in cutting through the bullshit, and calling a spade a spade. If he called her a whore, there was probably some merit to the comment. Either way, don't compare his actions with Jerry's. They're VERY different people.

.....he was

That's it. I'm done with you. I'm convinced now that you're just trolling this newsgroup to incite fans like me to respond. If you *still* believe that Jerry Seinfeld concocted a plot to insult your country, then you are one of the more misguided, resentful people I've ever come across, and Jerry doesn't need fans like you.

I don't think it is oversensitive to expect a little discretion. He could have also said... "If the world was a body.... then Melbourne would be the.... never mind...." and left it up to people's imagination to fill in the blanks. I know my city. I would prefer to insult it myself. =)

late

Ummm....... no. Calling a woman a whore is certainly not calling a spade a spade. It is much worse than that. The only women that deserve to be called whores are in the Yellow Pages. Look up Escorts, or Brothels. =)

I actually found him gentle. You did say that it was a matter of national pride. And it is. Despite their obvious platitudes towards Melbourne... "you people are nice"..... "your city is beautiful"; someone who attempts base humour to remark about a place will always meet opposition.

I sure miss Melbourne. The people generally _aren't nice_, but yes it is a beautiful city. I grew up there.

I never once said G'day til I moved to Canada. Now it is quite the novelty. =)

Hold a minute here, I thought Seinfeld said he was referring to the WORLD as the butt, not as a human body. Then Australia, is the rectum or anus. If He was referring to the world as a body, then South America is automatically the pelvic region, I'm sure all they are going to be happy with that. And where are the legs, Antartica? What are the Arms? Is Mt Everest a giant pimple. Are forests big hairy patches, while the deserts bald spots?

I think this was an attempt at toilet humour gone wrong. Maybe he's going to become head writer for the next Dumb and Dumber movie. Ok granted, its a joke, and Australian's shouldn't get too worked up over a throw away gag, but we fail to see the humour.

G'day is when your greeting someone, not saying bye to them.

relax you racist australian person

And what a well hung planet we live on, too!!

Maybe umpromptu comedy is just not Jerry's strong point. He's great at finely crafting his material so that it's presentation is perfect. Witty off-the-cuff comments require a different touch.

I stand corrected.  Is there a corresponding Aussie slang term for
"bye"?
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Dave wrote in message ...

automatically the

It is "See ya"

try piss off?

only kidding

it would be more like see ya' later

Piss off always works for me!!! lol David.

Funk Soul Brother wrote:

Every Aussie knows that Good-Bye in Australian is "Hoo-Roo"!

Hoo-roo! Spidey (AKA Bruce. No, really!)

In article , "Funk Soul Brother" wrote:

How 'bout fuck off? Works for me.

Yes, its Mirsk-Out you Arse-hole

Is there really any Australian that friggin says G'day mate, let's through a few shrimps on the barbie or Ken or something like that?

On Wed, 26 Aug 1998, Asclepius wrote:

Well yes, there are many Australian's who do say G'day mate when saying hi, it's quite a common expression. Except i dont know of too many people who throw shrimps on the barbie, most people just eat steaks, chops, and sausages when having a barbie.

I guess it depends on where you live..in Melbourne you rarely hear someone saying G'day mate, it sounds too country bumpkinish. I've never seen shrimps on the barbie either :)

Tim

The only time I've ever said G'day is afterI immigrated to Canada.

Tim wrote in message ...

hi,

sausages

Its not racist if you like their race....

I know it's been kind of a while since this topic has been dropped, but I just know started checking the posts here because I have now seen The Finale (BTW I thought it was very appropriate!).

Anyway, this whole thing about everybody down here in Australia being so insulted and mortified is ludicrous! I live in Perth and nobody here cares at ALL! It's never mentioned on the national news either, so this was the first I've heard of it. I think the whole thing is pretty funny anyway because being an American living in Australia, I've heard enough American jokes to last me for a lifetime. Now the joke's on you ;).

Michael

On Mon, 10 Aug 1998, Jacqueline wrote:

Yes i cant understand it either, admittedly i'm from Adelaide, so i have good reason to dislike you stealing, up your self, non AFL winning flag Victorians. However I cant understand why a comedian a good as Seinfeld who has produced the funniest and greatest show of all time, is resorting to bum jokes and toilet humour and insulting a place which did nothing but praise him.