I was wondering why at the end of this episode Beth says something like "...not to mention the blacks and the jews." Where do "blacks" fit into this story? All of the jokes throughout were about jews, dentists, and Roman catholics until this final inclusion of blacks at the very end. I'm not quite sure what, if anything, to make of this. Any thoughts?
31 posts
[email] wrote:
Besides the obvious joke (after waiting so long for her, it turns out she's highly undesirable), it's also meant to complete a trilogy of images about sensitivity.
Normal sensitivity Jerry's distaste for Tim's Jewish/rabbi and Catholic/priest jokes Hypersensitivity Tim's reactions to Jerry's dentist joke and Mickey's father's referral to Jerry as an anti-dentite Appalling lack of sensitivity (to the point of racism) Beth's attitude towards blacks and Jews
A lot of Seinfeld's humour over the years has been about etiquette and how difficult and occasionally absurd it can be. In this episode, I think that he wants to clarify that even though PC can be pretty ridiculous at times, it's probably a hell of a lot better than the racism and anti-Semitism that hides behind a lot of anti-PC blather.
[email] wrote in article ...
I think her comment was put in mainly to draw a contrast between the stereotypes used in humor (Jewish jokes, Dentist jokes, etc) and real, dangerous bigotry. *shrug*
---Addison
To me, the point of her comments were that Jerry had waited so long to be with this woman, only to find out she was a racist, especially against blacks and jews (Jerry being a Jew). She must not have known Jerry was Jewish, or she would not have been with him in the first place.
[email] wrote:
Yes, I agree. That's what was meant. Also, speaking of "yadda, yadda, yadda", do you folks think that phrase was cooked up to see if it could be thrust into the mainstream? What I mean is, do you think a few writers at Seinfeld have become aware of how influential the show has become? They might be saying to each other, "Hey, have you checked out the Seinfeld newsgroup? Thoses guys are dissecting every little thing that our characters do on the show. Let's try an experiment..." So, they sit down together, yada, yada, yada. The next thing you know, everyone is saying "yada, yada, yada" in their conversations. Notice how many people are using it within a few weeks.
-Ray.
Umm....Seinfeld didn't create "yadda, yadda". This expression has been around for years.
Drew
[email] (Drew Lyle) wrote:
That's what Seinfeld's been all about. Sort of commentary on everyday life.
I first heard the yadda bit (on teevee anyway) on "Grace Under Fire". Her boss at the refinery used it.
Lynn
too bad it's not a bit... people say that all the time
This could only be plausible if the 'yadda, yadda, yadda' phrase was not already in use.
[email] (Ray Goudie) wrote:
Actually, I have heard the term "yadda, yadda, yadda" for at least a year and a half now. Ironically, the first use I saw in "print" was in this very newsgroup. I did ask for the source of the term, but the writer did not know. This is just another demonstration of how Seinfeld reflects trends faster tha almost any show.
Be seeing you. Steve Fine.
I actually use the phrase (although now would be a good time to stop). I first recall hearing it on Cheers about 4 years ago. Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) used it nonstop thoughout an episode...and it stuck in my head as obnoxious enough to add to my common parlance.
But that's just me.
John and Kristi wrote:
First time I saw it was Madonna saying it in "Girl 6" at the bar...predating the Seinfeld episode...
Tony Kondaks wrote in article ...
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No. I think this one has been around a while. Yes I have heard it more often since the episode aired, but I hardly think the Seinfeld writing staff can take credit for this one.
Maybe it's a New York thing... but I definately have heard this one before.
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It is widespread. Don Imus is good for a "yadda, yadda, yadda" every morning on his radio program. I've heard Bart Simpson say it. Personally, I thought it was pretty cheesy the way they worked the phrase into that episode. A pretty lame one overall.
In article , [email] says...
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before.
I've heard it a million times on Imus over the past 5 or 6 years.
Clanceman
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Oh yeah, I'm so sure the Seinfeld writers have nothing better to do but read this newsgroup and try to come up with phrases that they can insert into common usage and then write an entire show around it. You're a frigging genius, Ray.
And what makes you think they DON'T peruse this newsgroup?? If I was a writer, I would make DAMN SURE to check the ng every so often. It's gotta be the cheapest, easiest way to receive feedback.
So, lighten up on Ray (even though he's wrong about 'yadda yadda', it's been around for years.)
how
I know that everyone time I talk about gays, I say "Not that there's anything wrong with that."
Did anyone else notice that the theme of this weeks episode was well timed given Fuzzy's comments about Tiger. I know they have last names but I like saying Fuzzy Tiger
Beth's remark became a kind of outrageous escalation of Jerry's anti-dentite remarks that offended him, providing the audience with a humorous irony. It had to be "over the top," thus the writers' resort to classic bigotry.
[email] wrote in article ...
What I couldn't help but wonder was did the girl not realize Jerry SEINFELD was jewish?
On Thu, 24 Apr 1997 21:48:11 -0400, [email] wrote:
Well as she meant it, Jews didn't fit in there either..noone was being racist against Jews. __________________________________________ Ben B Dallas, Texas [email] -- http://web2.airmail.net/~benb1/ *** ANY SPAMING DONE TO THIS ADDRESS WILL BE NOTIFIED BY HIS / HER SYSADMIN AND HAVE THE ACCOUNT KILLED ***
That's the whole point--it had nothing to do with the episode per se. The point was that if someone could be an "anti-dentist," then they might as well be prejudiced against all other walks of life, races, religions, etc.... Jerry was also allowed to see the error of his ways through this comment--being "anti-dentist" is just another form of bias.
Hey Now
Cause she is a a bigot and a racist! George was dating a theif..yadda yadda yadda..get it??
nfa lincoln
[email] wrote in article ...
In article , [email] wrote:
Because she was Jerry's dream girlfriend. "The one!" The whole show he couldn't wait to have her, then he gets her and she throws that out. HIs dream girl is racist. That's why at the end he comes back without her and says she's out getting her head shaved...i.e. skinhead.
I agree with others, the show was a great commentary on all the little supposedly discriminated against groups that have sprung up around this country. And how its perfectly ok for a Jewish guy to tell Jewish jokes, but don't every let a non-Jew tell the same joke, its racist. Sort of like Americans of African heritage calling each other "ni**er" and its ok. But an American of non-African heritage is racist for doing the same.
The entire country needs to get a grip, drop the hypenated bullshit names, and just be Americans. That's the point.
In article , [email] says...
Regardless of whether it is socially accepted, I can say that you are flat out wrong. That undoubtedly is the way YOU conduct your life. I am not saying that it is proper or improper to use that word, or who is "permitted" to use that word, but simply that you are wrong in claiming that YOUR usage (or nonusage) of the word is the way the entire "African-American" population uses (or doesn't use) the word. I have SEEN it and HEARD it, in person, used in a joking manner by blacks. You sound like you would claim that ALL African-Americans prefer to be referred to as "African-American" over "black" (or "Black"), which isn't true either.
I apologize if I sound like I am trying to speak for all African Americans (or Blacks). I can only speak for myself and my experiences which is what I am doing.
I am just referring to what is normally unacceptable.
I would hate for people to get the impression that this is the norm because it is not, at least not by intelligent, educated African Americans (or Blacks).
Sorry to disagree, but, you're incorrect. I grew up in Brooklyn, where I heard many many (is a 3rd 'many' necessary?) 'African Americans' refer to themselves and each other as 'the N word', in fact, one of the favorite forms of greeting was "What up, my Nig?" (spoken in a sort of ebonics dialect) I'm not making this up, and please don't flame me.
On Fri, 25 Apr 1997 06:05:45 -0500, [email]. (djk) wrote:
Because it was funny as hell, stoopid...
Gotta agree there. Where I'm from, there are many African Americans in the military, and whenever I'm near them, I ALWAYS hear the "N" word used by them, especially when they're arguing.
"What you talkin about 'N'?"" "Listen up, N!!"
etc.etc.
Of course, they WERE arguing, so.... But, of course, it all depends on how and where you were raised..