They won!!

Seinfeld Slights Keep NBC on Its Toes

As New York's annual Puerto Rican Day Parade approaches, NBC is still defending itself against the controversial Seinfeld episode that featured the event �and trying to make nice with the Asian community, too. Rosalyn Weinman, the network's executive vice president of broadcast standards and content, sent a letter last Friday to Manny Mirabal, president of the National Puerto Rican Coalition, a Washington, DC-based lobbying group. In the missive, she stressed that NBC has no plans to rerun the infamous episode � which features Kramer (Michael Richards, pictured) stomping on a burning Puerto Rican flag � before NBC loses its rights to the show in September. Mirabal tells Dish his group will issue a statement "declaring a victory for all responsible people and thanking the network for taking that step," and adds that the group is talking with Seinfeld producer Castle Rock Entertainment and its parent, Time Warner, regarding syndication rights for the episode. "Time Warner is very responsive to the Latino community," he says. Castle Rock, on the other hand "obviously needs some sensitivity training." Castle Rock did not return our calls for comment at press time. Meanwhile, Weiman also issued a letter of apology to the L.A.-based Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA), which objected to the use of the term "Chinaman's nightcap" to describe heroin in another Seinfeld episode, says MANAA cofounder Guy Aoki. Weinman's letter promised the network would not allow the "Chinaman's nightcap" expression on any future shows. Aoki said it was edited out when the episode was rerun, but Dish wasn't able to verify the claim. The group sent letters to Seinfeld himself, another producer and NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer, but got an apology only after it held a press conference. Still, Aoki says he's mostly satisfied with the outcome because NBC also asked for a list of terms to avoid in the future. "We're not trying to embarrass people," he says. "We're trying to educate them without forcing them to do anything." � Michael Peck

Can you say "load o' crap"? The ONLY thing these protesters are trying to do is force people to do something. Kramer ACCIDENTALLY burned the flag. It was funny. These people are so damn hyper sensitive. It is time for the tragedy of political correctness to die out for good. It was a joke!

Aaron Foster

Wanna know what the real joke is? The whole time NBC was 'apologizing' and 'promising NEVER to show that horrible awful insulting racist episode ever ever again', they were laughing their asses off behind the scenes.

Hey, genius protesters, how much longer do you think NBC owns the rights to air Seinfeld episodes? D'oh!! In a few weeks the season's over, and NBC gets to say they stood behind their commitment, then get ready to watch "The Puerto Rican Day" episode many times in syndication in the years to come.

Yes the flag burning was in bad taste but it was still finny and fit right slong with Kramers character, who else coulod that happen to? Remember the simpons episode where homer acidently burns the British flag? Same type of joke and that episode is aloowed to be re-run without problems, if people hate that secene so much then take it out and replace it with kramer acidently doing something else that gets all tohse guys after him, or at least something, Here is a question though, if he had burned an american flag how would everyone had reacted , same question for other nations flag for people here who are not american? Pesoanlly If I had seen him burn the Canadian flag I wouldent have liked it but realized that no offence was indented and it was all in the name or humor, at most in re-runs when that scene came on I would look away

Dave wrote:

Chris Booton wrote:

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If it was the Canadian flag burning, a bunch of Canadians would probably just run over and help him stomp it out.

PS - I thought the scene with him stomping on the flag looked a lot like the bunch of dumb jerks from Ontario that burned a Quebec flag a few years ago. (PS - I am Ontarian and I don't burn anybody's flags - I don't even have a flag - Shiela never sent me mine.)