The George question

George, as well as his parents, are stereotypical of a certain kind of jewish family. If you didn't know his last name, you might assume that they're trying for the whiney jewish gag.

But they are the Costanzas, which sounds hispanic or italian to me. Of course you don't have to follow the stereotypes all the time, and perhaps Seinfeld is making an effort not to. If that's what they're doing, then I'll applaud them.

Maybe there's some other explanation. What's your take on the Costanzas?

PS What about Elaine's ethnicity? Is her name Benez? Pronounced BENez and not BenEZ? Hmmm

I see you're new to this group, Jonathan. Elaine's last name is Benes, which would evidently be Czech, and all but one or two of us believe her when she says she's not Jewish.

George's father is from Tuscany and there seems to be no reason to believe he's Jewish, but George's mother seems to be Jewish. (I understand, second-hand, that Jason Alexander told an interviewer that Mrs. Costanza was Jewish, Mr. Costanza not; and that in the Latvian Orthodox episode George mentioned his Jewish mother as such.)

I think that the Seinfeld writers are showing stereotypical Jewish behavior and attributing it to Italians in order to appeal to a wider audience, the way Paddy Chayefsky did in MARTY or the way Tennessee Williams would write about gay couples but substitute a female for one of the two...

Nosnivel

In article , [email] says...

My guess is that your last sentence is directed at me. Let me reiterate: I BELIEVE it when I hear someone say they are not Jewish. Don't even hesitate. I BELIEVE the character of Elaine is not Jewish. Not a qualm. BUT, belief is not the same is knowing the truth. THAT was my singular point. The rest was just the evidence to support my point. My point was immediately not about probability of ethnicity/religion, but definite fact. It was immediately a discussion of logical structure/validity and syllogism, not about educated guessing.

Nosnivel wrote:

I AM new to the group (there's no avoiding looking like a newcomer) but certaintly not new to the world of newsgroups, Seinfeld, or even NYC jews!

Some people, especially when discussing such realistic subjects like TV shows [sarcasm here] will draw conclusions BASED-ON the scrips, while others will only accept what has been explicitly spoken on the show. I prefer to take a crumb of evidence from the show, and run with it. It's much more fun that way.

Did Elaine ever say it was Czech? Are we sure of the spelling of Benes?

I'm not sure I agree. Television has traditionally attempted to water-down it's ethnic types to get a wider appeal. Italians can get a limited amount of recognition, but a generic "american" is bound to get more viewers to identify.

I'm looking forward to banging it around with you guys! Have a great Thanksgiving. I've got to go soon. Seinfeld repeats are on wpix in NYC at 100pm!

I don't believe Elaine's ever said she's Czech. "Benes" is certainly the correct spelling of her name, though, and it looks Czech. (It would be pronounced "Bennesh" in the old country.) Or am I thinking of Hungarian?

I can't imagine why the writers/producers gave the character a name that's so hard to catch.

Nosnivel

[email] (joro) wrote:

Elaine's last name is definitely spelled Benes. But I think the original poster made the assumption that it was Czech -- I don't think Elaine said it.

On Thu, 5 Dec 1996, joro wrote:

Actually, we are sure of this. She spelled it for us in one of the first episodes this season... the one with her medical records, remember?

Matt

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In article , [email] says...

I would advise you that it is poor reasoning to try ascertaining someone's ethnicity from their last name to a level of validity beyond "guess."

[email] (Huckleberry) wrote:

No doubt you are right about that. I wouldn't even call it a "guess!" But since Elaine (nor any of the shows writers) are available for questioning at the moment, perhaps a guess is all we have. And it can be a lot more fun.

In article , [email] (Jonathan Roppolo) writes:

Its Benes.... accent on the first vowel - short "E" I believe..

It Shrinks...???

Just Me, Lisa

 [email]
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Get the honey!"

                 ------------------------- "Fatso"

They're stereotypical of a certain kind of couple. I am not Jewish. I'd say I'm WASP but I'm not that *either*, since I'm not quite white. About 50% American-Indian with French-Canadian thrown into the mix.

My aunt and uncle...my uncle is about 75% American-Indian, my aunt is something(sorry, but I don't know). They're the Costanzas to a *TEE*. I think it just happens that when couples who never quite got along well get up there in age(>68 years or so), they relate that way.

I believe Elaine's ethnicity is "Beautiful Brunette". But I could be wrong.

George's father is Italian. In one show he mention his family in Italy. Elaine, is not a JAP, (Jewish American princess) In another show there was conversation between her and Jerry that showed she was not Jewish.

"We're PIZANNOS, eh?"

On Fri, 13 Dec 1996, Mike wrote: