The Seinfeld cast. Would you want them as your friends?

Although the cast members of Seinfeld are actors playing a role, Jerry is a comic---not an actor. I could be wrong (probably am) but I feel that since Jerry is not trained to act, Jerry's character onscreen and offscreen could be quite similar. He reminds me of my Catskill Jewish camp buddies and I think It'd be great to have him as a friend.

Obviously, everyone has their own perception of reality. If you truly want to believe something, you'll selectively ignore the facts which contradict your position. Take the cast of Seinfeld, for instance.

Lately, several people have been expressing their disappointment in the behavior of characters like Kramer and Elaine. Elaine is sexy. She can be funny. And on ocassion, we see her exercising social responsibility (like making sure she has wine and cake to give to the hosts of a party she is going to). But Elaine has another side to her. One which is taunting, unforgiving, greedy, etc. We see this throughout the whole series, in bits and pieces. Kramer is so incredibly different from the others that you can't help but be intrigued by him. He has Carpe Diem. He seems to seize life for every opportunity and pleasure it has. But that comes at a price--he often neglects the needs of his friends.

To me, a person is the sum of who they are. A glass of pure spring water is wonderful, but once you put a drop of cyanide in it, you'd think twice about drinking it. Anyone can be "nice", however the real distinguishing factor comes in situations that show our true, unedited sides.

Quite frankly, I wouldn't want ANY of the Seinfeld cast as my friends. Although they have some good qualities, they're also neurotic, selfish, inconsiderate, and sometimes just plain mean. But that's what makes the show so funny, seeing how they deal with these character traits in each other.

C'mon people, stop confusing Seinfeld with reality. Don't be so disappointed when you see the characters fail to meet your expectations. It's JUST A SHOW.

Giddyup,

-Gary

(Gary Kline) writes:

     For the most part, I agree with your thoughts here.I most certainly
concur with your " JUST A SHOW" comment.It is pretty absurd to see people
become actually offended by the behavior of a character when they are, in
truth, reciting lines, or acting in a way that is the product of a
writer's imagination.
     Where we part company, is in the perception of the type of people
that these characters represent.While they are of course, carciatures, for
comedic purposes, their basic wants, needs, neurosis and self-absorption
is a reflection of many of the less-than-admirable qualities that can be
found in all of us.
     If you only count Mother Theresa, and Albert Schweitzer as your
friends, than perhaps these characters are indeed too shallow and
self-centered for you, but I would find them enjoyable company, and,
despite their shortcomings, consider them among the segment of society
that means no harm to others, and basically have their hearts in the right
places.
                                                     HF

"If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base."

-Dave Barry

What confusion...they are part of my reality (oh...I know that they are a literary construct). And they disapoint me much the same way real people disapoint me. Why is it absurd to have negative feeling about characters (obviously lots of people have positive feelings or else it would be off the air by now).

Larry Karper writes:

Because...IT'S A SITCOM for chrissakes!!!

(obviously lots of people have positive

      Perhaps you aren't old enough to remember "All in the Family".I
would like to think that there weren't too many viewers of that show who
"liked" Archie Bunker, or the qualities that he was parodying.That show
had no trouble staying on the air, for the same reason that Seinfeld has
endured...They are both very funny( an excellent quality in a comedy
show)...
                                                             HF

     If you see in any given situation only what everybody else can see,
     you can be said to be so much a representative of your culture than
     you are a victim of it.

S. I. Hayakawa

[email] (Alvin Nichter) wrote:

The best thing about Seinfeld is that it is "about nothing". Every charachter is great in their own way.

[email] (Alvin Nichter) wrote:

     It was never my intention to give the impression that I thought that
"Seinfeld", and "All in the Family" occupied the same place in the annals
of TV history.I only brought it up in reply to a post which indicated that
people must feel a positive attraction to the "Seinfeld" characters, or
the show wouldn't have endured.
     My point was, that  characters needn't be likable, to be funny.I felt
that Archie was a good example of a character who's beliefs, and behavior,
were deplorable, and yet, the show was very funny, and very popular.
     While I agree that Edith was a very sympathetic figure, and people
might like Meathead, and Gloria, there can be no denying that "All in The
Family" was about Archie.The show could have survived, and in fact did,
toward the end(although, admittedly, not nearly as well) without anyone,
EXCEPT Archie.
     "All in The Family" deserves a place of it's own, because it attacked
subjects, and taboos, never dared discussed on television before.
     "Seinfeld" is a very different type of show, in that it never
pretends to deliver a message.
     The common thread between the two is that they both make us
laugh.That's all...

HF

"Just keep thinkin" Butch.That's what yer good at!" -Sundance Kid

I wonder if we will ever see a return of "All in the Family" to syndication? I've really gotten my hopes up since the return of the "Dukes of Hazzard."

"Koo Kuh Kuh, I love it, I love it." --Rosco P. Coltraine

================================================
DUSTIN C. MOER
Texas A&M University -- Class of 1998
College of Business Administration
Major:  Business Analysis -- MIS
E-mail:   [email]
URL:  http://acs.tamu.edu/~dcm0027/
================================================

In [email] (HighFlag) writes:

friends.

selfish,

the

each

expectations.

certainly

people

in

for

self-absorption

be

right

On the other foot, consider the same character flaws, evoked by trivial matter on the show, in the context of, say, Weimar/Nazi Germany....Do u get the banality of evil? Just asking...

HERE HERE I couldn't have said it any better!!! Thankyou!!!

Tom

Gs> Although the cast members of Seinfeld are actors playing a role, Jerry Gs> is a comic---not an actor. I could be wrong (probably am) but I feel Gs> that since Jerry is not trained to act, Jerry's character onscreen and Gs> offscreen could be quite similar. He reminds me of my Catskill Jewish Gs> camp buddies and I think It'd be great to have him as a friend.

	Actually, I think that Jerry plays a pretty
	straight part.

... "I don't know how you guys walk around with those things!" ..Elaine ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12