I rarely watch tv, but this summer, I have had Seinfeld on in the background throughout the day. Growing up, I loved Seinfeld, and as young as 7, I'd watch the show and laugh. Before I make this post, I want to note that I think Seinfeld is funny, but now that I am older, I am able to see it in a different light.
There is no doubt that Seinfeld has had (and still has) a huge impact on our society and culture. While the show is meant to be humorous, satirical, and sometimes even social commentary, it still has some themes and messages that I feel should be analyzed.
For the purpose of this post, I wanted to focus on the episode "The Engagement." In this episode, Jerry is sitting with George at the restaurant, and he comes to a conclusion that their lives are meaningless. He and George vow to change their lives, and George promptly gets engaged. After having a conversation with Kramer, Jerry's thoughts change. Kramer tells him there is no meaning to life, and marriage is a prison. Here is Kramer's commentary on marriage:
Most notably, he says, "There is nothing more."
Ultimately, Jerry goes back to his superficial ways, and George is stuck in an engagement he does not really want.
To me, this episode kind of exemplifies nearly all the larger themes of Seinfeld. Here are some of the things I have learned watching Seinfeld:
It's no secret that the show about nothing really shows that their lives have no meaning - and makes the point that our lives are really about nothing. When God (or something higher) is mentioned anywhere in Seinfeld, it is always as a utility, a tool. Though the characters are Jewish, they do not spiritually practice Judaism. Religion is only utilized for social purposes, perhaps even to move up the social ladder. In desperate times, they sometimes do seek spiritual guidance, but lessons are never learned. In one episode, George even converts to another religion for a woman he loves, but he does not truly believe in that religion. All in all, there is no deeper meaning to their lives, and materialism and consumerism are prominent.
They are always eating out. In fact, I rarely (if ever) saw an episode where anybody makes dinner. Occasionally, they will have a family dinner episode, but nearly every episode has the characters eating out and spending a lot of time at restaurants. I also noticed this happens in Larry David's show Curb Your Enthusiasm. To me this promotes a strange lifestyle of consumerism and even unhealthy living.
Many of the episodes are about wanting things and materials usually for social status. While Kramer may be the exception to this, he is always looking for a quick money-making scheme. Jerry, Elaine, and George all seem to always be searching for something to make them feel full, whether that be a product, a person, or something. Even when they pursue relationships, these relationships are often based on social status as well. For example, Elaine becomes obsessed with dating a doctor, just so she can tell others he is a doctor, which leads into my next point. They treat people as products, not as people.
This is probably the central theme of the show. None of them ultimately find love, and no matter how close they come, there is always something that kills the relationship, and it is always for a petty reason. Jerry seems to be the most aloof when it comes to relationships, and maybe even the least capable of love. George seems to only ever want a relationship for some self-serving purpose. All of his proclamations of love are almost always extremely misguided and inherently selfish. Elaine seems to know that deep down she feels empty, but she just cannot seem to devote herself to anything deeper.
Ultimately, this show tells us that commitment is a mistake and really a form of misery for people. It also tells its viewers that they should always be seeking somebody "perfect" - somebody who has no flaws. In a way, this show villifies commitment. It tells us that really we would all just be happier on our own, and that relationships and families are not worth it.
Nobody really seems to have any fulfilling hobbies. Any of their extra time is spent either eating out, watching movies, or maybe going to a sports game. In one episode, George tries to join a book club, but he just cannot sit there and read. Rarely do any of them participate in any sort of deeper hobby. Their lives are spent working, and after work they lives are spent being entertained.
If you watch the entire series, there is no character growth. No matter how many mistakes they make, no matter how many people they offend, and no matter how many crazy situations they get in, they learn nothing. In the last episode, they all go to jail, and even then, they learn nothing. I get this is the point of the show, but clearly it says something larger.
It tells us that our lives are just meaningless episodes tied together, and that once we get to a certain age, there is really no room for growth.
I tried to analyze the friendships between Kramer, George, Elaine, and Jerry. I am not really sure what my conclusion is here, but they certainly never have real friends outside of that social circle. There does not seem to be any "love" expressed for each other, but they do seem to care for each other. They do things to help each other out, even when they do not want to.
To me, this is probably the deepest meaning they have in their lives, but even then, I think it is inherently selfish. They are all convenient friendships overall, and I do not think they truly ever sacrifice for each other.
There is even an episode where Elaine finds the "bizarro" Jerry, Kramer, and George (the opposite of them), and they are great people! Ultimately, though, the relationships are too much, and she goes back to her old friendships. To me this show that she prefers the easier, more vapid relationships than any relationships that take commitment.
To me the theme is that we should only have people in our lives if they are convenient for us. Otherwise, there really is no point in working or sacrificing for anybody.
It is important to note that Jerry and George do seem to love their families, but it seems more out of duty and necessity than a deeper sort of love.
The characters are ultimately purely selfish. Though they are not necessarily evil, in the end, they only care about themselves. Every moment, every situation, and every problem is rooted in their selfishness. They seem to understand others' motives, but they rarely, if ever, have empathy for others. Even serious life situations like funerals are seen as superficial and mandatory to them.
In the engagement episode, George and Jerry say they wish they could be like normal people and "care." Ultimately, that never happens.
At times the characters have moments of complexity and deepness, but these times are thrown out in a moment of selfishness.
Again, I know this show is meant to be humorous and satirical, but to me, there are some major messages that viewers may either consciously or unconsciously take away as they watch it.
I grew up in a "Seinfeld" sort of family. Nothing really seemed to matter other than materialism. There did not seem to be a lot of love, only if it was a matter convenience. I feel like more and more people are falling into this lifestyle.
In fact, I would even say Seinfeld was somewhat "predictive programming" for the next generation (happening right now), where people seem to fall into these meaningless patterns. Many are denying anything higher than themselves, and most go to work, come home, and then entertain themselves. Many are choosing not to commit to relationships or having children or families. Many have resorted to nihilism, proclaiming life is ultimately meaningless. Finally, many go through the motions, never growing or learning themselves - from one episode of their life to another, with no chance for anything deeper.
Of course, not all people are this way, and OF COURSE, there are many factors involved in this transformation in our society. However, it is no secret that television programming is there for a reason. I am sure many of you have seen the amount of strange, eerie, and accurate "predictions" made by the Simpsons. I put predictions and quotes because I feel like they "know" these events beforehand (but that's another post...)
To me, Seinfeld was predictive programming for the current generation and many to come (depending how many we have left!). We are supposed to live vapid, meaningless lives, and that is all there is to it: nothing.
The show about nothing... but then again, everything can be more than one thing, and often is. On the surface we are told it is all about nothing in that same way that nihilism is touted as nothing more. But it is all so much more than that.
Postmodernism, for example: we are told that postmodernism is just a new phase of human cultural development. Rather, postmodernism is simply the narrative form employed by capitalism to overcome its own glaring incoherencies, to counter and subjugate opposing paradigms and to strengthen the embedded position capitalism holds within the post-modern Western cultural framework. Without postmodernist positions to suggest that everything is relative and open to interpretation, the Western capitalist paradigm doesn't have a leg to stand on.
Similar with the show about nothing, which is really the conditioning (programming) of hyper-relativistic ethical egoism, where there only thing of value is the feeding of wants and desires and the avoiding of aversions. How do you get out of something you don't want to do? Lie. Every fucking time. Learn to lie while smiling.
Repeatedly throughout the show, the only consequence of lying is momentary social discomfort, alleviated by isolating within your single-serving social world where your prejudices are reinforced by friends chosen only for their willingness to reinforce your prejudices.
The thing is, "ethical egoism" is an academic way of saying do what thou wilt, really (and postmodernism is the narrative form it takes), and seinfeld and many other examples are clearly social conditioning for a lucifarian society.
And the normalisation process doesn't end there either: do not adjust your set and have a look at the show through a culturally sensitive lens for a moment and see what you find there: a celebration of Western secular judaism and jooish culture and tradition. Even jooish sexuality is freely admitted on the show, though hidden in plain sight. Seriously, look up the meaning of shiksa ... it isn't "non-jooish woman". While searching, chuck the word "talmud" in there for some fun results!
Just keep in mind that this conditioning is intent to model all of society on the secular remains of those who killed Christ. Those who are also still waiting for their saviour when everyone else is waiting for the antithesis. Something to keep in mind...
There is no doubt that Seinfeld has had (and still has) a huge impact on our society and culture. While the show is meant to be humorous, satirical, and sometimes even social commentary, it still has some themes and messages that I feel should be analyzed.
For the purpose of this post, I wanted to focus on the episode "The Engagement." In this episode, Jerry is sitting with George at the restaurant, and he comes to a conclusion that their lives are meaningless. He and George vow to change their lives, and George promptly gets engaged. After having a conversation with Kramer, Jerry's thoughts change. Kramer tells him there is no meaning to life, and marriage is a prison. Here is Kramer's commentary on marriage:
Most notably, he says, "There is nothing more."
Ultimately, Jerry goes back to his superficial ways, and George is stuck in an engagement he does not really want.
To me, this episode kind of exemplifies nearly all the larger themes of Seinfeld. Here are some of the things I have learned watching Seinfeld:
It's no secret that the show about nothing really shows that their lives have no meaning - and makes the point that our lives are really about nothing. When God (or something higher) is mentioned anywhere in Seinfeld, it is always as a utility, a tool. Though the characters are Jewish, they do not spiritually practice Judaism. Religion is only utilized for social purposes, perhaps even to move up the social ladder. In desperate times, they sometimes do seek spiritual guidance, but lessons are never learned. In one episode, George even converts to another religion for a woman he loves, but he does not truly believe in that religion. All in all, there is no deeper meaning to their lives, and materialism and consumerism are prominent.
They are always eating out. In fact, I rarely (if ever) saw an episode where anybody makes dinner. Occasionally, they will have a family dinner episode, but nearly every episode has the characters eating out and spending a lot of time at restaurants. I also noticed this happens in Larry David's show Curb Your Enthusiasm. To me this promotes a strange lifestyle of consumerism and even unhealthy living.
Many of the episodes are about wanting things and materials usually for social status. While Kramer may be the exception to this, he is always looking for a quick money-making scheme. Jerry, Elaine, and George all seem to always be searching for something to make them feel full, whether that be a product, a person, or something. Even when they pursue relationships, these relationships are often based on social status as well. For example, Elaine becomes obsessed with dating a doctor, just so she can tell others he is a doctor, which leads into my next point. They treat people as products, not as people.
This is probably the central theme of the show. None of them ultimately find love, and no matter how close they come, there is always something that kills the relationship, and it is always for a petty reason. Jerry seems to be the most aloof when it comes to relationships, and maybe even the least capable of love. George seems to only ever want a relationship for some self-serving purpose. All of his proclamations of love are almost always extremely misguided and inherently selfish. Elaine seems to know that deep down she feels empty, but she just cannot seem to devote herself to anything deeper.
Ultimately, this show tells us that commitment is a mistake and really a form of misery for people. It also tells its viewers that they should always be seeking somebody "perfect" - somebody who has no flaws. In a way, this show villifies commitment. It tells us that really we would all just be happier on our own, and that relationships and families are not worth it.
Nobody really seems to have any fulfilling hobbies. Any of their extra time is spent either eating out, watching movies, or maybe going to a sports game. In one episode, George tries to join a book club, but he just cannot sit there and read. Rarely do any of them participate in any sort of deeper hobby. Their lives are spent working, and after work they lives are spent being entertained.
If you watch the entire series, there is no character growth. No matter how many mistakes they make, no matter how many people they offend, and no matter how many crazy situations they get in, they learn nothing. In the last episode, they all go to jail, and even then, they learn nothing. I get this is the point of the show, but clearly it says something larger.
It tells us that our lives are just meaningless episodes tied together, and that once we get to a certain age, there is really no room for growth.
I tried to analyze the friendships between Kramer, George, Elaine, and Jerry. I am not really sure what my conclusion is here, but they certainly never have real friends outside of that social circle. There does not seem to be any "love" expressed for each other, but they do seem to care for each other. They do things to help each other out, even when they do not want to.
To me, this is probably the deepest meaning they have in their lives, but even then, I think it is inherently selfish. They are all convenient friendships overall, and I do not think they truly ever sacrifice for each other.
There is even an episode where Elaine finds the "bizarro" Jerry, Kramer, and George (the opposite of them), and they are great people! Ultimately, though, the relationships are too much, and she goes back to her old friendships. To me this show that she prefers the easier, more vapid relationships than any relationships that take commitment.
To me the theme is that we should only have people in our lives if they are convenient for us. Otherwise, there really is no point in working or sacrificing for anybody.
It is important to note that Jerry and George do seem to love their families, but it seems more out of duty and necessity than a deeper sort of love.
The characters are ultimately purely selfish. Though they are not necessarily evil, in the end, they only care about themselves. Every moment, every situation, and every problem is rooted in their selfishness. They seem to understand others' motives, but they rarely, if ever, have empathy for others. Even serious life situations like funerals are seen as superficial and mandatory to them.
In the engagement episode, George and Jerry say they wish they could be like normal people and "care." Ultimately, that never happens.
At times the characters have moments of complexity and deepness, but these times are thrown out in a moment of selfishness.
Again, I know this show is meant to be humorous and satirical, but to me, there are some major messages that viewers may either consciously or unconsciously take away as they watch it.
I grew up in a "Seinfeld" sort of family. Nothing really seemed to matter other than materialism. There did not seem to be a lot of love, only if it was a matter convenience. I feel like more and more people are falling into this lifestyle.
In fact, I would even say Seinfeld was somewhat "predictive programming" for the next generation (happening right now), where people seem to fall into these meaningless patterns. Many are denying anything higher than themselves, and most go to work, come home, and then entertain themselves. Many are choosing not to commit to relationships or having children or families. Many have resorted to nihilism, proclaiming life is ultimately meaningless. Finally, many go through the motions, never growing or learning themselves - from one episode of their life to another, with no chance for anything deeper.
Of course, not all people are this way, and OF COURSE, there are many factors involved in this transformation in our society. However, it is no secret that television programming is there for a reason. I am sure many of you have seen the amount of strange, eerie, and accurate "predictions" made by the Simpsons. I put predictions and quotes because I feel like they "know" these events beforehand (but that's another post...)
To me, Seinfeld was predictive programming for the current generation and many to come (depending how many we have left!). We are supposed to live vapid, meaningless lives, and that is all there is to it: nothing.
The show about nothing... but then again, everything can be more than one thing, and often is. On the surface we are told it is all about nothing in that same way that nihilism is touted as nothing more. But it is all so much more than that.
Postmodernism, for example: we are told that postmodernism is just a new phase of human cultural development. Rather, postmodernism is simply the narrative form employed by capitalism to overcome its own glaring incoherencies, to counter and subjugate opposing paradigms and to strengthen the embedded position capitalism holds within the post-modern Western cultural framework. Without postmodernist positions to suggest that everything is relative and open to interpretation, the Western capitalist paradigm doesn't have a leg to stand on.
Similar with the show about nothing, which is really the conditioning (programming) of hyper-relativistic ethical egoism, where there only thing of value is the feeding of wants and desires and the avoiding of aversions. How do you get out of something you don't want to do? Lie. Every fucking time. Learn to lie while smiling.
Repeatedly throughout the show, the only consequence of lying is momentary social discomfort, alleviated by isolating within your single-serving social world where your prejudices are reinforced by friends chosen only for their willingness to reinforce your prejudices.
The thing is, "ethical egoism" is an academic way of saying do what thou wilt, really (and postmodernism is the narrative form it takes), and seinfeld and many other examples are clearly social conditioning for a lucifarian society.
And the normalisation process doesn't end there either: do not adjust your set and have a look at the show through a culturally sensitive lens for a moment and see what you find there: a celebration of Western secular judaism and jooish culture and tradition. Even jooish sexuality is freely admitted on the show, though hidden in plain sight. Seriously, look up the meaning of shiksa ... it isn't "non-jooish woman". While searching, chuck the word "talmud" in there for some fun results!
Just keep in mind that this conditioning is intent to model all of society on the secular remains of those who killed Christ. Those who are also still waiting for their saviour when everyone else is waiting for the antithesis. Something to keep in mind...
