Do you think Seinfeld will be the next thing to be cancelled by liberals?

Seinfeld was considered quite illiberal at the time. And it hasn’t aged well.

Really? I think certain episodes have aged extremely well, especially the one where the writers both mock the absurdity of homophobia and also overt political correctness

I don’t know. I have caught a few episodes over the years, and in general it just feels like it’s from a completely different world. The laugh track alone is difficult for younger people to handle. My kids have referred to it as one of the “boomer shows”.

And I recall lots of complaints during its initial run about racism and other issues. Then there was the Michael Richards situation.

I don’t think cancel culture exists. But I was just thinking that a show that doesn’t really seem to have any appeal might not fly in the modern world of streaming. I could be wrong.

I hope not, and I’m not sure why even an attempt to address a controversial topic in a TV show means it needs to be “cancelled”. Should TV shows never venture outside of feel-good fluff in order to be adequately inoffensive? I also have never thought pretending bad takes don’t exist solves any problems.

Not sure how you cancel a show that concluded 23 years ago.

I’m referring to the term “cancel culture”, not actually cancelling the show. Removing episodes from steaming services would be a pretty big deal, considering this generation rarely uses DVD’s anymore.

Also, the reason I asked this question is because a lot of millennials and younger people will be watching this show for the first time, for those that have Netflix.

By the way, I do realize that I often post hypothetical situations on here that might be kind of frivolous in the long run. But I still find them interesting.

“All in the Family” had many interesting discussions amongst family members, concerning race, women’s rights and other topics that were controversial and it hasn’t been cancelled or any episodes removed from TV or streaming, so I don’t see how Seinfeld would be any different.

@rockfan You mistake “cancel culture”, a right wing attempt at dominating the conversation, with liberal attempts at stopping insults.

While the right would say, The Indian is offensive and should be an example of liberal insensitivity, it is actually an excellent lesson on cultural awareness.

Actually, thinking about it, “The Jeffersons” and “Sanford and Son” also had a lot of episodes where they discussed controversial topics, and “All in the Family,” “Sanford and Son” and “The Jeffersons all used derogatory terms like “cracker” and “wetback” and none have been eliminated from TV or streaming.

@zenvelo I agree with you, the issue of “cancel culture” is being dominated by the right in order to distract us from real issues like healthcare and increasing the minimum wage. But I still think that networks censoring shows and liberals cancelling celebrities for opinions they disagree with, is getting a little silly.

A streaming service took off an episode of The Golden Girls because the characters were wearing facials masks, and they worried that it was going to come across as blackface.

@rockfan That’s the thing. People are now “self-cancelling” in anticipation of a backlash that might never have been coming (e.g. the recent Dr. Seuss affair).

Seinfield made fun of his own more than anything, which makes me wonder if comedians like Margaret Cho or George Lopez will get a lot of push back soon. The George Lopez show is currently rerunning where I live. Cho often made fun of how her Asian mom talked. What about The Nanny?

I don’t think the show Seinfeld will get cancelled, but I do think there are people who are going too far with being offended too easily. I understand it is difficult to draw lines and the lines move over time with what we find offensive, but I see a lot of white people being more offended than the group themselves with some of it. Some people seem to have zero tolerance, I am not so sure that is necessary or good.

Also, should’ve added that I meant Netflix might be pressured by offended viewers to get rid those episodes.

@rockfan

Yes, I’m well aware of what you meant. I’m simply mocking the notion of “cancel culture”.

As far as Seinfeld – it’s been running on streaming services for years with no issue. No reason to think it’d be any different now.

I thought it was pretty lame not funny. Never watched more than a few minutes of it. Even the theme song sucked. But reruns shroud not be censured not matter how dumb it is.

“Pretty lame not funny. Never watched more than a few minutes of it.”

I thought the same thing when I first watched the show but the show eventually grew on me. The first two seasons are pretty bad. But personally I think the fourth and fifth seasons are the funniest of any sitcom ever.

@Demosthenes “That’s the thing. People are now “self-cancelling” in anticipation of a backlash that might never have been coming (e.g. the recent Dr. Seuss affair).”

Funny how those books were among his least known.