Jerry Seinfeld's Blunt Take on Diversity in Comedy: 'Who Cares?'

yahoo.com ^ | February 4, 2014 | Dave Nemetz

[grundle]

According to Jerry Seinfeld, comedy and political correctness don't mix.

The "Seinfeld" star had some surprisingly blunt things to say about the perceived lack of diversity on his shows in a chat with BuzzFeed and CBS News.

In the clip above, the host brings up the fact that most of the guests Seinfeld has had on his Web series, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," have been white males. Seinfeld is clearly uncomfortable with the line of questioning, muttering, "Oh, this really pisses me off."

He continues, "People think it's the census or something? Does this [have to] represent the actual pie chart of America? Who cares? Funny is the world I live in. If you're funny, I'm interested. If you're not funny, I'm not interested. And I have no interest in race or gender or anything like that."

Seinfeld then takes a shot at "everyone else [who] is calculating, 'Is this the exact right mix?' To me, it's anti-comedy. It's more about P.C. nonsense than 'Are you making us laugh or not?'"

[xone]

And I have no interest in race or gender or anything like that."

Easy to say if you're a rich white guy.

[SeekAndFind]

NO SOUP DIVERSITY FOR YOU !!

[xone]

NO DIVERSITY FOR YOU !!

If only...

[Buckeye McFrog]

Between this and his ripping of Lady Gaga, we may turn Jerry into a Conservative yet.

[nickcarraway]

Wait? He’s saying no diversity in comedy? So if every comic decided to be a prop comic, and there were not standard or insult comics, it would be okay? I disagree.

[Alex Murphy]

"People think it's the census or something? Does this [have to] represent the actual pie chart of America? Who cares? Funny is the world I live in. If you're funny, I'm interested. If you're not funny, I'm not interested. And I have no interest in race or gender or anything like that." Seinfeld then takes a shot at "everyone else [who] is calculating, 'Is this the exact right mix?' To me, it's anti-comedy. It's more about P.C. nonsense than 'Are you making us laugh or not?'"

Maybe we could bus in some black comedians?

[longfellow]

Why is CBS so racist? WTF does color have to do with anything?
Funny is funny. Hell Bugs was a rabbit is PETA pissed?

[stanne]

Well, yeah, that’s why he should say it.

The rich white guys have power let them use it for good, like when there’s a call to wave the BS flag on political correctness and diversity which now is divisiveness

[snowtigger]

I agree. I am no fan of Jerry Seinfeld, but if something makes me laugh, I watch it. If it doesn’t, I’m not gonna sit there and watch. Damn PC.

[Jim Scott]

Jerry Seinfeld is right to be annoyed when the PC police start whining about the number of 'minorities' on his show that interviews comedians. It's another example of how the PC 'diversity' mania has turned into a litmus test for everything. I suspect Seinfeld is a liberal but apparently he is fed up with the PC police counting how many professional black, brown and female comics he interviews about their craft and then taking him to task if the number doesn't match some predetermined percentage.

I wish Seinfeld would have turned the tables and asked if anyone does the diversity calculations on the racial makeup in the NBA. Of course not because that would be 'racist'. Such is the hypocrisy of the PC crowd.

[Rennes Templar]

“It’s more about P.C. nonsense than ‘Are you making us laugh or not?’”

Good for you Jerry!

[xone]

Geez, read the thread.

[Starstruck]

I see a lot of comedians on TV both black and white that I think are funny. Then I watch a Youtube of their live shows and think this stuff isn’t funny. I’m not a prude and I saw some of Richard Pryor’s raw stuff and thought he was good. It just seems to me that a lot of comedians use vulgarity and bathroom humor to get through an hour when they only have 10 minutes of good material.

[cherry]

I grew up believing that the funniest people were Jewish....I accepted it....

[Osage Orange]

I say it all the time!!

[Hardastarboard]

It just seems to me that a lot of comedians use vulgarity and bathroom humor to get through an hour when they only have 10 minutes of good material.

Agreed. I always say "If all you got is potty jokes, you got nuthin'".

[FredZarguna]

Actually you will find a number of interesting episodes in which Seinfeld ridicules PC, from the "anti-dentite" episode, to Tim Watley's attempt to achieve "total joke immunity" by converting from Catholicism to Judaism, to the sub-plot in which Elaine tries desperately to determine if someone she's dating is or is not black -- and whether she's even allowed to discuss it with her friends.

And of course, there is George's manager, who looks like a bit like Sugar Ray Leonard, and the anti-PC hilarity that ensues when George tries to convince him that he doesn't just think that because "you all look alike."

Throw in the iconic "not that there's anything wrong with that," line and the rarely discussed fact that no gay character in Seinfeld is ever portrayed as anything but a d0chebag [at best] and you start to wonder ...

[youngidiot]

Easy to say if you're a rich white guy.

That seems like a ridiculous statement. Should people who are not rich white guys be focused on race and/or gender? Why?