When Hollywood imitates Life

[AKAtude]

I don't want to create any drama, but...
Are there any former "Seinfeld" fans out there (or current fans if you watch the show in syndication like I do)? I just remembered something.

Does anyone remember the episode where Elaine goes into a nail salon and is convinced that the ladies are talking about her in a foreign language? She meets up with Jerry and George later on and explains how annoyed she was. George tells her that his father knows how to speak that particular language, and George's father agrees to go with Elaine as the "spy". George's father tells Elaine everything they are saying and Elaine goes off on them and gets kicked out. Yada, yada, yada, the show goes on. And so art imitates life.

[Discogoddess]

LOL, Soror AKAtude! Yes, I remember that episode very well! Remember George's father's feet?

That reminds me of a story a soror told me about her experience with some older Spanish-speaking ladies, who were talking about her family like dogs (en espanol) while they were all sitting in a hospital emergency room. These women didn't realize that my soror-friend was both Puerto Rican and African-American (she looked like any number of black, Latina, or even Arab women), and spoke and understood Spanish very well. WELLLLLLLLL, long story short, my friend waited til her family and the two grandmothers were on the elevator together, and just before she got off, turned around and let them have it in perfect Spanish! She made sure to mention that they should be more careful, cuz you never know the background of the person you're doggin out, sitting next to you...

[This message has been edited by Discogoddess (edited July 20, 2000).]

[Serenity]

Discogoddess,

Wow! That exact situation happened to me and my grandmother.....same reasons. The one thing that stands out is my grandmother telling them that looks can be deceiving. Imagine, I had to hold my grandmother back. In the end, she was more hurt than anything.



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Sigma Lambda Upsilon: Sincerity, Loyalty, Unity http://www.sigmalambdaupsilon.org

[Catwoman]

Seinfeld was one of my favorite shows! I remember that episode because I felt the same way - when I used to go to get my nails done. I think it is rude.

My favorite episode of all time was when Kramer and George's dad invented the bra made for a man! George's dad wanted to call it the "Manzier" and Kramer wanted to call it "The Bro". LOL

[AKAtude]

One of my favorite episodes was "Can You Spare a Square". Elaine was in a public restroom and unbeknownst to her, Jerry's new girlfriend would not give her any toilet tissue. Elaine vowed that she would always remember that voice and Jerry tried his best to keep them from ever meeting each other.

The real reason I began this thread is because I wanted to include it in another thread that got closed. I wanted to point out that this is something that happens all the time, and not only to us. Comedians find clever ways of bringing certain issues to light, but they are usually not condemned for putting the spotlight on things that happen in society whether they are good or bad.

In that thread, other than terrible customer service skills we also pointed out what we saw as rude behavior. Obviously, Jerry Seinfeld and his team of writers thought the same thing. After that episode, I wonder how many people condemned NBC for that episode. Were they perpetuating a stereotype of those citizens or were they being honest about a practice that really does go on every day somewhere? The only difference is that they were able to make us laugh about it, but they also made us think. I remembered that episode and so do a lot of others.

[Discogoddess]

Soror AKAtude:

I agree with you, but I do think that "us folks" tend to get all bent out of shape if a comedian, sitcom, or other cultural commentary points out something pattern-like and unflattering about our behavior. Then here comes some self-serving politician with the moral outrage at stereotypes, blah, blah, blah (trying to not use Seinfeld's overworked term). We can't have it both ways-pointing out systematic behavior about one ethnicity but be hypersensitive about our own behavior and portrayal (even if our sensitivity comes with good reason).

[mizzkes]

I love the show also, my favorite episode was about the pig man. When Kramer saw the pig man in the hospital. Also, the one about the soup Nazi...
Similar to the experience Discogoddess spoke of. A friend of our family (African Amrican woman) is married to a Hispanic man. She always felt as if his mother and sisters were talking about her in Spanish everytime she was in their presence. so she decided to secretly take a few Spanish lessons (she was a flight attnedant so being multilingual would be an asset to her secularly). Of course, on her next visit to the in-laws home, they said all kinds of derogatory things about her. Needless to say, she gave them an out of this world tongue lashing in their own language. I just wish that I could have seen their faces. Discogoddess: I guess they should have "slowed their roll"

[This message has been edited by mizzkes (edited July 21, 2000).]

[vanda]

You know Oprah winfrey showed something similar a few years ago. It was called something like " A day in the life of an overweight woman." She videotaped an obese woman and they showed her going into a Korean shop. They were saying things like she will break their chairs. Oprah had an interpreter and once they edited it you found out what they were saying. I once just had to tell them speak english with me if you want my business. They wouldn't so I left.

[Sexy Mocha]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by AKAtude:
Were they perpetuating a stereotype of those citizens or were they being honest about a practice that really does go on every day somewhere? The only difference is that they were able to make us laugh about it, but they also made us think.

Years ago Saturday Night Live put on a skit where a black character (played by Eddie Murphy) was "made" into a white man for a day. Yall remember all of the white characters Eddie played in Coming to America? Well, he looked so white that had I not saw the make-up being applied I would have actually thought it was a white man. Anyway, they had "white" Eddie go into a posh jewelry store and the shop owners welcomed him with open arms and left him alone with all of the expensive jewels (even insisted he try them on)...meanwhile, they watched the black guy like a hawk watching a chicken. Then Eddie got on a bus, which seemed rather normal at first but as soon as the last black person got off the bus a white lady got up and started serving drinks and snacks and elevator music started playing. It was just like the Oprah show that Vanda mentioned but of course it was fiction...or was it? I agree that the networks (it was NBC come to think of it) do try to show honest depictions of things that actually go on in our society. They, of course, do it in the name of comedy so as not to offend viewers or risk losing ratings. It does,however, make us say Hmmm.

[prettygyrl]

I must say I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE Seinfeld! I watch all the reruns. It was so funny because it never really had a storyline so to speak, it just kind flowed like everyday life. It depicted alot of things that really happen to people in life (including the one about the nail shop) I have always felt like if you are around an english speaking person, who happens to be from another country, and they are speaking in their language nine times out fo ten they proabably are talking about you or someone near otherwise why don't they just speak english? I had a friend that was Asian and we worked in this store together, and this group of Asians came in. At first they were speaking English and then they began to speak in their language. Anyway they did not see her standing near them and when they left she told us how they were dogging us out.

Another time me and my friend were out together and these Black guys were trying holla anyway they spoke spanish very well and every so often they would say something in Spanish to each other. It pissed me off. I thought it was very rude. Needless to say they got the boot quickly.

[PositivelyAKA]

i agree DG good point soror.

[AKAtude]

Soror DG, I agree with you that some of "us" get angry in heartbeat. But that is probably because someone struck a nerve and the truth has been told. If that happens, then those who are angry need to examine why.

[LikeASista]

Now, see? Ya'll are wrong, because I tape every freakin' Seinfeld rerun in existence, and I watch every one of them over the weekends. My favorite one is when Jerry started dating the woman who was exactly like him (Jenean Garrofalo, was it (I can't spell her name for the life of me)), but Kramer didn't like her at all.

I am annoyed the way network TV has our shows grouped. They will not show Black sitcoms on NBC, ABC, or CBS unless they are the good ole family value shows like The Cosbys or The Hughleys (God help us). Martin's show wouldn't be caught on large network stations because his TYPE of humor is presumably too aggressive for primetime audiences. Well, heck!! The Seinfeld cast talked about sex, even masturbation, on the show. But did they throw Seinfeld over to FOX?? Noooo. It's not fair at all. I get tired of others moderating what can be considered funny in OUR group.

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No weapon formed against me shall prosper, for I am a child of the Most High God, Who sits upon the Throne of Grace, and rules all Heaven and Earth.

[tickledpink]

Good point, LikeASista. If I'm not mistaken, aren't they moving the Hughley's to UPN, or are those syndicated shows?

[LikeASista]

Originally posted by tickledpink:
Good point, LikeASista. If I'm not mistaken, aren't they moving the Hughley's to UPN, or are those syndicated shows?

I'm not sure, tickledpink. I've never watched The Hughleys actually. But considering how network television has treated us in the past, I would not be surprised at all.

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No weapon formed against me shall prosper, for I am a child of the Most High God, Who sits upon the Throne of Grace, and rules all Heaven and Earth.