If you are unfortunate enough to talk to people with whom Seinfeld is a culturally relevant touchstone, you might hear a lot of the same. Of the main four, nobody in their right mind would pick Jerry himself as the best character. Even Seinfeld himself knows he wasn't the funny character.

Of course the immediate response is that Kramer is the best character; he is in many ways a reflection of the audience. He sees the absurdity of his situation and because of that realization he lives life exclusively on his own terms. Kramer is the ultimate lumpenprole, contiously living off of one scheme or the next. His most remarkable characteristic is his luckiness, relying on one thing or another to "just work out" as it always does. He checks out of normal society, but does it in a way that does not disturb the status quo.

Elaine is who most of the audience acts like. She is the hand-wringing liberal who wishes to do good, but never at her own expense. She sees her own moral failings, recognizes and categorizes them, but makes no move away from them. Even greater, she often fetishes and commodifies the working man. Her relationship with Puddy is a great example of how on the surface she likes everything about his masculine/working class aesthetic, but fundamentally cannot rectify that with her bourgeoisie lifestyle. She reluctantly embraces her station as a PMC.

Jerry is the conservative, doesn't need much more analysis. Reactionary and negative to any new change. Absolutely resentful of the working class.

But that brings us to the reason we all watch the show: George Costanza. Much like his friend she sees the basic absurdity of the society we live in. Half of George's rants are on society and it's limitations. But unlike Kramer who opts out of working (usually through plot means) George "participates" at the minimum amount of effort. More often than not he spits in the face of the bourgeoisie he works for. He's no working's man hero, but George more accurately represents how we feel. The game is rigged, the rules are arbitrary, how can I eke out an existence within this society without buying into the norms and rules that govern it.

George is unabashedly, almost ridiculously self-centered and not somebody to model their views after. But that is the character that rings truest to us. We have all felt like George trying to exist in a capitalist society, we have all had that moment of saying "screw was we're told to do, I'm doing what feels right for me." He reflects how in capitalism, sacrificing values is the best path to success. We see him lie and cheat and steal, never for anything noble. He represents how we actually are encouraged to function in society without the masks of "civility." His motives are so blatantly self-serving we get to laugh down from our high horses, secretly knowing all the time we're not too far removed from George's decision making.

So there I am. George perfected sleeping at his desk and that's all I have.

  • garbology [he/him]
    ·
    4 years ago

    I'm imagining Socialist Abed from Community delivering this speech at the weekly ancom commune vibe check meeting, before he makes lattes as needed.

    • shitstorm [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      4 years ago

      Awkward Abed head turn That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me.

  • MichoganGayFrog [they/them]
    ·
    4 years ago

    I think your theory basically follows. It's worth thinking that it's based on Larry David and Curb is therefore if George got super fucking rich

    • ButtBidet [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      God I fucking hate Larry David in Curb. And not in the funny way the show wants us to hate him. He's just a rich dickhead, and I can't stand him.

    • shitstorm [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      4 years ago

      I never watched much Curb other than the Seinfeld reunion episodes. Do you think it's worth it?

      • shitstorm [he/him]
        hexagon
        ·
        4 years ago

        Again I think Jerry's pure contempt for Newman comes from his subconscious hatred of the working man. That doesn't make Newman good, but I think he and Kramer are the most working class. Maybe Newman is a class traitor?

          • shitstorm [he/him]
            hexagon
            ·
            4 years ago

            I did not know that, I just remembered him falling into money randomly and doing schemes. Maybe he isn't exactly a lumpenprole, but he still represents the "not living by society's terms" aspect of it.

    • headr00m [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Warning: Seinfeld is to sitcoms as Halo:CE is to FPS or Neuromancer is to Cyberpunk in that it coined most of the popular tropes in its sub-genre so it will age like milk if you are engage with it without historical perspective on it having been groundbreaking at the time.

    • threshold [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Seinfeld is fucking incredible. I disagree kinda with the premise of the discussion above- Jerry is super funny within his own show. His standup is ok, but it's his attempts at being the rational one right in-between having some weird neurosis with mostly women or minute social norms. George is a more obvious Jerry, looking disgusting and pushing social norms really hard but being proud about it, rather than resentful like Jerry.

      • shitstorm [he/him]
        hexagon
        ·
        4 years ago

        I do think Jerry's funny, but by the actor's own admission he didn't get the best jokes. They wrote the best stuff for the other three. Which I gotta respect as a writing decision, play to the shows strengths.

        But you're right that George and Jerry have a lot of the same schema. The difference is their position in life, Jerry always says he's "never worked a real job." That alone would explain Jerry's class character, he's never had a boss and never had a struggle. His whole life is making jokes and people liking him. George has a host of different jobs, including long gaps of unemployment. Even though his jobs are usually PMC he's not the manager, so he still struggles against the boss in a way we relate to as the audience.

  • emizeko [they/them]
    ·
    edit-2
    4 years ago

    Kramer is the ultimate lumpenprole, contiously living off of one scheme or the next.

    continuously?

    • shitstorm [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      4 years ago

      I will leave it there proudly. I had pretty good spelling for how tipsy I was.

      • emizeko [they/them]
        ·
        4 years ago

        only asked because I thought you might have meant consciously

        • shitstorm [he/him]
          hexagon
          ·
          4 years ago

          I very well could have, Kramer is in many ways the most prescient of the gang. But continuously is what I meant.