An Open Letter to Jerry Seinfeld

Dear Seinfeld,

First of all, thank you so much for having Kevin Hart on your web series and validating a previous suspicion I had that black comics can be funny too! And I hear you you even got your former cast mate Julia Louis-Dreyfus on your show. It is now safe to assume that more than one woman is funny too right? Because, as you said, you only care about funny; not race or gender.

Nah I'm just kidding, Jerry! Of course white men should be considered the standard for comedy while everyone else is a nice little "and also there's this person..." Don't worry I won't call you racist or sexist or be overly PC. You're right, your comedy shouldn't be a census.

All I can do is call into question your assertion that anyone who does feel that way is ruining comedy.

First of all, let's not lump your 14 year old daughter in with people on a university campus. That's two different demos... you know how that works right? If memory serves, you had the number one show for a little bit.

Second let's unpack this whole notion of being too PC. The way I see it, there is a point at which your joke will be able to transcend the fact that there is an offensive word in it. That point usually comes when you can reasonably argue that the point of the joke is a funny truth about life. Or at least something a lot of people can relate to. Yes there will be people who latch on to your use of a certain word or phrase and refuse to look past that, but I still feel like if you've got a joke that comes from a place of being funny and not malicious, you'll get some people on your side.

See what I mean, Jerry? What is the value add of saying gay in this instance? You could have just said a king and your joke would have kept what was funny about it intact. There is room for people to take issue with that joke because it reeks of you having a flimsy premise and needing to grab cheap laughs by throwing in a nationality and sexuality that only serve to alienate people.

Let's take the spotlight off of you for a second. Let's talk about Dave Chappelle. I'm not sure if you've heard of him. He's like Kevin Hart only taller. Oh, I think your friend Chris Rock likes him too.

Now this is a funny premise. The constant use of offensive language is actually integral to the joke. Without the words used, the joke loses meaning. Once again, not everyone will like this, but there is at least an opportunity for people to understand why the language is being used.

Don't like that example? Think there's a difference between stand up and sketch comedy! This is one of those rare occasions, Mr. Seinfeld, where we are on the exact same page. So let's give an example of a bit from stand up that has similar merits to the Dave Chapelle sketch. As a bonus it's a bit from Louis C.K. I hear tell you like him and find him fearless.

Granted, this gets a lot more problematic once you take into account that Louis C.K. is trying to rationalize his continued use of words that offend people. However, I still argue that your view of an overly politically correct society isn't hurting Louis C.K.'s output. There are a bunch of people who enjoy his work and will continue to go see his point of view on things.

Could it be that you can't just use the same tactics you did when you were coming up as a comedian anymore? Could it be that a younger generation just isn't into hearing these words so frequently? Maybe. Maybe Chris Rock has the right idea by not going to campuses because he's figured out where his audience is. Does that really mean it's hurting comedy?

Based on younger comics like Jerrod Carmichael, Cameron Esposito, and Bo Burnham, I don't think so at all. They are still pushing boundaries and making me laugh while playing university campuses in the process.

I guess what I'm saying is that people thinking that certain words aren't acceptable to say shouldn't stop you from trying to speak your truth or find some laughs where other people don't find them. That's what being a comic is about. You're going to hit some stages where the audiences aren't on board. That's on you to decide whether or not there is a different approach you can take or whether that joke just isn't for that setting. Either way, don't blame people you think are being too PC. Odds are they were never going to laugh anyway. You found an audience once. You can find it again.

Anyway, I loved you on Curb. And love that bit where you keep scoffing at the idea of diversity in comedy. Honestly, it's your most underrated joke you do and I love your commitment to it even today (@ the 4min25secs mark).

-YG