Seinfeld Criticizes PC Culture as Comedy Struggles on TV

Comedy icon Jerry Seinfeld is unfiltered in his opinions: political correctness has adversely impacted humor, specifically, TV comedies. In an interview on The New Yorker’s Radio Hour podcast, he asserted that despite the continued need for laughter, it’s increasingly challenging to locate this onscreen because of hyper-vigilant cultural watchdoggery a la left-leaning thought and “Politically Correct crap”. Not so long ago, people could unwind by watching sitcom staples like ‘Cheers’, ‘M.A.S.H.’, or ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’. Now? Crickets chirp where these programs once played in primetime viewing slots—this dearth is owing to overbearing liberals and hypersensitivity, Seinfeld contends.
He further explained that while stand-up comics can be self-regulated by the audience’s reactionary feedback mechanism (the comedian immediately gauges their material), written comedy scripts undergo excessive intervention through a stringent screening process; in doing so, jokes and gags fall short of taking root owing to its bureaucratic transformation. According to Seinfeld, this is an inevitable consequence of the shifting cultural landscape that’s forcing comics into adapting their routines as per societal norms—a phenomenon he likened to skiing gates moving with time; comedians must evolve accordingly to be relevant in these trying times or become extinct. However, stand-up performers can thrive under this paradigm by embracing the risks that come with stepping over political correctness’ boundaries since audiences now find humor in watching them navigate such terrain while laughing it off together.