Seinfeld: "The Switch"

In one of my favorite episodes of Seinfeld, “The Switch”, the characters of Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza put their brains together to try and figure out a full-proof plan on how Jerry can stop dating his current girlfriend, “the non-laugher”, and instead, date her roommate who happens to have a very attractive laugh.

Starting with the scene in the coffee shop, Jerry begins by explaining his dilemma to George regarding his desire to date his girlfriend’s roommate who laughs and “also possesses many of the other qualities prized by the superficial man”. This socially-aware quote by Jerry is funny because instead of simply saying she is attractive, he is making a comment on how men hold much importance in the physical appearance of women. After this, one of my all-time-favorite quotes of the series is said by George. As to confirm with Jerry that he understands his proposal to attempt the daunting task of “the switch", George says, “well, if I hear you correctly, and I think that I do, my advice to you is to finish your meal, pay your check, leave here, and never mention this to anyone again”. This quote sets the tone for the rest of this scene and the montage following as George creates a “serious” atmosphere in regards to plotting a successful way to accomplish “the switch” that has been plaguing mankind as far back as the Middle Ages. Further, another comical aspect of the scene is that when the two say “the switch”, there is a mutual understanding on what they are talking about. In short, this scene shows aspects of incongruity as Jerry and George portray an uncommon, trivial subject, as one that is quite serious and intimidating to successfully complete.

After a montage depicting Jerry and George spending hours on end devising a plan to switch roommates smoothly with no strings attached, we come to Jerry’s apartment where the two appear to be tired and discouraged from not developing a successful plan. It is here, however, that George comes up with the creative (and hilarious) plan to have Jerry propose a ménage à trois with his girlfriend and her roommate. This in theory, would offend Jerry’s girlfriend enough to breakup with him and disgust, and leave the roommate “flattered by her inclusion in the unusual request”. This plan while funny all by itself is also magnified by the preceding scene’s suspense in trying to discover how to achieve their goal, thus an example of the relief theory. Moreover, the plan is not only told by George, but is also visually shown, which facilitates laughter in the exaggerated behavior by those being described.

Being that this is Seinfeld, a comedy show, one can expect that the plan will not go according to plan. In fact, as Jerry carries out the plan, he is surprised to find out that not only is his girlfriend enthusiastic about the proposal, but her roommate is, too. Much like the surprise and laughter that the plan itself facilitated, the curveball of both women being interested in the “ménage” is equally surprising and funny and demonstrates the relief theory once again. The surprise of the audience can be symbolized by George’s own reaction as he enthusiastically asks “do you ever just get down on your knees and thank God that you know me and have access to my dementia?” While most would suspect Jerry would follow through with this act with these two beautiful women, he states that he can’t because he is not an orgy guy, and how he would have to change his entire lifestyle if was to do so, i.e., a mustache, robes, weirdo lighting, and the like. This type of humor illustrates the function of identification as Jerry's stereotypes of "orgy guys" may be familiar to many viewers.

Ultimately, this scene is funny and entertaining for its incongruity in seriousness, the plan itself, and Jerry’s refusal to take part in the orgy, and also the tension and release that some of the parts portray. Additionally, I think the fact this episode has sexual content adds to the humor, especially for men as the show’s perspective, to a large part, is through the eyes of men.

Larry David and Trick-or-Treat Etiquette

Much like his work on Seinfeld, Larry David continues his observational comedy on Curb Your Enthusiasm as he portrays social situations and brings to light the humor in social norms. In this YouTube clip from the episode “Trick or Treat”, Larry is involved in a dispute over Halloween etiquette with two uncostumed girls who appear to be too old to be trick-or-treating. As Larry opens the door to two unenthused teenage girls wearing everyday clothes, Larry immediately asks the girls how old they are and what their costumes are supposed to be. In response, the girls state that they are thirteen and one is dressed as her sister and the other as a teacher. Not buying their explanation, Larry refuses to give them candy and shuts the door on the girls.

This portion of the clip is funny in the high level of confrontation that takes place in such a short period of time. Firstly, knowing the character of Larry David, he is infamous for being socially obstinate and never backing down from confrontation. As Larry sees these two girls who are blatantly not in costume and still trying to cash in on the candy that Halloween usually warrants, Larry tells the girls off and says “you’re not entitled to go around to people’s homes and bilk them out of candy”. The girls are equally confrontational and call Larry a “grandpa” and shout “fuck you” and “asshole” as they are denied their candy. This scene presents some incongruity compared to your usual trick-or-treat encounter. Not only is it unusual for kids in their late teens to demand candy on Halloween, but it is even rarer for someone to have such high standards on whether someone should be given candy or not. Further, while Larry is pretty funny in all of his confrontations, it is especially hilarious when he holds nothing back when arguing with two teenage girls.

The second portion of this clip starts as Larry wakes up to the find out that his house has been decorated in toilet paper and “BALD ASSHOLE” has been spray painted on his front door. As Larry’s wife, Cheryl, is screaming at him for not giving the girls any candy, Larry responds with “I didn’t know it was going to be ‘felony or treat’!” The scene continues as Larry is speaking to the police and argues that writing “Bald Asshole” on his door is a hate crime because bald people are a group or sect of people. Not seeing eye-to-eye with Larry, one of the police officers disagrees as he is bald and not offended. In response to this statement, Larry tells the officers that since he has chosen to shave his head to be fashionable, he is not considered to be a part of the “bald community”. This exchange between Larry and the officer, like we discussed in class, is an example of how some words are more offensive to some people than to others. Further pertaining to our discussion of slurs in class, the idea of bald people being a group subject to hate crimes is incongruent, and thus, kind of funny. While hate crimes are not funny in nature, the idea of there being a recurrence of crimes directed at bald people is a funny concept. If this scene was revolved around a slur towards someone who has been the target of hate crimes in real life, this scene would be not be perceived as funny. The idea of hate crimes against the "bald community" is not seen as a touchy subject or threatening to the audience, which allows the scene to come off as comical.

The beauty of the character Larry David is that he is incredibly concerned with social norms, yet he acts like no other human on earth. I don’t know if this pertains to everyone, but Larry David acts the way I wish I would act in social settings as he has no problem saying whatever he wants. While most people would second guess teenagers trick-or-treating without costumes, Larry puts his foot down and gives away no candy because “there needs to be a cutoff”. I have tried to analyze a few aspects of this clip, yet I feel there is still so much that is funny about it. A large reason why I love Curb Your Enthusiasm is that it is improvised, leaving the scene to be a surprise to the audience as well as the actors. Also, there is no laugh track allowing each viewer to pick out the subtle bits of humor and decide what is funny on their own.

Dave Chappelle on Race and Police

In this clip from “Killin’ Them Softly”, Dave Chappelle transforms the serious issue of police and racism into two humorous stories that reveal the absurdity of what actually takes place in our society.

The first story that Chappelle tells is about him and his white friend, Chip, walking down a street in New York City while smoking a joint. Perhaps not by coincidence, they are lost and are trying to get directions. As Chip is smoking the joint, he sees a police car and does not even flinch. In fact, he continues smoking and walks over to the car and casually tells the officer that he is “a little high” and asks how to get to 3^rd Street. In response, the officer simply tells Chip that he is on 3^rd Street and to “move it”. Meanwhile, Chappelle is left in disbelief about what had just occurred.

While this story emphasizes the confidence of Chip talking to a police officer while high, the point of this story is to show how black people are more wary of the police because they are more likely to get arrested. Chappelle often displays socially-aware humor not to bring about change, but rather to just laugh at how ridiculous society can be. What makes this story funny is that it displays incongruity and truth at the same time. Chances are that if anyone, white or black, went up to a police officer smoking marijuana, they would face some sort of fine or arrest. But what is true about Chappelle’s story is that blacks have reason to be more cautious than whites around police officers as blacks make up almost half of the prison population and only 12% of the total population.

The second story of Chappelle and Chip takes place in a car while Chip is driving drunk and Chappelle is smoking marijuana. As Chip is blatantly swerving and speeding all over the road, he is by no surprise pulled over by a police car. As Chappelle is nervous in the car, Chip confidently tells him that he will do all the talking and does not even turn down his radio. As the police officer approaches the vehicle, Chip simply says, “Sorry officer, I didn’t know I couldn’t do that” and the police officer lets him go free. As they are driving away, Chip smiles and says “I DID know I couldn’t do that!”

Much like the first story, Chappelle illustrates that because Chip is white, he can blatantly break the law and will not face any ramifications. Another great point that Chappelle makes in the second story is how he was shocked not by Chip’s bluntness with the police officer, but how he would never think to use ignorance as an excuse. Chappelle goes on to say that black men can’t use that excuse because “they know we know the law”. More specifically, Chappelle is implying that since African Americans are more involved in arrests and jail time, they are more aware of laws and the penalties.

Although Chappelle’s stories could be seen as hasty generalizations of all white guys being nerdy and all police officers being racist, there is still some truth to what he is saying (hence all the laughter from the crowd). Also, Chappelle is not going for accuracy, rather he is trying to amuse his audience. Dave Chappelle has been a popular comedian because he is able to use his humor and rhetoric to discuss social issues that are not always perceived as being funny. After reading my summaries of Chappelle’s stories they may not seem that funny, thus, I encourage you to watch this YouTube video to see how well Chappelle uses rhetoric while performing on stage.

Bill Maher on France

In this YouTube video, comedian Bill Maher creates a “New Rule” in which conservatives cannot describe something as being French to win an argument. Maher develops his argument by comparing and contrasting France to the United States and showing that Americans could learn a thing or two from the French. Firstly, Maher uses examples of France making better decisions than the United States, such as not being involved in our “wonderfully conceived and brilliantly executed war in Iraq”. While somewhat of an easy shot to take on the United States government, Maher also points out a key difference in French elections: they vote. In fact, Maher states that 85% of the population takes part in the electoral process and are not concerned with irrelevant issues such as whether the candidate would be someone with whom they would have a croissant. Whether Maher brings up the issue of foreign oil dependency, poverty rates, or health care, he effectively presents examples for why calling something French is not an automatic argument winner.

Being that Maher is a comedian, a large part of his effectiveness is based on his use of humor in his argument. As this segment of his show is called “New Rules”, he is pointing out aspects of American society that he finds ridiculous and using incongruity to differentiate between good and bad behavior. What is so interesting about this is that he uses incongruity to point out absurdities in society that are only seen as being absurd when people take the time to think and dissect these social actions. For example, Maher points out that the French are much more respectful of politicians’ and celebrities’ private lives. While it is an accepted norm in our country to follow public figures around with cameras, Maher uses humor to show how ridiculous this socially-accepted act is. Further, Maher makes the notion that France has nude beaches because “they’re not a nation of six-year olds who scream and giggle if they see pee-pee parts”. Although this could be the fallacy of argument in using a hasty generalization or a faulty analogy, Maher’s funny comparison of Americans to six-year olds persuades the audience to act in a more mature manner towards nudity.

Ultimately, Bill Maher does a nice job of furthering his point that you cannot win an argument by claiming that something is French. Maher argues his point effectively by incorporating sarcasm and pointing out aspects of our society that are a little on the absurd side. Moreover, in order to maintain a balance of delivering his message and creating laughter, Maher transitions nicely between important issues such as health care and the fact that France does not have talk shows with Dr. Phil. While Maher bashes aspects of the United States to get his point across, he is not guilty of writing off an entire country like those he is criticizing. Rather, Maher understands that we can all learn something from one another.