Something pleasant happened last week: Jerry Seinfeld came out of nowhere to do a photo spread for a fall fashion line. It was nothing major, but it reminded us of the simpler, safer, more prosperous 1990s – that golden time in world history between the falls of the Berlin Wall and the Twin Towers.
During that simple decade, political correctness was born, something which Seinfeld was always happy to poke fun at. It wasn’t a big deal then, but it seems more important now that its evolved into modern-day blasphemy laws.
So today we thought to recommend a top 10 list of episodes of Seinfeld that have aged very well. Seinfeld has always been gloriously anti-PC, so watch these in good faith.
10. The Non-Fat Yogurt (1993)
The gang becomes embroiled in a scandal over a yogurt store that has been lying about its product. So too does one Rudolph Guiliani who appears in the episode that aired days after he became America’s mayor.
Remember the days when New York tried to function as a city? Those were good days.
9. The Junk Mail (1997)
Kramer wants to opt out of mail as, even 25 years ago, he realized the Post Office was an outdated institution. When Kramer brings attention to the fact that the American people don’t really need an “army of men” going through their neighborhoods, USPS detains and interrogates him and Newman without warrants. It’s a funny scene.
Oh, hey and the IRS is training its 87,000 new agents to IRS kick in our doors.
8. The Puerto Rican Day (1998)
While the story of our friends getting stuck in NYC’s Puerto Rican Day Parade is still hilarious, what’s more remarkable about the episode is the controversy that surrounded it. Before it even aired, joyless activists boycotted the episode with the justification that “we assume that it’s offensive.”
This pre-social media manufactured outrage was a sad portent of things to come.
7. The Couch (1994)
The group becomes friends with Poppie, a successful Cuban immigrant who hates communism and abortion. When the latter issues triggers a fight with Elaine, Poppie demands to know, “What gives you the right?” Elaine rejoins, “The Supreme Court!”
Ahem.
6. The Race (1994)
Speaking of communism. When Mickey and Kramer are working as a Christmas-store Santa and Elf, Elaine’s communist boyfriend starts poisoning Kramer with propaganda. When he starts repeating it, a little boy calls him a traitor and his boss fires him. Kramer insists he didn’t realize communism “was such a sensitive issue,” so Mickey demands, “What do you think’s been going on in the world for the last 50 years!?”
Communism killed 100 million people, friends.
5. The Sponge (1995)
Raising money for research against the disease, Kramer joins the AIDS walk. However, he refuses to wear the AIDS ribbon simply because he’s told he has to. In a brutally honest sign of how “tolerant” the intolerant left can be, other people in the AIDS walk beat him up for it.
4. The Cartoon (1998)
The plot of this episode is that “comedian” Kathy Griffin is a talentless hack who can only get attention when attacking better people. Griffin herself appears in an episode where that’s literally the plot. They saw the future!
3. The Mom and Pop Store (1994)
The main theme of this episode is that Jon Voight is a terrific guy – even features a cameo by the man himself!
2. The Finale (1998)
Our troupe of fools get stranded in rural America for the first time in the series’ run. When they laugh at a man getting mugged rather than help him, they’re sentenced to a year in prison. New Yorkers are self-absorbed, heartless misanthropes. That’s the point the show had been making all along.
1. The Cigar Store Indian (1993)
Often mentioned on lists like this, either in praise or scorn, this episode unrepentantly attacks political correctness. The highlight is when Jerry innocently asks for directions to a local Chinese restaurant from a postman who, it turns out is himself Asian American, and explodes in what might be the first televised instance of a “micro-aggression.”
“Aren't we all getting a little too sensitive?” Jerry later complains in what might be the best line from the series. “I mean, someone asks me which way's Israel, I don't fly off the handle!”
Enjoy! Seinfeld is still probably the best sitcom ever written, and it’s aged better than one would except. Just make sure you have it on DVD, before woketarians start blocking golden episodes like these from streaming platforms.