In contrast to her co-star on Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus believes that political correctness is perfectly acceptable.
The 63-year-old actor was questioned about Jerry Seinfeld’s candid views on the difficulties of making humor in the modern world in a recent profile published by The New York Times.
Seinfeld stated in April on The New Yorker Radio Hour that “PC crap” and the “extreme left” are to blame for TV’s decline in humor. He claimed that the reason sitcoms nowadays don’t make people laugh is because comedians are too afraid about offending their viewers.
However, Louis-Dreyfus stated that she frequently views criticism of political correctness in humor as a “red flag.”
“You might find bits and pieces that don’t age well if you look back on comedy and drama both, let’s say, 30 years ago, through the lens of today,” the speaker said. Additionally, I believe that being aware of one’s sensitivity is not a negative thing. That does not imply that all humor is lost as a result.
“I understand why people might push back on political correctness when I hear people starting to complain about it, but to me that’s a red flag, because it sometimes means something else,” she said. “I think it’s okay to be conscious of some sensitivities.
Days later, when Louis-Dreyfus and the New York Times journalist reconvened, the Veep star expounded on her remarks regarding political correctness.
“Insofar as it translates into tolerance, I think political correctness is obviously fantastic,” she stated. “Of course, I reserve the right to respect people’s right to free speech while also booing anyone who says something that offends me.”
According to Louis-Dreyfus, “the consolidation of money and power” is the entertainment industry’s “bigger problem” than political correctness.
According to her, the division of distributors, streaming services, and production studios could be limiting independent voices and endangering art in general.
Louis-Dreyfus stated that she does not believe Seinfeld could be adapted for television in part because of the current climate in which it is challenging to secure funding and support for novel and creative TV concepts.
“When Seinfeld was created, it was truly unheard of at the time. She remembered it as just a group of losers hanging out. “Especially these days, it seems like everyone is afraid.”
Because comedians are more cautious about the reception of their gags, Louis-Dreyfus claimed she “can’t judge” if comedy is better today. She stated plainly that authors today, whether they write comedy or drama, need to view the world through “a different lens” than they did decades before.
Seinfeld concurred in an April interview that producing Seinfeld would be considerably different in the modern era. He pointed out several risque gags, one in particular from an episode when Kramer employs some homeless men to wheel rickshaws around the city, as the kind of Seinfeld skit that would never be allowed on television these days.
During the publicity tour for his directorial debut, the Pop-Tart-inspired film Unfrosted, Seinfeld’s perspective on political correctness has garnered both admiration and derision.
The 70-year-old actor stated in May that he misses the “agreed-upon hierarchy” and “dominant masculinity” of earlier decades.
