Jerry Seinfeld Sure Sounds Like a Conservative in His Duke Commencement Address

PJ Media ^ | 05/13/2024 | Matt Margolis

[SeekAndFind]

I've been a fan of Jerry Seinfeld since I was in middle school. His sitcom "Seinfeld" has been my favorite show since I was 11 or 12 years old. As an adult, I've gone to see him do stand-up comedy several times.

I've appreciated the fact that unlike many of his Hollywood contemporaries, he's remained rather apolitical in public. I've never had any illusions that he wasn't a liberal. He's a Jew from New York, after all, and he's reportedly very close with George Stephanopoulos and his wife. Seinfeld's co-stars and collaborators, however, have never been shy about pushing their politics. Heck, even Jason Alexander, who played George Costanza on "Seinfeld" has blocked me on X/Twitter.

Seinfeld delivered a commencement address at Duke University over the weekend, which we covered here at PJ Media because antisemitic graduates decided to stage a walkout during his speech. Today, however, I want to talk about what he actually said during his speech.

"Privilege is a word that has taken quite a beating lately," Seinfeld pointed out. "Privilege today seems to be the worst thing you can have. I would like to take a moment to defend it. Again, a lot of you are thinking, I can't believe they invited this guy. Too late. I say, 'Use your privilege.' I grew up a Jewish boy from New York. That is a privilege if you want to be a comedian."

[SeekAndFind]

Seinfeld continued:

If I messed up a funny story around my relatives, they would go 'That's not how you tell that joke. The prostitute has to be behind the drapes when the wife comes in.' You went to Duke—that is an unbelievable privilege. I now have an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from Duke University. And if I can figure out a way to use that, I will.

I haven't figured anything out yet. I think it's pretty much as useful in real life as this outfit I'm wearing. But so what? I'll take it. My point is we're embarrassed about things we should be proud of and proud of things we should be embarrassed about.

[ncfool]

He has said for at least 10 years that he tried to stay away from any type of political humor because he was more concerned about his reputation is a genuine comedian.

[Reverend Wright]

“Jerry Seinfeld Sure Sounds Like a Conservative ...”

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Regime “conservatives” are so needy and pathetic when it comes to validation by liberal elites.

[llevrok]

Jerry, as other comedians who work “clean”, get “canceled” on many college campuses. That will open up one’s political eyes.

[xoxox]

To be a conservative entertainer is to “appear apolitical”. Or else.

[clintonh8r]

Jerry and I agree on this:

Letterman: What’s on your bucket list?
Jerry: Bucket list? I don’t believe in bucket lists. I just change the b to an f and leave it at that.

[mjp]

"Privilege is a word that has taken quite a beating lately," Seinfeld pointed out. "Privilege today seems to be the worst thing you can have. I would like to take a moment to defend it.

The antidote to white privilege and any other form of privilege is not redistributionism, egalitarianism, or government interventionism, but rather freedom of opportunity.

[Lizavetta]

and he's reportedly very close with George Stephanopoulos and his wife.

The wife is the "schmoopie" girlfriend in the soup nazi episode, fyi.

[Angelino97]

He's not a conservative by the standards of a generation ago, much less of the 1950s.

He's just another leftist who stood still (in his case, in the 1990s, when his show promoted gay culture and abortion), so that he looks conservative by today's standards.

[Angelino97]

Regime “conservatives” are so needy and pathetic when it comes to validation by liberal elites.

True.

Conservatives are also desperate to find conservatives in popular culture.

"That thrash metal band that flashed their p*nis on stage -- their new song has lyrics complaining about the government! I'll bet they vote Republican!"

[x]

... he's reportedly very close with George Stephanopoulos and his wife ...

It took me a while to realize that that George was the Clinton/ABC guy, and not Jerry Stiller's son on the show.

[UnwashedPeasant]

A classic liberal is far closer to a modern conservative than to a modern leftist.

[DPMD]

for many wide awake American Jews, overt war on all Jews, calls for their death universally, and the bombing into oblivion of their homeland, can sometime produce a turn around. Or at least a critical assessment of their ideology vis a vis their self interests.

[yelostar]

"Making work easier, this is the problem. So obsessed with getting to the answer completing the project, producing a result—which are all valid things—but not where the richness of the human experience lies. The only two things you ever need to pay attention to in life, are work and love. Things that are self-justified in the experience and who cares about the result? Stop rushing to what you perceive as some valuable endpoint. Learn to enjoy the expenditure of energy that may or may not be on the correct path."

[Sir_Humphrey]

I dunno. I have always been able to separate artists from their politics. That's why I liked Springsteen's music (though nothing since The Rising) and thing Larry David is funny as hell and think Tom Hanks is a good actor.

I also an a huge Seinfeld far. IMHO, it is the best sitcom of all time and yes that included I love Lucy and all in the Family. But I am very pleasantly surprised at this. I always assumed (Yes I know what happens when you assume) that being Jewish and from NYC, Jerry was a doctrinaire liberal. But apparently not or at least he isn't a full fledged libtard.

Could it be we are starting to see a groundswell of people abandoning the liberal mindset?

[Vermont Lt]

Could it be we are starting to see a groundswell of people abandoning the liberal mindset?
————————————

I think what you are seeing is a traditional/historical democrat. Today’s democrats are way, way over to the left and listening to them is akin to listening to a college professor drone on about some theory of how the world should work—but who has never held a real job.

But when you hear Fetterman talking these days you do a double take because he almost sounds reasonable. He is merely acting and sounding like a 1960’s dem, not a 2020 one.

The media has forced both parties further to their extreme sides. They do that because it generates energy; not because most members of their parties think that way. Now, the people who adhere to those tail end thoughts will become absolutely rabid if you don’t play along with them.

I am sure Jerry was merely being “reasonable.” And not “excitable”. Those are rare qualities in public figures these days.

[Sir_Humphrey]

The media has forced both parties further to their extreme sides.

When strictly talking policies, I see that from the Democrat side. I do not see that from the Republican side. I can not think of one example where the GOP is more conservative in 2024 then they were in 1960 but I sure can see tons of examples of the Dems being more left wing in 2024 than they ever were.

[vpintheak]

Shame that conservative has been boiled down so far that people with any kind of common sense is called conservative.

[dfwgator]

Exactly. The Liberal Bus keeps going, it’s a matter of when you decide to get off of the bus.

[Angelino97]

A classic liberal is far closer to a modern conservative than to a modern leftist.

A modern conservative is far closer to today's woke leftist than to conservatives of the 1950s.

Chew on that.