Comedian Jerry Seinfeld expressed nostalgia for a past era of “dominant masculinity” and clear social hierarchies.
In an interview, he said he admired figures like John F. Kennedy and Muhammad Ali as models of “real men.”
While making a new film about a 1960s cereal rivalry, Seinfeld suggested the period appeals to some due to having an “agreed-upon hierarchy,” unlike today’s lack of clear social structure.
“I really thought when I was in that era, again, it was [John F. Kennedy], it was Muhammad Ali, it was Sean Connery, Howard Cosell, you can go all the way down there. That’s a real man,” he said.
“But I miss a dominant masculinity,” he added. “Yeah, I get the toxic thing. Thank you, thank you. But still, I like a real man.”
He believes this absence of hierarchy contributes to more erratic behavior.
“But there’s another element there that I think is the key element, and that is an agreed-upon hierarchy, which I think is absolutely vaporized in today’s moment,” Seinfeld said. “And I think that is why people lean on the horn and drive in the crazy way that they drive because we have no sense of hierarchy.”
Seinfeld has also been critical of “extreme left” culture and political correctness hampering comedy, saying popular shows of the past provided reliable humorous entertainment that is now lacking due to worries over offense.
In several interviews, the comedian voiced preference for social norms and masculine archetypes common in earlier decades compared to current trends.
“It used to be that you’d go home at the end of the day, most people would go, ‘Oh,’ Cheers’ is on. Oh, ‘M.A.S.H.’ is on. Oh, ‘[The] Mary Tyler Moore [Show]’ is on, ‘All in the Family’ is on.’ You just expected [there will] be some funny stuff we can watch on TV tonight,” he said.
“Well, guess what? Where is it? Where is it? This is the result of the extreme left and P.C. crap and people worrying so much about offending other people.”
