Incompetence

Of gullibility and foolishness.

by Stephen Greenspan, Ph.D.

Foolish Sitcom Characters

Would Cosmo Kramer Survive in the Real World?

Published on October 7, 2010 by Stephen Greenspan, Ph.D. in Incompetence

The Seinfeld sitcom, one of the most popular TV shows of all time, was described by its creators and principals as "a show about nothing". In fact, like many predecessors such as I love Lucy, The Honeymooners, My Little Margie, and Life of Riley, the show is about something, namely foolish behavior and the difficulty in getting out of messes created by characters who show consistently poor judgment. One is reminded, for example, of the recurring refrain of William Bendix's character in Riley: "what a revolting development this is", and the similar refrain of Gail Storm's character in Margie: "I've got a problem."

All four of the central characters in Seinfeld behave foolishly, but Kramer clearly takes first prize in the foolishness sweepstakes. This is reflected in the very end of "The Wife" episode (so named because Jerry pretends to be married to his girlfriend so he can get her dry cleaning discount). Kramer wants to look his best when he goes to meet his new girlfriend's family, so he spends time in a tanning studio, where he falls asleep in the tanning bed and comes out looking like he is in blackface. When he rings the doorbell, his girlfriend's father, who is Black, opens the door, takes one look at Kramer, and says angrily: "I thought you were bringing a white boy home. I don't see a white boy, I see a damn fool."

A brief look at some of the messes resulting from Kramer's profound lack of common sense serves to illustrate that he is a fool first and foremost because he rarely anticipates the likely risky consequences-practical or social--of his actions or verbalizations. A good example of this occurred in the episode "The Hamptons" (also known popularly as "ugly baby" and "shrinkage"), in which the four main characters spend a weekend at a vacation home at the seashore. During the episode, Kramer finds a tethered lobster trap and thinks it is acceptable to take the contents. He cooks a lobster feast for his friends and is later arrested for theft and sentenced to pick up roadside trash.

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The lobster incident illustrated Kramer's chronic failure to take social perspectives, recognize social convention or anticipate sometimes serious social consequences (in the Hamptons episode also mentioning to George that he had seen his date sun-bathing topless). As example, Kramer: failed to understand ("The Puerto Rican Day") that stomping in public on an accidentally-incinerated Puerto Rican flag could get him attacked by a crowd watching New York's annual Puerto Rican Day parade; failed to understand ("The Nose Job") that commenting negatively on a woman's appearance could be deeply offensive (although here, as was often the case, he got away with it); failed to understand ("The Keys") that visiting excessively could endanger a friendship; and failed to anticipate that parking in a prohibited parking area ("The Handicap Spot") or urinating in a parking garage ("The Parking Garage") could get one arrested.

Dramatic as were Kramer's many socially foolish acts, it was in the arena of practical (physical) foolishness that he came close to getting himself and others killed or seriously injured. Examples are: when Kramer failed ("The Doodle") to appreciate the seriousness of the fumigation warning on Jerry's door and spent 90 minutes in his friend's gas-filled apartment eating and reading; when he painted over the white lines ("The Pothole") to make the lanes wider on the highway he had adopted, without understanding the potential for causing crashes; when he failed to understand the danger in telling someone about to have surgery ("The Jimmy") to ignore the advice not to eat before anesthesia, saying "Oh no, you got to eat before surgery, you need your strength"; when he failed to anticipate the danger to himself and his pet chicken ("The Little Jerry") of getting involved in cock fighting; and when he attempted to get water out of his ear ("The Finale") by bouncing violently on one leg in the aisle of a small private plane, causing it to go out of control and make a crash landing.

Kramer, like other sitcom characters, is a fictional fool, but the inspiration for his risk-oblivious conduct undoubtedly comes from real world behaviors one can read about every time one opens a newspaper. If Kramer were an actual person, he likely would not have survived the first season, either by getting himself killed or by getting in serious legal or career trouble (as Michael Richards, the actor who portrayed Kramer, did in 2006 when he went on a disturbing racist rant after being heckled during a standup performance). All of us, no matter how smart or competent we might be, are only one foolish act away from catastrophe. Although created solely for their entertainment value, sitcoms might have educational utility in helping individuals (such as one real-life Kramer I know) learn to make better decisions in their everyday lives.

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Tags: damn fool, doorbell, foolishness, i love lucy, messes, new girlfriend, poor judgment, popular tv, profound lack, seashore, tanning bed

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Stephen Greenspan, Ph.D., is emeritus professor of educational psychology at the University of Connecticut and clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado.

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