Ms. Alexander notes that "Seinfeld" consistently failed to address social issues, no doubt one of the main reasons for its success. In the same paper, Ms. Alexander writes an op-ed piece on the Texas cattlemen's defamation suit against Oprah Winfrey—perhaps the most beloved and successful broadcaster ever—following her speculative comments about the possibility of contracting mad cow disease from eating beef:Following comedian Jerry Seinfeld's announcement that he will end his top-rated NBC sitcom this spring, we have seen a frenzy of coverage about the "loss" of the Thursday night comedy. At the risk of spoiling the pity party, it's worth pointing out that the reverential media coverage of "Seinfeld" has overlooked an intriguing fact: Comparatively few black Americans watched the show. I don't think I'm alone among black Americans when I say that "Seinfeld" was never a "must-see" proposition for me.
As we see it, "Seinfeld" perhaps best represents a troubling trend in recent programming, the proliferation of high-profile network sitcoms depicting a World Without Blacks....
[T]he crux of the Oprah trial lies in the American obsession with power—who has it, how they got it, and whether they think they deserve it. Whatever beefs one may have with Oprah, the truth is that she is a black woman, and she is one of the most powerful people in America. She is a woman many love to hate, even as they tune in to her show, buy books she recommends, and lust after her empire. We might respect the cattlemen more if they said what they really mean: Here we've let this black gal get rich and famous, and this is the thanks we get.
