If you are unfortunate enough to talk to people with whom Seinfeld is a culturally relevant touchstone, you might hear a lot of the same. Of the main four, nobody in their right mind would pick Jerry himself as the best character. Even Seinfeld himself knows he wasn’t the funny character.

Of course the immediate response is that Kramer is the best character; he is in many ways a reflection of the audience. He sees the absurdity of his situation and because of that realization he lives life exclusively on his own terms. Kramer is the ultimate lumpenprole, contiously living off of one scheme or the next. His most remarkable characteristic is his luckiness, relying on one thing or another to “just work out” as it always does. He checks out of normal society, but does it in a way that does not disturb the status quo.

Elaine is who most of the audience acts like. She is the hand-wringing liberal who wishes to do good, but never at her own expense. She sees her own moral failings, recognizes and categorizes them, but makes no move away from them. Even greater, she often fetishes and commodifies the working man. Her relationship with Puddy is a great example of how on the surface she likes everything about his masculine/working class aesthetic, but fundamentally cannot rectify that with her bourgeoisie lifestyle. She reluctantly embraces her station as a PMC.

Jerry is the conservative, doesn’t need much more analysis. Reactionary and negative to any new change. Absolutely resentful of the working class.

But that brings us to the reason we all watch the show: George Costanza. Much like his friend she sees the basic absurdity of the society we live in. Half of George’s rants are on society and it’s limitations. But unlike Kramer who opts out of working (usually through plot means) George “participates” at the minimum amount of effort. More often than not he spits in the face of the bourgeoisie he works for. He’s no working’s man hero, but George more accurately represents how we feel. The game is rigged, the rules are arbitrary, how can I eke out an existence within this society without buying into the norms and rules that govern it.

George is unabashedly, almost ridiculously self-centered and not somebody to model their views after. But that is the character that rings truest to us. We have all felt like George trying to exist in a capitalist society, we have all had that moment of saying “screw was we’re told to do, I’m doing what feels right for me.” He reflects how in capitalism, sacrificing values is the best path to success. We see him lie and cheat and steal, never for anything noble. He represents how we actually are encouraged to function in society without the masks of “civility.” His motives are so blatantly self-serving we get to laugh down from our high horses, secretly knowing all the time we’re not too far removed from George’s decision making.

So there I am. George perfected sleeping at his desk and that’s all I have.