People are staring at plane seats instead of watching a movie—and one 'Seinfeld' episode might be to blame

TikTok is no stranger to strange trends, and one of the latest to resurface involves people "raw-dogging" flights—that is, sitting on a plane with no headphones, no book, no phone, and no distractions, just staring straight ahead with nothing but their thoughts to keep them company. While it sounds like a new concept, actor Patrick Warburton is now weighing in on the trend and says he might have unknowingly helped start it decades ago. Warburton, who played David Puddy on "Seinfeld," posted on his TikTok account @thepatrickwarburton, reacting to the viral "raw-dogging" videos.

In his TikTok, Warburton says, "So this 'raw dogging' has become a bit of a thing, and I feel a bit responsible." He then cuts to the "Seinfeld" scene with the original exchange. In the original episode, Elaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, asks, "You want something to read?" to which Puddy responds, "No." She follows up with, "Okay. Well, are you gonna take a nap, or…" and Puddy simply says, "Nah." Finally, Elaine asks, "You just gonna sit there staring at the back of the seat?" and he replies, "Yeah," affirming that he will, in fact, sit for the entire flight doing absolutely nothing.

After the clip, Warburton adds his own commentary, saying, "My concern is that somebody's gonna get hurt. And if you go into this thing blindly, you know what I'm saying?" "Just not reading, watching something, you better be okay with what's going on up here," he says while pointing to his head. He continues, "I'm not. But it's weird and entertaining at times. Just be careful. That's all I'm saying. It's not for novices." He captioned the TikTok, "The ultimate Puddy stare | Try this trend at your own risk!" The video has since received over 318,000 views and 36,000 likes, with thousands of fans reacting to both the trend and Warburton’s take on it.

Many found the callback to Seinfeld hilarious and totally on-brand. @brannon.schoney wrote, "Oh yeah, it's all coming together." @buzzfeed commented, "It’s okay, we forgive you — but Elaine might not. High five!" @redwhiteandboooo pointed out, "It’s exactly why modern society avoids silence at all costs. It’s scary being alone with the voice in your head." @scotttranmusic suggested, "I think we should popularize 'rawdogging' not just flights, but in life as well. Just sit outside, phone safely tucked away, and be okay with what’s going on in [the brain]."

Some shared their stories of how their family members do the same thing. @user027143072 shared, "My husband and I act out this scene every time we take a flight. It's a good laugh every time, hahaha. But then he actually does it, and it freaks me out!" @ethereal.and.feral noted, "I've always flown that way. I won’t drink for 16 hours before a flight because I will NOT use that bathroom; I will NOT stand up until I get off the plane." @francorulz added, "My husband raw dogs flights, and that’s the exact term I use with him when we fly. And I have Elaine’s exact reaction. Every. Single. Time." @whirlynn penned, "I refer to this scene whenever I fly with my husband. He can just sit and stare. I am Elaine."

You can follow Patrick Warburton (@thepatrickwarburton) on TikTok for more content of him as an actor.