Viciously Deadpan

In the second season of NBC’s Emmy award-winning sitcom, The Office, starring Steve Carell, the efforts of the writing team focus on sexual harassment and the blind eye that is given to it by corporate business. The show’s satire focuses on the dominant male chauvinistic role of Michael Scott (Carell), Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company whose constant ego-driven tendencies in the workplace spring him into the most awkward of situations with his employees as well as higher-ups. He represents male dominance in the common day work place while poking fun at the abilities of the under-privileged being suffocated by the incompetent social elitists. Today’s audience, and U.S. culture as a whole, is very familiar with the plight mediocre worker, trying to make it through day by day and this show gives the audience an escape from reality and the opportunity to see karma make its way, however slow and indiscreet, to those who have it coming.

In this particular episode one of Michael’s old buddies, Todd Packer, the epitome of a male chauvinism, makes an appearance in the office to tell Michael about a raunchy story of why the CFO resigned. Todd not only tells Michael, but decides to tell the story loud and clear in front of all the employees, both mean and women. This prompts the head of Human Relations, Toby (a voice of reason), to tell Michael that due to recent events corporate headquarters is doing a mandatory refresher course on the company’s sexual harassment policy. Toby represents your mediocre, middle-aged, level-headed employee that is constantly brought down by Michael, who flies off the handle when he hears this news that he can no longer forward these idiotic emails. The absurd exaggerated fashion in which Michael acts in front everyone is laughable to say the least. And what could make the boss of an entire office so upset about a lawyer coming in to talk about sexual harassment? Email forwards: “the multimedia (sic) of our generation”. These almost always perverted, very inappropriate emails are forwarded to everyone in the office by him and that is his way of creating a ‘friendly atmosphere’. He not only doesn’t create a friendly atmosphere, he makes most of his employees feel uncomfortable, the exact opposite of his goal. It should also be noted that Michael uses most of his time at work forwarding said emails instead of doing vital work to prevent his branch of the from downsizing. This clear obliviousness to what is really important is at the heart of this comedy. Today's audience can relate the office workers of Dunder Mifflin whether it be because they have worked from someone like that or they know someone like that, maybe they even are that person and that's why they enjoy the show so much. Most people in today’s society have to sit back and laugh at such absurdity. Such is life.