Comedy In The Office

In this essay I will be discussing the show the Office and its use of comedy to highlight sensitive issues in today’s society. Such topics as racism, sexism and harassment in the work place are very important, however pretty hard to talk about and arguably not discussed enough. The Office takes upon itself to shed the light on sensitive matters with the use of comedy and satire. While some might find the series pretty offensive, majority argues that the in-your-face use of comedy is needed to attract viewers and attention to the message. A pretty simple show at a first glance has a much deeper meaning to it, as its aim is to ridicule those who think the behaviour portrayed in the Office is somehow still acceptable today.

The Office is a mockumentary,

The majority of times females are portrayed as lesser beings than males and that they should be treated as such. Phyllis is a middle age overweight sales woman who is very soft spoken. She’s constantly being ridiculed about her weight and the way she dresses. In one episode Michael even tells Phyllis to get a makeover. On the other end of the spectrum, the receptionist Pam who’s young and pretty is criticized only a few times on her really bad days. This setup sends a message that Pam’s appearance is acceptable and not Phyllis, pointing fingers to media today showing perfect women only and making everyone else feel bad. The sexist comments made in the show are so outrageous that no one could possibly believe they’re meant to be serious (sexist quote). D’Acci’s article talks about how gender differences are portrayed in television. D’Acci explains, “it is in social and cultural institutions like television that specific representations of gender get generated day in and day out and circulated as tacit and not so tacit norms to millions of viewers the world over”(p. 385). She argues that these representations “the social construction, has come to stand in for an imaginary original reality” (p375). The portrayal of women on The Office displays the gender hierarchies that are still very prevalent in our society. Even though comments like that may seem purely comical; they can still have a negative impact among the staff members in the office, especially the ones that are already feeling vulnerable. Many of the episodes on the series show the negative impact of such harmless jokes, with the staff members discussing afterwards into a private camera about the personal feelings that they are experiencing. Social hierarchies in the office space or society ion general are produced by a suggested division between different sexes and races. The Office