The Office was a TV show that aired on NBC from 2005 to 2013. It was a comedy loosely based on the UK sitcom with the same name. The main character Michael Scott, who is a Regional Manger seems to have a disconnection with reality and comedy. He often makes jokes and shares opinions that are purely offensive. Racism, sexism, inappropriate behavior, among other things are central to the shows baseline of comedy. This often gets him into trouble. During the episode titled Diversity Day, as a way to get his staff to open up about different race he instructs his staff to “… name a race you’re sexually attracted to”. It’s hard to blame Michael Scott, he simply has the same condition that some subgroups of society have today.
Believing in moderate political change and especially social improvement by governmental action is what defines the idea of someone who has progressive beliefs according to Miriam Webster. Some of the side effects of it such as Cancel Culture, Wokeness and the confusion between comedy and reality. People often express their frustration or opposition sensitive idea with hashtags, hashtags typically are the reason for post on social media going viral. For the sake of clarity, this shouldn’t be interpreted as some sort of politically based opinion where we tell “snowflakes” to toughen up. This is an exploration of a subject that may offend some people but this is this the hope of providing a new way of thinking. A way of thinking that does not condone victim shaming or rape culture, racism and other otherwise offensive subjects.
#MeeToo
It seems that every other week a show is canceled or put on hold because of an accusation or discovery of old tweets such as James Gunn telling dirty jokes. It’s hard to have sympathy for someone who might have done something egregious, lewd and/or unlawful. Consider the mindset of the victim, it would have taken a lot of courage to simply speak up. There’s a fear of not being heard, being called a liar or a slut. The longer the hesitation, the more chance there is to not be believed. Everyone is creating picture in their head of what might have happened. Some are basing their judgement on whatever news outlet first broke the story. Their children will surely be teased at school and she/he may have to have the talk sooner than anticipated.
Without any doubt or hesitation justice must be served, victim shaming is a horrible thing. What if we could question the facts, without it being considered victim shaming. Consider though, what if the victim does in fact remember something egregious but mis-remembers things about the event, possible who the perpetrator was, or what lead up to the event? Most people remember that guy or girl in school who made up stories about what they did on their vacation. Sally, who flirts with the older football players to get rides to the mall. Alan, the 10th grader who is dating his sister’s 19-year-old friend. No one is perfect, everyone has a dash of salt in their past. What happens when that dash of salt threatens your way of life or freedom? What if the dash of salt doesn’t even belong to you?
Although it’s appropriate to punish those who have done something wrong, cancel-culture is a subject that seems to be punishing individuals without due process. Due Process is a term that gets thrown around a lot by persons in defense of people who are being accused of something bad. It’s used to describe a situation where a person’s life is impacted by something that may not have been proven. The truth is that term has no place in these situations. It has a very specific legal connotation that applies to the judicial system. It has nothing to do with employment decisions, being judged or scrutinized.
Does that mean that it’s okay to fire someone over an accusation? Neil DeGrasse Tyson is the self-proclaimed “People’s Astrophysicist,” star of the show Star Talk, Cosmos and the author of several books with the intentions of teaching non-scientist an understanding of advanced scientific topics. On December 1, 2018 he was accused of inappropriate behavior and rape. Star Talk filming was put on hold while the networks FOX and NatGeo investigated.
After almost a year of investigation the networks found no wrong doing by the people’s astrophysicist. Star Talk resumed recording. Unfortunately, his reputation is still stained. In each of the talk shows he’s appeared in since the hosts ask him about the allegations. He very awkwardly fumbles a response about it and attempts to redirect to his podcast or new book but it’s very apparent. It’s very possible he will always live under that shroud and what happened will certainly always be a part of his life story.
In this age of cancel culture, how has the dynamics in dating and courtship changed. How does someone show romantical interest without being a creep, or being called out? It appears men who are in shape and have a clean-cut shave can hit on all the women, and the women rush to sit on their lap and flirt back. People like Neil DeGrasse Tyson invite someone over for wine and cheese and get accused of creepy behavior. In the future, will woman be the ones to initiate contact, or are men going to be expected to read “signs” or “take a hint” in this new social climate.
#Woke
Being woke is the idea that one person’s set of opinions or beliefs are somehow more modern or enlightened than others, that the current idea’s are consistent with the current version of what is right and wrong. People continuously examine and call out everyone’s past action and compare it to their current idea of perfection. This culture of calling people out for their previous ideas or even for not being culturally acceptable is referred to as being woke and is collectively called woke-culture. The ideas associated with being woke
This idea that you are of the highest cultural status because you believe no one should ever do anything that could be offensive, or insensitive. One of the most “woke” presidents in history Barrack Obama says it himself:
This idea of purity and you’re never compromised, and you’re always politically ‘woke’ and all that stuff, you should get over that quickly. The world is messy; there are ambiguities. people who do really good stuff have flaws … That’s not activism. That’s not bringing about change… If all you’re doing is casting stones, you’re probably not going to get that far.(Obama)
If people are so concerned with how people act, they need to recognize that their wokeness is nothing more than casting stones. This elevates one’s own perception of him or herself by pointing out other peoples flaws. Is it progressive to call people out for being insensitive, or is it being judgmental? The biggest problem with this idea of wokeness is that it doesn’t address the real issues in the world but at the same time it gives people a placebo type of gratification. President Obama gives an example of this “Man you see how woke I was, I called you out” (Obama). Some get the gratification being progressive and enlightened without making any real improvements. Maybe it’s a good idea to instead of tweeting about how insensitive Dave Chapelle’s latest special was towards the LGBTQ community. They could be tweeting about the government leaders who are threatening LGBTQ rights. They could be tweeting about their corrupt politicians, predatory student loans amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars and worthless certificates issued by fake colleges. The list goes on of course. There are so many real issues to attack.
#Racism
The subjects of racism has changed over time on TV. There is more racism on the news than there is on sitcoms. Except for a few shows such as The Office, South Park and Family Guy. These shows use comedy by creating characters that fit too perfectly into stereotypes such as Stanley, Token and Cleveland respectively. What is missing are those thought-provoking issues that force families to think, “What if it was my child”. Each time the news airs a story about a racist extremist, I immediately think of the shows I watch growing up. They must have not the episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air where Will and Carlton got locked up for stealing a car (Borowits). All these scenes were comedic in nature, they were thought provoking nonetheless
These thought-provoking scenes are the missing link in today’s entertainment since they fail to regularly remind people that discrimination exist today. They can no longer put the viewer into the shoes of the victim. All the things that those episodes were addressing still happen today. There are very few programs on TV today that force families to think about these kinds of situations. In the show “All In The Family”, the main character Archie Bunker is known to say racist things because he is convinced that is the way of life. The overarching theme of the show; however, is that Archie learns that his way of thinking is wrong. He interacts with minorities and learns from them. In an episode, Archie stands up to KKK members defending African Americans, calling himself black for receiving “black blood buddy, a whole lot of it, I think enough to maybe fill up a 6-pack” demanding that they stop burning crosses (Weiskopf). Will and Carlton face racism and discrimination not just by bad police officers but also by fraternity mates when they enter college for not being urban enough. Again, people face these things today. But not everyone is introduced to these ideas in a way that provides them a foundation to build their personalities.
With these changes I think it would be easier for people to distinguish between reality and jokes. There is a lot of attention today about stand-up comedians being insensitive or being part of the problem. The problem with that assertion is that when someone tunes into a stand-up routing, they know what they are signing up for. Dave Chappelle would be better at explaining this “remember, [expletive], you clicked on my face” (Chappelle). People know they are not watching a source of news, or a documentary. This is not a medium to influence people on how they should see their peers.
#We’reNotAllowedToForget
Times are different now and everyone accepts that. Certain things are no longer acceptable. What about the things you’ve done in the past, the things that people have forgotten? The things that used to be okay, but now are horrible and disgusting? Touching Tammy’s butt in science class. That dishonest checkmark on your first job application. Hooking up with your classmate behind in supply box. For most of us, these things are gone. Now, there seems to be an ever-running ledger of what everyone is doing. Our existence is now self-documenting by our own desire to share what we experience. It is documented by onlookers, friends and family who choose to record, post and/or share. It is documented by our Google searches, text messages and screenshots of Snapchats.
Social Media is on the internet, so it follows the same rule of law. Once on the internet, It’s always one the internet. Edward Snowden recently appeared on the Joe Rogan experiment and he described it best.
Our worst mistakes, our deepest shames were forgotten, right? They were lost. They were ephemeral … they were known for a time, maybe they’re still remembered by people who are closest to us… Whether we’re talking about Facebook, whether we’re talking about Google, whether we’re talking about the government … Everything that we do now lasts forever. Not because we want to remember, but because we’re not allowed to forget. (Snowden)
We didn’t think too much about those things, people knew times were different then and they accepted the person as they are now. That was the de facto standard, regardless of who you were all that mattered is who you are now.
#SoThenWhat
So, what should be done about MeToo, and Racism on TV. The #MeToo movement was long overdue, it’s good has so far outweighed the bad. It was successful in bringing the worlds attention to a very underappreciated topic. It’s time to take this change to an official level. Permanent changes that influence both the protection of victims and the process of finding the facts first are needed. People are aware that animals are poached in African and the Amazon. Being aware isn’t stopping the poachers. We would have to do more than just change the narrative. The statute of limitations needs to be revised for violent or sexual offenses. There should be no running clock when a victim is involved.
When Neil DeGrasse Tyson was first accused he took the time to address the public and fans, in his closing remarks he included the following “Accusations can damage a reputation and a marriage. Sometimes irreversibly. I see myself as loving husband and as a public servant – a scientist and educator who serves at the will of the public” (Tyson). Humans are humans, victims should be protected, but be cautious, the alleged perpetrator may in fact be the victim.
We need to provide an appropriate means to call out sexual offenders, victims need a way to issue complaints about potential offenders without putting that victim at risk of public persecution and removing the opportunity for someone to make allegations to get fame or attention. These things need to be removed from the equation completely. This could be a new entity of government, or non-profit, that has the power to investigate and make referrals to the law enforcement agency or employers. It’s very possible that the investigation results in wrong doings that do not constitute a crime, or it doesn’t meet this new modified version of statute of limitations. This agency should have the ability to send the findings to employers when the individual is in a position that may violate the company’s interest, or the safety of customers or peers. Or the individual is a position where he could easily continue the wrong doings if unchecked.
Regarding racism, the entertainment industry aren’t truly the ones responsible for educating our kids and the public on race, discrimination and sexism. Having attended public school, there was never any lessons about how to identify discrimination. We were only taught about the separate but equal doctrine, legal segregation, Brown v The Board of Education and Martin Luther King Jr. These are respectively significant moments in history which teenagers need to learn about, but they really shouldn’t be focusing on these things as if they only exist in the past. This system needs to be reworked and curriculum needs to be introduced to satisfy and grow student’s emotional intelligence and cultural competencies, the understanding, acceptance and tolerate the differences between cultures and identities.
Comedians should continue to do comedy, it’s simply not their job to teach kids, it’s their parents and the education system. It’s their job to make us laugh when we need it, and they love doing it. Focus on real issues and what can really change. Should The Office be brought back to primetime? Steve Carrel stated during an interview with Esquire “The climate’s different … so much of it was predicated on inappropriate behavior … A lot of what is depicted on that show is completely wrong-minded.” (Carrell). He’s correct in this assertion. Times are different now. But the content hasn’t changed. And the office is still the most watched TV show on Netflix (Sharf). It’s very much still in everyone’s home, perhaps more so than 2013. The primary and secondary school system does need to engage in more sensitive topics. These years are critical to the foundation of a person’s personality. Teachers may face scrutiny for engaging in these sensitive subjects. Protection for those teachers and education officials should be enhanced. Even though it’s not the job of the entertainment industry, it would help if they threw us a bone and included more thought-provoking content.
Hashtags are a useful way to get an important idea it’s much needed attention, perhaps we can use them more effectively, and in areas that help those who need it the most. Once the attention is there though, there are people appointed and elected and to formalize social change. Those are the people who should be in our #Hashtag.
WORKS CITED
Borowits, Susan, Borowitz, Andy. “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, Mistaken Identity season 1, episode 2, NBC, 25 Oct. 1990, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW9pklBXqk4
Chappel, Dave. Giorgis, Hannah. “The Fear in Dave Chappelle’s New Special.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 28 Aug. 2019, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/08/dave-chappelle-doubles-down-sticks-and-stones/596947/.
Carrel, Steve. Handy, Bruce. “MENSCH AT WORK: Esquire.” Esquire, 1 Nov. 2018, classic.esquire.com/article/2018/11/1/mensch-at-work.
Itkowitz, Colby. “’I Get It’: Joe Biden, Accused of Inappropriate Physical Contact by Multiple Women, Says He Will Change His Behavior.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 4 Apr. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/joe-biden-accused-of-inappropriate-physical-contact-by-multiple-women-says-he-will-change-his-behavior/2019/04/03/05b5ea58-5643-11e9-814f-e2f46684196e_story.html.
Novak, BJ. “The Office (US).” Diversity Day, season 1, episode 2, NBC, 29 Mar. 2005. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePbipufCPYw
Weiskopf Bob, Schiller Bob, “All In The Family”, Archie and the KKK, season 8, episode 165, 3 Dec. 1977, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M56XfXXhgus
Obama, Barrack. Rueb, Emily S., and Derrick Bryson Taylor. “Obama on Call-Out Culture: ‘That’s Not Activism’.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 31 Oct. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/us/politics/obama-woke-cancel-culture.html.
Sharf, Zack. “Netflix Users Are Spending More Time Streaming ‘The Office’ Than Any Other Show – Report.” IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2019, www.indiewire.com/2019/04/the-office-netflix-most-streamed-series-friends-1202127682/.
Snowden, Edward, and Joe Rogan. “Joe Rogan Edward Snowden Podcast Interview Transcript.” Rev, 23 Oct. 2019, www.rev.com/blog/joe-rogan-edward-snowden-podcast-interview-transcript-rogan-spends-almost-3-hours-interviewing-snowden.
Tyson, Neil deGrasse. “On Being Accused.” On Being Accused, Facebook, 9 Dec. 2018, www.facebook.com/notes/neil-degrasse-tyson/on-being-accused/10156870826326613/.