Reflection

This essay by far was the most difficult for me to write. One of the reasons why it was so difficult to write was because I felt that I could not find adequate research material that worked cohesively with my topic sentence. Another reason why this essay seemed hard for me to write is because I dont watch much television as my lack of free time prevents it. As a result, I did not dedicate as much time as I would like to do my television research. I sound like a broken record but I feel that my writing improves with each essay I write. I am able to incorporate different writing styles like the one we just learned. Appositives is a nice transition away from the standard sentence structure and gives an essay a nice characteristic. I am very confident in my introductions and my thesis as I feel that it give a concise description of what I will be writing about.

I learned a lot from this writing assignment. By analyzing sitcoms more closely, I see how the shows downplay our working culture. It amazes me how bashful the content is toward the workplace but interestingly, this is what we want as these shows are the most popular.

Sit-coms or Fictional-coms?

Bored and with nothing else to do, I threw myself onto the couch and instinctively turned on the television. As the flat screen started to warm up, I thought about which show I wanted to watch. How about turning to Headline News and see what is going on around the world? What about flipping the channel to The Hills, a reality TV show on MTV? Or perhaps SpongeBob Square Pants for a few laughs? I think of all the possible shows that are accessible at my fingertips and I instantly hear the voice of my mother running through my head. “Jon, don’t waste your time with the television, you will get nothing from it. TV doesn’t allow you to think or imagine, it does absolutely nothing for you. If you want real entertainment or want to learn something, go read a book.” I shrugged the thoughts of my mother out of my head and turned the television on anyway. “What does she know?” I said to myself, “I just don’t think she has experienced the greatness television offers.” I aimed the remote toward the television and clicked away.

The first thing that grabbed my attention was Ren and Stimpy, a show watched among children that follows the adventures of two dogs. “See, here is a nice show. I bet kids learn fundamental social skills such as sharing. I don’t know what my mom was talking about when she said all of that television rubbish.” As I paused a moment to relive the show that I followed so dearly as an adolescent, I noticed Ren and Stimpy attacking a man to near death. While Ren was holding the man down, Stimpy was kicking and punching with all his might. “Wait, I don’t remember this show ever being this violent.” The characters continued to beat the poor man until they were free to escape. Thinking nothing of it, I continued to flip the channels until I came across a show that sufficed my need for entertainment. I dialed in channel 331 and found myself on MTV. My finger hovered above the channel buttons as I assessed whether this show was worth investing the next hour of my life. The Real World: Las Vegas, a show about ten strangers getting along in the sin city of Las Vegas, was on and I found it pretty entertaining. “Now here is a realistic show that can’t be considered a waste of time. This is a show of ten real, normal people trying to live. This show can teach me what life is like after college.” I placed the remote down and watched. All the characters just got back from an assignment and are recuperating in their penthouse suite before they go out to party. The women are half naked as they put on their dresses for the night. Their bodies are flawless; long legs, small waists and plump breasts. The night progresses and they are all back in the suite. The alcohol is flowing in their bodies and the only thing on their minds is sex. The show then cuts to a camera scene in the bedroom where a couple is about to take it to the end. “Wow, this is like public pornography.” I decided to turn off the TV and get something to eat. About to get up and walk toward the kitchen, I decided to sit back down. I clasped my hands behind my head and pondered over a revelation induced by my mother and English teacher.

My mother was right, there seems to be more bad than good coming from the television screen. When I was a seven years old, I remember watching Ren and Stimpy religiously. I remember laughing, learning, and reenacting everything I saw. But when I look back now, was I really learning to be a malicious, violent animal? How was it that children were able to watch these graphic shows? Even now as a mature twenty one year old adult, I am shocked at the content I see on MTV. I find it scary that the shows that make me cringe and embarrassed are equally accessible to any five year old who knows how to work the remote. Regardless of how old you are, if you can navigate through the channels, you can watch whatever you want. With this being said, adolescents are tuning into material that is not conducive to healthy mental development. As said by author Mark Crotty in his article about the effects of television, “television viewing has been blamed for shortened attention spans, a loss of touch with reality, poor communication skills, a passiveness towards learning, lowered reading scores, et cetera.” Television is not only clogging our brains with material that is inappropriate, it is also portraying the world into a perception of fantasy rather than reality. The show The Real World, a title in which I find ironic, is anything but real. It is not typical to have ten attractive people that are all the same age who party and live together in a city which is considered an ideal vacation destination. After synthesizing my own experiences and the insights given from my English teacher, I have learned that television gives a false portrayal of the world, causing viewers to have perceptions that are unacceptable. For this essay, I studied three popular work-related sitcoms, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and 30 Rock, and have come to the conclusion that these shows portray the workplace in a comedic manner that is inaccurate to the real working environment. More specifically, while I find these sitcoms as acceptable for mass consumption, I do not, however, feel these shows properly define culture in mindful ways.

“The Office is an American satirical mockumentary television series that airs on NBC and is developed by Greg Daniels. An adaptation of the BBC series The Office, the series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. To simulate the look of an actual documentary, it is shot in a single-camera setup, without a studio audience or a laugh track. The presence of the camera is openly acknowledged by the characters.” The viewers of this popular show know The Office is a comedic take of the workplace, and as a result, the viewers know not to take the contents of the show too seriously. While I feel this viewers’ knowledge of the show makes it acceptable to watch, it does not excuse the fact that this show does not accurately portray our culture in an appropriate manner.

In the episode Frame Toby, Michael, the boss of the Scranton paper branch, has a continuing feud with coworker Toby, the human resources coordinator. Ever since these two characters were introduced, Michael has held a grudge against Toby due to undisclosed reasons. Toby is a nice, sensitive guy that is very likeable. He comes off as a peacemaker, as his job requires, than an instigator, giving him no reason to be hated upon. In this episode, Michael wants Toby out of the office for good as he cannot stand his presence in the workplace. As the title foreshadows, Michael attempts to frame Toby with an illegal act which will get Toby fired and gone from the office for good. Michael and Dwight, a salesman and “side-kick” of Michael, congregate and think of several scenarios that will get Toby fired. Many ideas develop to frame Toby, one of which is to catch him sexually assaulting another coworker, but the one that sticks with Michael is to frame him possessing illegal drugs. Michael thought this scenario would be very fitting because Toby just got back from a trip to Mexico and Michael immediately associates Mexico with marijuana use. As the show progresses, Michael finds a group of drug dealers and buys a couple ounces of the drug. When he comes back to the office, he discreetly puts the drug in Toby’s table drawer while Dwight calls the police, dropping a tip that someone within the office has illegal possession of marijuana. The cops arrive and forcefully search through Toby’s desk. While Toby is completely unaware of what is going on, he argues for invasion of privacy and demands the police to go away. The tension escalates and the camera focuses in on Michael, who instead of being elated with things going as planned, suddenly feels guilty for his actions. Michael’s conscience overpowers his conscious thoughts and ends up yelling the drugs were his, not Toby’s. When the police finally find the marijuana, they check to see the validity of the drug. After minutes of discussion, the police conclude that the marijuana was in fact left over parsley from someone’s lunch. The police leave the office and everyone continues on with their work. Michael is left with Toby and there is awkward silence between the two. Toby starts to ask why Michael would frame him and Michael runs away before he could finish the question.

This show supports my thesis that while its contents are suitable to watch, as there are no acts of violence or explicit sexual scenes, it does not define our working culture as an accurate portrayal of the real working life. This particular show is the epitome of the whole television series as to why this show does not properly define our culture. First of all, the boss, the one person of all who should be the most responsible and mature, is found to be immature and unfocused. To deal with a social problem he is having with Toby, his solution is to find a way to get him fired. Instead of confronting Toby on the reasons why he is not able to work peacefully with him, Michael resorts to unethical, childish means to resolve his uncomfortable situation. I find this situation in itself very ironic because Michael is trying to solve his work related complication with the one man who is in charge of these very types of problems, the human resources guy, Toby. This show gives its viewers the perception that all bosses are impulsive and irrational, that they care about nothing else other than their own well being. Instead of portraying Michael as a boss who is sincere and understanding, like most real bosses, The Office perceives bosses to the public as unapproachable and difficult, an inaccurate portrayal of the real working place.

Another way The Office downplays the working culture is by this episode’s plot of framing Toby. In real life the boss, the one person who makes sure the company is efficient and productive, needs the human resources adviser to ensure that the working environment is a comfortable place where everyone can do their job at the highest level. As a result, the human resources is one of the most prominent divisions in any workplace. The Office, however, downplays the human resources department as Michael tries to get the very man in control of this sector kicked out. This show gives the public the perception that the human resources division is futile and unneeded in any company. The Office implicitly alters our perception that the human resource man is the bad guy since Michael hates Toby so much, where in truth, the HR person should be considered one of our best friends. The fact of the matter is that human resources are here to help us solve any work related social problems so the actions similar to Michael’s would never happen.

Another work related sitcom that portrays false perceptions is Parks and Recreation. Parks and Recreation is a series that follows Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana, who hopes to improve her town while advancing her career to reach her personal aspiration of becoming the first female president. Leslie takes on a park project with Ann, a nurse at the local hospital, to turn a construction pit into a park while trying to mentor a bored college-aged intern. While this television series is new and still in its first season, it has established itself as a show that mocks the American government. Once again, I feel this sitcom is acceptable for mass consumption but I do not feel it properly defines the American workplace, or more specifically, the culture of our government.

In the episode The Banquet, Leslie goes to a banquet where her mother, Marlene, is being honored with the life time achievement award called the “Telleson” that recognizes a decades worth of excellent work. This award is considered a prestigious honor and as a result, there will be many other famous and “powerful” authorities present to honor Marlene. Since Leslie is so focused on advancing her career in politics, she finds this a great opportunity to get her name out and be recognized among these influential people. In preparation for this event, Leslie gets her hair done by a man who has worked on other famous politicians. Leslie feels that in order for her to become a famous politician, she should get her hair done as other politicians would. Unfortunately, Leslie was the first woman the barber ever worked on and as a result, Leslie’s haircut looked like that of a man’s. Leslie arrived at the banquet with her friend, Ann, and they both drew immediate attention from the crowd as Leslie’s haircut and Ann’s over-dressed attire made them come off as a gay couple. A man came over to them and whispered they are “very brave for what they are trying to do.” As Leslie arrived at her table, she noticed Geneen, the head member of the zoning board, sitting adjacent to her table. Leslie approached Geneen and asked to talk with her about several topics. Geneen blew her off and asked Leslie to talk with her secretary to make an appointment. Excited, Leslie told her mother but realized that Geneen was blowing her off. Marlene advised Leslie to be more proactive and suggested that she blackmail Geneen to get what she wants. Marlene told Leslie that Geneen’s husband had a DUI last month and that Geneen did not want anyone to know. Knowing this, Leslie approached Geneen one more time and brought up the topic of her husband. Seeing how Geneen reacted, Leslie immediately felt sorry and apologized. In anger, Geneen threw water on Leslie and left the table.

One of the ways Parks and Recreation misleads the public is by the show’s portrayal of the government. The major theme for this episode, which is essentially also the plot, is a means of advancing one’s position up the political latter. Here we see Leslie finding an opportunity from the banquet to associate herself with prominent people. Initially she approaches Geneen in an appropriate manner where Leslie was able to schedule a meeting with her. As Leslie realized this was not good enough and that a month was too long to wait, she resorts to blackmail. This episode shows that doing things in an ethical, proper manner is unnecessary and prolonged. As a result, this scene gives the false impression that in order to get what you want, you need to situate yourself in a position that will give you leverage over the person that can give you power. In fact, Marlene tells Leslie that “the only way to be somebody in politics is through blackmail. In fact, they only give the Telleson award to those who have blackmailed. Telleson was the master of blackmailing.” This perception of blackmailing allows the viewers to assume that similar behavior translates to all governmental interactions. It gives the false impression that since all government agencies blackmail, our government as a whole is corrupt. While there have been some scandals within the realm of politics, Parks and Recreation emphasizes that this style of manipulation happens all the time and the foundation of government is based on blackmail. This, fortunately, is not true and is why Parks and Recreation does not define the government culture in a mindful way.

Another misconception that is illustrated from Parks and Recreation is the perception that government is closed minded and too conservative. This topic was addressed by the scene when Leslie and Ann walked into the banquet room where they were interpreted as a lesbian couple. Immediately, Leslie and Ann were alienated from all the guests with the exception of one man who approached and commended them for their bravery, meaning the “couple’s” audaciousness to openly show they are committed to each other. The fact that Leslie and Ann were in a room full of politicians who were giving them speculative and shunned looks connotes the fact to the viewers that government is opposed to gays and lesbians. To a viewer, this show is representing that all government officials dislike gays and that there is no room for liberals in governmental society. This, however, is not true. The government, which is strikingly representative of the human population, has just as many liberals as conservatives. There is no discrimination against a particular race, sex, or gender orientation as the fundamentals of the constitution protect this right. While I feel the contents of the shows are acceptable, just like the office, the messages presented in Parks and Recreation give the public false conceptions about our working culture.

So, with all of this false information thrown at the viewers, are comedic sitcoms really that funny after all? With false perceptions programmed into our minds, are we getting anything beneficial out of these comedy shows? According to Mark Crotty, “I don’t believe at all that [comedy] reinforces anything bad in society. But again, I don’t see that it has changed anything for the good, either. I would be a horse’s ass if I thought that one little situation comedy would accomplish something the entire Juedeo-Christian ethic hasn’t managed in two thousand years.” While Crotty personally feels that comedy has not done anything good for society, or anything bad, scientific research suggests otherwise. Ron Tamborini, the author of Television Sitcom Exposure and Aggressive Communication: A Priming Perspective, found new and compelling data regarding about the affects of comedic television. In Tamborini’s essay, he states that “Regular exposure to sitcoms, which are known to contain a great deal of verbal aggression, was expected to frequently prime aggression-related constructs, making them more likely to come to mind and to be incorporated into one's communication. No evidence supporting this hypothesis was found. Instead, increased sitcom exposure was associated with lower levels of aggressive communication.” Does this mean watching shows like The Office will give us the ability to counteract the violent tempers induced from shows like Ren and Stimpy? Not necessarily. Tamborini continues to say that “the humorous context of verbally aggressive sitcoms may decrease the aggression-related effects associated with it, while the context of other genres may increase the effects of exposure to verbally aggressive television.” Unfortunately, the content of popular sitcoms do not encourage optimistic perspectives of the working environment we live in. Society will continue to be exposed to false information and gain incorrect impressions about the workplace. It will only take time before we realize the implications our entertainment has over us, hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.













Sources:



“The Office.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Office_(U.S._TV_series). (6/23/09)





“Expressive Conventions and the Cross-Cultural Perception of Emotion.”

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=4&hid=105&sid=40a277fd-b7d7-4bbc-af6f-66e70114a199%40sessionmgr102. (6/23/09)





Chory-Assad, Rebecca M.; Tamborini, Ron. North American Journal of Psychology, 2004, Vol. 6 Issue 3, p415-422, 8p