Had a convo with my dad that made me rethink The Office

He caught me rewatching it for the 4th time and said it's just mean-spirited mockery dressed up as comedy. At first I brushed him off, but then I thought about how Michael Scott's cringe moments are just laughing at someone who doesn't fit in. It hit different because my dad spent 20 years as a special ed teacher, so he sees the 'joke' differently than I do. Anyone else ever step back and realize a show you love might be punching down?

3 comments

3 Comments

umar491mo ago

My friend's brother is autistic and he absolutely loves The Office but it took him years to realize the show was laughing at people like him, not with them. That conversation made me watch the whole series differently, especially the way they treat Toby and Kevin. Did your dad's reaction change how you feel about rewatching it?

carter.joseph1mo ago

Three seasons in and I still can't tell if the Toby stuff is mean-spirited or just the easiest joke they had, I mean idk if it's that deep. @susansingh your point about Michael makes sense but I feel like people overthink a show that also has a guy setting his foot on fire.

susansingh1mo ago

Read an article a while back about how The Office specifically targets people with bad social skills for laughs, and it kind of stuck with me. Your dad's point about Michael being lonely and just wanting to connect makes that hard to shake.