It’s not crazy to say that one of the highlights of The Office are its irreverent and quirky characters. After all, the plot of the series is extremely simple and follows the routine within an American company that sells paper, called Dunder Mifflin. However, it is the local employees who make the whole experience a rollercoaster of laughter, embarrassment, drama and absurd situations.
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Thinking about it, it is inevitable to imagine that, if they really existed today, the characters of The Office they would be easy targets for cancellations and attacks, since they exhibit, shall we say, questionable behavior (very questionable, by the way).
Below, therefore, see why Dunder Mifflin employees could be canceled and thrown to the sidelines!
sexual issues
One thing that is not lacking among the characters of The Office are inappropriate behaviors in relation to sex. Obviously, the workplace is not the most convenient place to discuss this topic in depth or joke. However, Dunder Mifflin employees don’t care much about it and make very inappropriate comments about it in the middle of the day.
Inappropriate behaviors regarding sex are normal in The Office characters.Source: NBC
And it’s hard to imagine one of the characters escaping cancellation in this regard, as almost all of them have already demonstrated dubious actions. Angela and Dwight, for example, were once caught having sex inside the office. And who doesn’t remember the scene where Michael hugs Phyllis and tells her she might get an erection. Despite the comic tone, this would be unacceptable in real life.
Bullying
In addition to sexual issues, a practice that would certainly cause many cancellations in The Office it would be bullying. And it is not difficult to pull some examples that corroborate this theory. Think, for example, of how many jokes Michael has made about Kevin and Phyllis’ weight, or Oscar’s sexual orientation. Or, even, to Pam’s ability (who was the target of sexist comments by her boss).
Bullying is another pain point for The Office characters.Source: NBC
In this sense, Dwight also made very mean comments about his co-workers, as well as Angela, who loved to feel superior by belittling her peers. While this was all taken in jest, there would be no room for it in a real office, and if something like this happened, the employee responsible would be promptly fired.
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dangerous pranks
The classic pranks between Jim and Dwight are some of the passages most remembered by fans of The Office. And, although they are quite fun to watch, the truth is that putting a professional colleague at risk or in an uncomfortable situation would not be something well seen in reality and could result in strong cancellations.
Jim and Dwight exchange pranks throughout the series.Source: NBC
In one of the pranks, for example, the two actually get hurt trying to hit each other with snowballs. Jim appears with a bloody nose after receiving an attack from Dwight, and later breaks his office window when trying to fight back. What if Jim hit someone else who had nothing to do with the “joke”? What if Dwight really got hurt? What if the prank escalated into a real fight?
So it is. The Office is a great example that, at work, pranks might not be a good idea.
emotional abuse
Another big reason that would cause cancellations in real life, but goes unnoticed in The Office, are emotional abuse. Blackmail, threats and unnecessary comments are not uncommon in the comedy series and would be unacceptable in real work environments.
Michael likes to exert power over Dwight and blackmails him on occasion.Source: NBC
A great example of this is when a urine drug test/test is suggested to find out if Dunder Mifflin employees have recently used drugs. Michael smoked pot the night before, so he’s scared of the procedure. He then emotionally blackmails Dwight into giving him his urine in order to cheat the test.
The situation is comical on the one hand, but extremely problematic on the other, as it breaks several moral and professional rules at once. Certainly, Michael would be canceled and fired if the truth came out.
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creation of stereotypes
Another very problematic point seen in The Office and that would generate large cancellations are the creations and reinforcements of stereotypes. Although the series treats this in a lighter way, exposing how this practice can be very ridiculous and wrong, it is clear that the behavior would never fit in a real workplace.
Michael is known for reinforcing stereotypes that make everyone uncomfortable and ashamed.Source: NBC
Who doesn’t remember, for example, the different characters that Michael created in his lectures? By abusing stereotypes, the head of Dunder Mifflin greatly embarrassed his employees and, in addition, offended those who “fit” in his flawed representations. Even generating comical moments, the scenes were intended to prove that, in a real office, respect and equality should be law.
