Ahh, yes, The Office. Although it may be a favorite of mine and many other college students, this series is definitely not without its problems. For those who haven’t yet seen The Office, let me give a quick summary. This exceeding popular series, which aired in 2005, follows the everyday work lives of employees of a mid-range paper supply firm called Dunder Mifflin located in Scranton, Pennsylvania . The series is filmed using a single-camera setup, which gives the show a documentary feel. The regional manager of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, Michael Scott, is portrayed by Steve Carell. Although his optimism and dedication to his job is at times admirable,
his need to always be the center of attention is typically deeply irritating. Michael is an extremely immature, inappropriate, and ignorant character who has an idealized self-image, and, although it is very untrue, believes that his employees idolize him. Throughout the nine seasons of the show, Michael Scott and other Dunder Mifflin employees voice a great deal of problematic opinions though insensitive comments.
I’d like to take some time to focus on one episode of The Office in particular: Season 3 Episode 1, “The Gay Witch Hunt.” More specifically, how this episode harms the LGBTQ community by an inaccurate representation of queerness by using humor to normalize homophobia.
This episode begins with Toby Flenderson, the head of human resources, confronting Michael about an issue that was brought to his attention by an accountant in the office name Oscar. Apparently, Michael had been making homophobic comments in the office. Michael states, “I call everyone f*ggy. Why would anyone find that offensive?” Moments later, Toby informs Michael that Oscar “is an actual homosexual.” Michael immediately becomes defensive saying that he “would’ve never called him that if [he] knew.” During an attempted apology to Oscar, he says, “if I don’t know how to behave, it is because I am just so far the opposite way.” This comment is meant to be a reassurance of Michael’s straightness and demonstrates his awfully heteronormative viewpoint. But if a man in a position of power is so intensely straight, then obviously people all non-straight sexualities should be considered weaker, right?
This is unfortunately not the only incident of a homophobic or heteronormative comment being made in “Gay Witch Hunt.” Just to show the extent of these types of comments or actions that are present in this episode, here is a quick list. Let me also mention that an episode of The Office is only 20 minutes long, so something on this list is being said just about every sixty seconds.
- “I-I can’t even imagine, the… thing. Maybe we could go out for a beer sometime, and you could tell me… how you do that to another dude.” -Michael, to Oscar
- “Well, he’s not dressed in women’s clothes, so…” -Dwight
- “You could assume everyone is [gay] and not say anything offensive,” “Yeah, I’m sure everyone would appreciate me treating them like they were gay.” -Dwight and Michael
- “What about Angela? She’s hard and severe. She could be a gay woman…. I can imagine her with another woman. Can’t you?” -Michael
- “Jim told me you could buy a gaydar online.” -Dwight
- When Michael outed Oscar to the entire office
- “Sure, sometimes I watch Will and Grace. And I want to throw up.” -Angela, as she sanitizes her hands while staring at Oscar
- “I watch The L Word, okay?” -Michael, in response to being accused of being ‘obtuse about sexual orientation’
- “Nothing wrong with this stuff. At all. This is fine.” -Michael, while watching gay porn in front of the entire office to prove he isn’t homophobic
- “Gays aren’t necessarily who you think they are, people.” –Michael
- “That’s a good point, she has a good point. Because gay marriage, currently, is not legal under U.S. law.” –Michael, defending a homophobic comment made by another employee
- “Anyone can be gay. Businessmen. Like antique dealers, or hairdressers.” –Michael
- When Michael implied that gay men have “torrid, unabashed, monkey sex” as much as they can
- “I think all of the other office gays should identify themselves or I will do it for them.” –Dwight
- “What about Phyllis? She makes absolutely no attempt to be feminine.” -Dwight, trying to figure out who else in the office is gay
- “Look, if I were gay, I would be the most flamboyant gay you’ve ever seen.” –Michael
- “Michael appears to be gay, too.” –Dwight, after seeing Michael crying while hugging Oscar
And let’s not forget the famous kiss scene, where Michael engages in an incredibly awkward and non-consensual kiss with Oscar in front of the whole office the prove that he isn’t bothered by Oscar being gay, reinforcing the stereotype that gay people are attracted to all members of their sex.
There is certainly a lot that could (and should) be explored here, but for the sake of time, I’ll only discus . Let’s start here:
“What about Angela? She’s hard and severe. She could be a gay woman…. I can imagine her with another woman. Can’t you?” -Michael
Firstly, there is the stereotype of a lesbian being a stone cold butch woman. Secondly, the idea that women are women are meant to be viewed and looked at for male pleasure. As Laura Mulvey stated, “her eroticism is subjected to the male star” (Mulvey, 35). These two aspects depicted in Michael’s comment assist in maintaining negative perceptions of women and LGBTQ folk.
As a gay woman, it was impossible not to see the problematic elements of this episode. Obviously, it is important to remember that The Office is a comedy and heavily relies on satire, making it difficult to discern whether some of the comments made during this episode were meant simply as a satirical commentary on issues present in our society, or if there is a deeper relevance. Greg Smith, however, urges us to not recognize that movies are not telegrams, and there are many possible and equally correct interpretations of the content (Smith, 129). Nevertheless, the way in which gayness is portrayed and reacted to is incredibly harmful. Although this episode aired in 2006 when humor using homophobia was likely the only way to make having an LGBTQ character more socially acceptable in mainstream media, it is still necessary to recognize that we shouldn’t be content with mere representation. We want (and need) not just representation, but positive and accurate representation free of homophobic undertones. As stated by bell hooks, “there is power in looking” (hooks, 247). By watching this episode with a critical eye, we can be assured that The Office‘s depiction of the LGBTQ community is not who we are and does not accurately represent our place in society. In order to “know our present and invent our future” (hooks, 264), we must first recognize and understand our past.
Sources
hooks, bell. “The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators.” Movies and Mass Culture. Rutgers University Press. 1992. pp. 247-264.
Mulvey, Laura. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Feminist Film Crisicism. Indiana University Press. 1990. pp 28-40.
Smith, Greg. “It’s Just a Movie: A Teaching Essay for Introductory Media Classes.” Cinema Journal 41. University of Texas Press. 2001. pp 127-134.
Feminist Film Studies Fall 2018 