Response Paper
Up to this point, we have discussed many different forms of sexuality and culture. We have identified varieties of relationships and what aspects make each one different and why. Most relationships are defined by what role each member plays in the relationship. Some of the common types of relationships include the classic boy and girl, the friends who become something more, and the friends who are too afraid to express their feelings. Some of the uncommon types include the chauvinist male with the passive female, or the forbidden relationship. One source that comes to mind which embraces all of these is the TV show "The Office". This show is about a group of people who work in a paper company, including a regional manager (Michael Scott), a receptionist (Pam Beesly), salesman (Jim Halpert and Dwight Schrute), and a huge variety of characters, each one with a different personality and quality.
The first and most common romantic comedy situation we see is between the receptionist and a warehouse employee (Roy Anderson). Pam and Roy have been in a relationship for over 10 years, engaged for the last 3 of those years. They portray the classical boy and girl fall in love after high school and plan to get married. The comedy part of this is that they fail to take their relationship to the next level, constantly planning and canceling a wedding day. This relates closely to the relationship depicted in Jerry Maguire between Jerry and Dorothy. The similarity derives from the roles each member plays in the relationship. In The Office, Roy is the macho warehouse worker and Pam is the quiet and passive receptionist. In Jerry Maguire, Jerry is the successful sports agent and Dorothy is the naive employee who falls in love with him. Both this relationships show their ups and downs, but in the end they always end up together.
Another familiar relationship is when two friends who have a lot in common slowly fall in love with one another. This is seen with once again our receptionist Pam and Jim. Their friendship begins with Jim constantly joking and spending most of his time near the reception desk. Keep in mind; this is happening while Pam is engaged. This situation brings up the question of fidelity. Some may say flirting is absolutely acceptable, whereas others might consider this a form of unfaithfulness. The more important question is who is to blame? Is it Jim's fault for pursuing an engaged woman or is it Pam's fault for allowing herself to flirt with a man when she is engaged to someone else? Similar to the love triangle in Fatal Attraction, who is really to blame for the infidelity? Many say it is the man's fault for being assertive and pursuing a woman who is clearly unavailable, or pursuing a woman when he is clearly unavailable. Society has taught us that women control the outcome of a date and whether it will lead to sex. If this is the case, then shouldn't Pam and Alex (Maude) be blamed for allowing the situation to continue into something more.
The perfect example of a relationship being led by a woman is the one we see between Angela, an accountant and Dwight, one of the salesmen. Angela is also engaged but finds Dwight's male libido irresistible, leading her into having a love affair for the majority of her engagement. Dwight's character portrays a chauvinist male who values superiority and dominance. "Women are like wolves. If you want one you must trap it. Snare it. Tame it. Feed it." "Reject a woman and she will never let it go. One of the many defects of their kind – also, weak arms." "How would I describe myself? Three words: hard working, alpha male, jackhammer…merciless…insatiable…" Since Angela's fiancé (Andy Bernard) is the extreme opposite of what Dwight depicts, she is automatically drawn to him.
Dwight believes that the male race is superior to the female race. "People have tirelessly sought to prove that woman is superior, inferior, or equal to man. Some say that, having been created after Adam, she is evidently a secondary being: others say on the contrary that Adam was only a rough draft and that God succeeded in producing the human being in perfection when He created Eve." (Beauvoir 1949) This is obviously a topic discussed through religious eyes. But I believe that society and nurture has a lot to do with how someone views this subject. For example, Dwight was born and raised on a beet farm with his German family. "The Schrutes consider children very valuable. In the olden-days, the women would bear many children so we would have enough laborers to work the fields. And if it was an especially cold winter and there weren’t enough grains or vegetables, they would eat the weakest of the brood..."
One of the most important characters is Michael Scott, the regional manager. Michael's character is a goofy 40 year old that doesn't really have an intimate or social life. He bases most of his jokes on the expense of women. He is really famous for the "that's what she said" statement. This is said after a sentence that can be interpreted sexually. Jim: "Yeah, I'm definitely gonna go alone." Michael: "No, no! I need two men on this! That's what she said!"
Overall, The Office is filled with characters and relationships that relate to the the traditional/nontraditional romantic comedies we know and love. We have a classic love triangle; a classic girl loves boy, and a chauvinist who takes advantage of a desperate engaged woman. Even though this show is shot in the 21'st century, some of the values can be related to those 50 years ago. This is why I believe The Office is the perfect response to today's romantic comedy.
Works Cited
1. The Office. Greg Daniels. NBC. March 2005.
2. De Beauvoir, Simone. "The Second Sex: Woman as Other" 1949. Available http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/index.htm
3. Jerry Maguire. Cameron Crowe. Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger. Tri-Star Films, 1996.
4. Fatal Attraction. Adrian Lyne. Michael Douglas, Glen Close, Anne Archer. Paramount Pictures, 1987.
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