Blog Post 1

Alex Blake
Sep 7, 2018 · 2 min read

I watched an episode of The Office, which was titled “Diversity Day”. In this episode I noticed that there were several instances that I believe appeal to popular culture. The episode begins with Michael, the boss, talking with Mr. Brown, whom is going to be delivering the “Diversity Day”. Michael is telling Mr. Brown how excited he is to have Diversity Day. Mr. Brown leads the session for the Diversity Day by explaining to everyone in sitting in that meeting room that they are unique in their ethnicity, and that it should be celebrated. During part of the lesson, Mr. Brown chooses Kevin, an associate of Michael, to recite part of a stand-up routine by Chris Rock. Michael thinks that he can do a more “accurate” recitation of the routine. Michael recites the routine, with all of the things that inappropriate words and racial remarks of the routine that Kevin left out. Mr. Brown demands that Michael stop reciting the routine, for obvious reasons. Michael did not seem to be aware that some of the words that Chris Rock said in his routine were words that he was not allowed to say because he is not black. Mr. Brown later tells Michael that he was the only reason that “Diversity Day” happened because of the comments that he had said in the office in the past. Michael was ignorant of racial stereotyping and was determined to prove that he was open minded that he decides to have his own Diversity Day meeting with his associates, which only ends with him looking like a worse person than before. I believe that Michael is supposed to represent the way that popular culture views bosses of companies, which is that they are stereotypical, biased, and are ignorant that they are any of these things. Popular culture teaches that many employers for companies are biased on the people that choose based racial profiling, and/or stereotypes, whether that be conscious or unconscious.