People have told us about The Office, but we never watched it. The folks Gary works with have been telling him for over a year that he needs to see this show. So we recently watched the series on Netflix. Oh my goodness, there are places that are SO funny!
I feel kind of guilty for liking it. The hilarious parts are the jerk of a boss and a couple of other horrible people. Why laugh at it? There really are people like that in the world, and it's utterly miserable to be around them. And yet, when we see it on a sitcom, we laugh! Does that mean I'm warped?
Sunday, December 06, 2009
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No, you're not warped. I think watching a sitcom about obnoxious people is no different from watching something that is tragic or frightening. It sounds illogical to subject ourselves to fear and sadness in the name of entertainment. But doing so, just like laughing at things that in real life would be annoying or frustrating or embarrasing, is cathartic, allowing us to face and process those feelings in a safe and controlled (and imaginary) environment.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Cheryl on this one. Remember when I worked in an office at Mequon? The only reason I lasted as long as I did was because I got to watch The Office on TV. I could sit and laugh and it honestly made the painful situations in my work environment easier to bear.
ReplyDeleteEven now, a good comedy will have me laughing at the world around me - the sheer lunacy of it all - rather than getting angry or frustrated. Maybe that's bad. But I'm glad I have it...
My favorites are: Seinfeld, The Office, and 30 Rock. I know there's stuff in them that is not kid friendly (which should really mean adult friendly, too) all the time. But all of them help me to look at the world a bit differently, help me to take it all in stride when I'd otherwise throw up my hands in frustration.
They all deal with different areas of life, too.
Seinfeld: life and living in general, society, things like that.
The Office: the work environment.
30 Rock: larger scale commentary on business and politics, healthcare, a lot of things that SNL does but in a funnier, story-lined way.
The best comedians have some of the most penetrating minds on our planet. Even the liberal comedians have the ability to recognize what is absolutely ridiculous about their own political leanings. I suppose we'd call them the curmudgeons of our day.
That's my long-winded way of saying that I don't think you're warped. Though I will warn you that some of the scenes on The Office are incredibly painful to watch!!! The last one I nearly turned off, not because of anything BAD on it, but because I was cringing so badly I just didn't know if I could continue watching... It's like watching a train wreck sometimes...
Oh, you're obviously warped, but my Dh and I love the show, too. So we're all warped together. It's all good.
ReplyDeleteNathan, I really don't like Seinfeld. I never knew why, and it seemed like everybody disagreed with me. And then Pastor mentioned, just in passing in Bible class a few weeks ago, that he HATES that show. Oh. So I'm not the only one.
ReplyDeleteI was sometimes amused by 30 Rock when Gary plays it and I've been in the room, but it's certainly nothing I'd bother to turn on for myself.
We are Office junkies...and sometimes there are great episodes when something tender or true actually comes out of Michael's mouth. Sometimes my office gets really funny...and I chuckle cause I am living the office experience. :)
ReplyDeleteMaybe because in Seinfeld they're all a bunch of immoral, selfish, egotistical jerks? I mean, I willingly admit that the show is quite awful in that regard, and I doubt I'd watch it much again in the future for most of those reasons. I'm not even sure I'd recommend anyone else watch it. But I already have, and I can't change that. My point was just that it enabled me to laugh at society when I otherwise probably would have gotten very frustrated...
ReplyDeleteJust like The Office.