Report on Diversity day episode - Essay Example

The Office’s Diversity Day episode: The wrongs committed and Laws broken The media plays a powerful role in shaping the culture of society. This role comes with a responsibility to ensure that it teaches good values and contributes towards a healthy and strong society. The Office falls short of these standards in alarming ways. The Diversity Day episode makes a mockery of a day that is supposed celebrate the fact that the country is stronger because of its diversity (Gervais & Merchant 1). The characters in the show commit many social wrongs and break several laws.
The ideal office environment is one where there is a healthy environment to contribute towards organizational goals. Employees are inconsiderate of other employee’s feelings. One employee shreds papers rudely inconveniencing another, who is on the phone. He even goes further to cut off a call from a client. Dwight steals a colleague’s client. Such behavior illustrates the absence of office etiquette.
Michael Scott as the Scranton Regional Manager should set a good example and the standard for the way people conduct themselves in the workplace. The Diversity Day training is organized by corporate in response to an incident in which Michael made racially offensive statements. Having everyone sign the Diversity commitment paper in order to avoid embarrassment shows preferential treatment in corporate. There should be fair treatment of all members of an organization.
At the seminar, he does not provide a good environment for Mr. Brown, the course facilitator to do his job. Michael also discriminates against black people in the office. He lashes out at them for failing to take responsibility for mistakes they make and blames them for expecting praise for doing what is expected of them. He later extends this discrimination to the Mexicans by suggesting that the term represents something that one should feel ashamed.
Role acting about minority communities propagates stereotypes. The role of Michael representing Martin Luther Jnr is an insult to the civil rights movement and the black community he represented. The statement that most streets named after the civil rights record the highest number of violence propagates the stereotypes that black people are violent. The show also suggests that Arabs are violent people while upholding the perception that Jews are shylocks.
It is worth noting that several laws broken in the show. For example, the slapping of Michael breaks the law against violence at the workplace. His imitation of Indians deliberately singles a member of the minority community subjecting her to emotional pain and public embarrassment. This is a violation of anti-discrimination laws. There is misuse of company resources as some employees download and watch videos in the office. Another one plays cards when she is expected to be working.
The law requires employers to ensure that employees work in an appropriate environment. The office shows an organization whose culture violates the rights of women and minority communities. Jim breaks the law that alcohol and drug use in the workplace by keeping a bottle of champagne in his office desk. Kevin sexually harasses a female coworker by inappropriately hitting on her. The Indian woman is humiliated by the stamen made by Dwight that he is sexually attracted to Indian and white people.
While the American constitution protects freedom of speech, the media should be sensitive to the history of the country. The American civil war and the anti-slavery struggle may have happened a long time ago but it is a painful memory to some communities. Other people look at the United States as a place of opportunity because everyone can make it regardless of the race. This episode undermines such values and insults the history of the country.
Works Cited
Gervais, Ricky. & Merchant, Stephen. The Office. 2013. Web. 21st April 2014 Read More