Introduction
The television show “The Office” has captivated audiences in the US and internationally. The paper will focus on the first episode of the mentioned American mockumentary series regarding how the show’s content crosses cultural boundaries and what cultural capital dimensions play a role. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of cultural capital and habitus, the influence of “The Office” and perceptions of American and non-American audiences will be analyzed using corresponding matrices developed by the sociologist.
First, the sitcom’s background will be discussed, including its history and context. Sender and cross-border cultural fields will be explored regarding the cultural foundation of the episode content. Finally, the paper will identify implied cultural peculiarities that contribute to the show’s global popularity. The key argument of the present analysis is that “The Office” is internationally acknowledged because it conveys panhuman views on cultural patterns. However, it still contains elements that may be misinterpreted by non-American audiences.
Description of the TV Show
American mockumentary-style comedy “The Office” debuted on NBC in 2005 and ran there until 2013. The program was adapted from the Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant-produced British sitcom of the same name. Greg Daniels creates the American adaptation and stars Steve Carell as the inept regional manager of Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton office, Michael Scott. The show was filmed in a mockumentary style, with actors frequently addressing the camera in parts that resemble interviews.
The major themes are associated with monotonous office routines and interactions in this setting, including office politics, corporate culture, communication, and interaction issues. “The Office’s” essential influence highlights personal characteristics commonly ridiculed by people regardless of their nationality. Moreover, the series changes the perception of the application of corporate culture in real life. Although the office workforce is regarded as serious, the show demonstrates employees as ordinary people with their peculiarities and how they impact shaping corporate culture.
Background
Before going into details, one must define Bourdieu’s concepts of cultural capital and habitus to better understand the focus of the analysis. From the sociologist’s perspective, cultural capital is “language, education, cultivation, and so on” accumulated by individuals and social classes, which still contributes to inequality and the supposed superiority of one group over another (Münch and Smelser 13). Given this, each country’s cultural capital varies, which determines the difference in perceptions of show content by people in the US and non-American viewers. This phenomenon also occurs due to forming a class-specific habitus that shapes knowledge, attitudes, views, and behaviors toward society (Münch and Smelser 13). These concepts will help to understand how audiences with various cultural backgrounds perceive duplicate content.
The first episode introduces the show’s critique of the monotony of American corporate life. Thus, it is logical to assume that people in the US like “The Office” series because they live in the cultural context, and it is highly relevant to them. On the other hand, the non-American audience may be insensitive to some peculiarities, such as introducing famous Americans in Michael’s jokes. However, viewers from other countries can ‘read’ patterns that are common to all people, such as the irrelevant demonstration of domination in the workplace. The show comments on the effects of personalities in the workplace and how they add to the monotony of the standard workday by emphasizing their difficulties and quirks.
Sender Cultural Field #1
As mentioned, the cultural foundation of “The Office’s” content is based on the concept of corporate culture and its derivatives and implications, as shown in Figure 2. For instance, one can admit specific relationships between a manager, Michael Scott, and employees, as well as intra-team relationships of employees, including Jim Halpert, Dwight Schrute, and Pam Beesley. The manager possesses characteristics of an uncomfortable person unaware of appropriate social conduct. However, he describes himself as “not a jokester” but “a great boss” and potentially manifests his unwillingness to change his management style with the words “That’s just how I am” (Olevod). Whatever negative it can be perceived, this example demonstrates individuality with its benefits and disadvantages as a concept inherent to American culture, including corporate life.
Moreover, the status-based interaction between characters is expressively presented through communication. Here, one can see how Michael speaks to Pam, the receptionist. The manager underestimates Pam, using corresponding behaviors and jokes—ignoring her questions, reacting with irrelevant pantomimes to her speech, and so on (Olevod). Nevertheless, the described examples of status-based sarcasm, deadpan jokes, and others serve as satire to ridicule the American style of corporate life and its absurdity, making the show a favorite among this audience.
Cross-Border Audience (Sub)Cultural Field #2
The global audience for “The Office” is diverse and distinct, and each cultural region’s cultural capital affects how viewers interpret the program, which is presented in Figure 3. The show’s sarcastic and deadpan humor might not be relatable to everyone because some cultural groups could find some jokes offensive or inappropriate (Calhoun et al. 29). As an example, one can mention Michael Scott telling a story about a Guatemalan man and using his accent, which may be unpleasant for viewers of this country (Olevod). Hence, the sense of humor is a substantially delicate subject and varies from country to country, which can be one of the main predictors of the show’s popularity.
Other distinctive features pertain to the combination of racial and cultural peculiarities. The most vivid details are the whiteness of most characters and the office hierarchy. The European public can view whiteness as common, while Asian or African audiences will be immersed in a completely new context because it is not a part of their daily lives.
In addition, Asian countries are believed to be substantially hierarchical societies. Thus, the communication between an employee and a manager may feel confusing, especially when Pam calls Michael “a jerk” after his regrettable prank (Olevod). In general, some cultural patterns that are perceived as common among white audiences may not be shared or supported by non-whites.
Cross-Cultural Translation
The enormous popularity of “The Office” in the United States and other countries demonstrates that some of the show’s themes are universal. For instance, Michael’s arrogance and inability to communicate appropriately, which are derided in the show, are typical for all audiences because most people do not like these personal attributes in others.
In addition, the depiction of communication between Michael and Pam may demonstrate striking maleness from the manager. Michael may behave in such a way because he holds a higher position than his subordinate, Pam. Given this, one can also speak about sexism, which also poses a problem in many countries. Furthermore, the burlesque depiction of characters pretending to do something meaningful at work can also be close to most of the global public. The most prominent dimension of capital culture is communication between employees because it is shown naturally.
Conclusion
The first episode of “The Office” is a favorite show across the globe as it conveys a range of cultural patterns common to many people. The findings of the analysis indicate that the translation of the show’s cultural patterns depends on the national context. While Americans may pay attention to individuality and status, non-Americans may admit dominant whiteness and hierarchy. Thus, the US audience may perceive something as usual, but the same joke or behavior of characters can be offensive or unacceptable for non-Americans. Nevertheless, the mockery of status-based arrogance or pretending to do meaningful work can be commonly accepted by the varied public because they represent the features associated with general human characteristics rather than a nation-specific culture.
Works Cited
“The Office – Season 1 Episode 1: Pilot.” Olevod, Uploaded by Olevod, Web.
Calhoun, Craig J., et al. “Precursors to Sociological Theory.” Classical Sociological Theory, edited by Calhoun et al., Wiley Blackwell, Hoboken, 2022, pp. 26–60.
Münch Richard, and Neil J. Smelser. “Culture: Coherent or Incoherent.” Theory of Culture, edited by Neil J. Smelser, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1992, pp. 3–25.