MICHAEL SCOTT:SECRET GENIUS. “BLEH, WORK!”
HOW MICHAEL SCOTT FOSTERS THEORYOFLOVE AND ENCOURAGES THE EXPRESSION OF HUMANITY AROUND THE OFFICE
Pam, Phyllis, Kelly, Ryan and Dwight seemingly have nothing in common — and, if it weren’t for their work at Dunder Mifflin, they might not have ever met. However, through the connection and sense of community office manager Michael Scott built in and around his branch at Dunder Mifflin Scranton, they have become connected.
“I told Dwight that there is honor in losing … Which, as we all know, is completely ridiculous. But there is, however, honor in making a loser feel better, which is what I just did for Dwight.
Would I rather be geared or be loved? Uh, easy. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.” – Michael
We remember the time when:
-Dwight gave Phyllis a massage.
-Angela drove Pam home despite the fact that they dislike each other in every other episode.
-Dwight and Jim’s relationship is an obvious one.
-Jim carries on this camaraderie: first episode, he puts Michael’s stuff in jell-o. He wouldn’t have done this if Michael hadn’t been on board with the camaraderie and office play.
Creating a community of brothers and sisters and just people you can bond with on a human and in a ‘real’ sense and way is much more important than any kind of work: and Michael Scott gets that completely. His big heart and the effect it has on people makes it evident. Jim also keeps this going when he defends everybody in counter to Robert California’s infamous lists. He gets this from Michael – he picks up on Michael’s management style. He even commends Michael one time on his management.
-Michael says to Dwight “I know what I’m doing” in reference to bringing out his Prison Mikecharacter.
Michael is so much more than an office manager. Michael is an inspiration and a model of what the id needs in terms of love and human connection. We all need this, and it’s time to embrace it.
From the moment I watched The Office, I understood Michael. I argued with anyone who would listen, that Michael Scott is not stupid. I argued with anyone who would listen that Michael Scott was the smartest office manager I have ever seen, in terms of what really matters in life.
Michael Scott builds his office around community — around connection. It is evident from the first episode of The Office, that Michael has a deep yearning for love and community: for humanity. Similarly, Michael’s antics bring his office staff together, even when it may be in mutiny against him. Countless examples from The Office showcase Michael’s true intentions surrounding his appeared obliviousness to any sort of social order.
But rather, does the regional manager of Dunder Mifflin Scranton have an obliviousness to social order, or is he just smart enough to bypass it? Perhaps it’s a mix of both. Michael Scott often doesn’t seem to have a filter, know when to not cross a line, or know how to interact with one of his employees based on their circumstances; he definitely has trouble understanding social cues. However, despite this, what Michael does understand is the power of human connection and of our desire, as a species of social creatures, to connect and feel loved, valued and appreciated: and he displays this without bounds. Michael understands that we, as humans, weren’t meant to sit at a cubicle all day and just do our work: work isn’t what makes life great. What makes life great, as Michael put it in the very first episode, is “the people behind the work.”
Michael’s unfiltered comments at times may be too much — such as when he calls Phyllis fat — however, as evident when Charles Minor enters the scene (punny, I know!), the staff — rather, the community that Michael has formed, with people who otherwise seem to have little in common — clearly miss the way Michael used to animate the office and bring out the humanity in all his staff.
Michael is giving people a purpose — he knows work can be grueling and dull and boring, so he spices things up with his attitude.
“I knew exactly what to do. But in a much more real sense, I had no idea what to do”
While this quote by Michael is utterly hilarious, if dug into deeper, is representative of Michael’s hidden intelligence with regard to social cues, and is reflexive of the realm in which Michael’s heart and mind lie: within the realm of acting on emotion and love and connection; acting human.
All environments and scenarios are, really, about the people and not the situation. Even if sometimes unintentional, Michael’s often incredibly-astounding faux pas never fail to bring the team together in, simply, being humans; in connecting, and above all else, being real with one another outside of the dimension of a job that is — what Jim calls in the first episode — boring just to talk about.
As Michael says: “I am a friend first and a boss second. Probably an entertainer third”; Michael also mentions on multiple occasions how he is a performer, such as in the episode The Merger (S3E8).Sharing entertainment and delving out of the boxy cubicle office atmosphere is what truly brings people together and allows people to feel comfortable with voicing their own, individual truths.
When Michael’s grandiose gestures to help people or find love through romance fail due to people’s uncomfortableness with Michael’s social engagements, Michael is hurt. When Michael was heckled by some other restaurant-goers during the Dundies in season 1, it was evident he had lost his mojo. When Jim, Pam and the recipient of the Don’t Come In After Me award (Kevin) begins cheering him on, Michael brightens up and continues the ceremony. In essence, Michael boldly demonstrates time and time again his crystal clear understanding that people need people; he tells Ryan that “I became a salesman because of people; I love making friends,” and he was worried about firing someone because he didn’t want them to commit suicide — again, proving how Michael completely understands the link between purpose, meaning and a sense of fulfillment in life.
Michel’s desire for children and a wife — and demonstrated multiple times throughout the show how good he would be with a family, due to his caring attitude — only strengthen his overt cry for the necessity of love and connection.
Similarly, having called the people who sit outside of his office “family,” multiple times before, it is clear that Michael truly cares about Dwight, Phyllis, Ryan (the recipient of the Hottest in the Office award), and the rest of them. Michael gave Ryan a second chance and re-hired him even when Ryan was a jerk to them all when he made it big-time — Michael even supported Ryan’s start-up, WUPHF; Michael wrote a beautiful recommendation letter for Dwight; and, of course, Michael walked Pam down the aisle (or tried to). Michael also hung Pam’s drawing of the office-park up on the wall, and was, actually, the only person from the office to go visit Pam’s art exhibition. Though not a perfect ‘family’ or community, Michael’s persistent effort to encourage everyone to be more ‘human’ and less businessey, keeps everyone tethered together. Further, a family isn’t supposed to get along all the time — fights happen: that’s part of the human element; it’s encouraged — rather, families are just supposed to work, and be there for each other. And under Michael’s rule — with a few hiccups from everyone involved during various times — this one does.
Clear from the hidden curriculum teachings of Prison Mike, meant to remind everyone how great working in the office is, all-the-while creating yet another bout of entertainment to foster a sense of humanity amongst the team, connecting with other people on the fundamental connection we all share — humanity, and most prominently within the TheoryOfLove movement, the fact that we all simply live to love and be loved — regardless of background or ethnicity, is key to continuing a civilization of caring and ‘good feeling.’ As evident from Michael’s own boundless need for recognition, love and support, as well as his insight into the importance of fostering this among a group of people, above all else, Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin Scranton Michael Scott has set the bar truly extraordinarily high in terms of fostering an environment where we all feel safe, secure, valued, purposeful, fulfilled, and loved enough so as to be our true selves — for this is a human need we all require. We all experience mental health challenges, as we all have this innate desire, in some capacity, to be loved and wanted: let’s start owning these challenges and not shy away from them.
We all fall under one commonality surrounding mental health: the desire to be part of something that gives us purpose and a feeling of being valued. Time to take off our masks and demonstrate our human desire for this just as Michael Scott did.
Even this project — TheoryOfLove — is about the people. It’s about making people’s lives better. The project is neat and fascinating to me — I love the topic of mental health — but that is only because of how it affects people.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” -Michael Garry Scott