Michael Scott and Stanley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS2Ozgx-ih8

The prevalence of slapstick comedy in content spread across social media and other platforms is quite a dramatic shift from the more thoughtful laughter that ripened over prior generations. Comedy has evolved into more one-liners and funny events rather than the well-developed and subtle jokes of the past, possibly because of the cultural shift towards bluntness and openness. I find an extremely apparent and powerful example of thoughtful laughter is the Office in the interactions between the characters Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell, and Stanley Hudson, played by Leslie David Baker. Throughout the show, Michael Scott, the regional manager of Dunder Mifflin, attempts to be inclusive and aware of his biases when interacting with the only black employee, Stanley. However, he often fails to do this professionally and makes several racially unaware comments and sometimes almost derogatory statements that Stanley gets triggered by. Even though the viewer understands Michael is not a racist, they understand he believes he is more aware of himself, and therefore is unwilling to change his behavior since he thinks he’s in the right. The comedic aspect and thoughtful laughter lie in the interactions after such a statement is made, since Stanley is a very passive and non-confrontational character who doesn’t feel the need to really correct his boss, perhaps in fear of losing his good faith with Michael or even his job. One specific example that stands out is when Michael attempts to set up a basketball game between the employees of Dunder Mifflin. He asserts to Stanley to join, because of the racial stereotype that black people are better at basketball. The irony in the situation is that Stanley is in fact the worst player on the court, while the player who Michael refused to pick, Kevin, is scoring three-pointers and layups with ease. The character interactions are what creates thoughtful laughter, and the funniest moments arise between the awkwardness and irony of the situation.