Clowns and Cubicles

Clowns and Cubicles

(A look at workplace stereotypes through their appearance in comic strips)

Stereotypes can be found in just about every aspect of society. A person engaging in any type of social interaction is either consciously or unconsciously engaging or affected by the many ways we stereotype people. Stereotypes while usually given a negative connotation seem to be an inherent part of human nature. By grouping individuals into categories a person can feel more in control of their surrounding and of their own self as a unique individual. Every person has either participated in stereotyping or has been a target of a particular stereotype. Stereotyping can either be subtle or obvious. The world of a high school student is filled with stereotypes; the jock, the prep, the loner, the stoner, these particular stereotypes are not pulled out of thin air, but rather they are a collection of attributes that a individual presents to the world. Some of these attributes include the cloths one wears, how one carries oneself, but language (which will be the topic most discussed in this paper) is probably the most instrumental in the formation of stereotypes. Some stereotypes are so old and so widely used that they are accepted as the norm. This can be seen with a large degree of consistency in the office world. An office space is like a play where everyone who works in it is assigned a role. In the world of employer-employee relationships language contributes heavily to the development of stereotypes.

Anyone who has worked in an office environment has been witness to the variety

2

of stereotypes presented there. For instance there is the middle aged but still spunky women with all the Troll Dolls and cut out comic strips lining her cubicle. The irony in this stereotype is that the comics this woman has plastered to every open space in her office are full of office stereotypes just like her. In fact, cartoon strips are a great media for presenting stereotypes in a rather humorous and inoffensive way. The success of the humor in these comic strips speaks to the idea that people recognize these stereotypes in their relationships with people at work

Language is closely associated with social status. The study of which is often referred as sociolects. In the world of business, manufacturing, and just the world of general labor sociolects often determine the type of relationships one develops with the people in their workplace. Recognizing these class distinctions is often easy. But what are the factors that go into creating these sociolects? In a Linguistic Marketplace a person's status at his or her job is associated with certain forms of English that are considered standard for that person's job. (Wolfram, American English) Comic strips like those including at the end of this paper play with these linguistic marketplace stereotypes. Before discussing the effect of language in the creation and adoption of these stereotypes it is important to flush out some of the widely used stereotypes present in an office environment.

The Boss "AKA The Head Honcho"

The Boss chooses his words very carefully. While his subordinates might refer to him as the "man", the Boss is quick to establish himself as a 'friend' of the employees. How friendly is too friendly? Although a slap on the back or a chat about the kids, is nice

3

small talk every now and then it often verges on the downright intrusive. The worst Boss-ism, however, has to be the appallingly crude jokes that make you cringe like never before, but that you are utterly compelled to laugh at. And, no matter how much responsibility he gives you or 'well dones' or back-slappings or bad jokes, there is always the underlying factor that he is, of course, in charge at the end of the day. Bosses are also seen as lazy and uninformed about what his employees are actually doing. The Boss will often use what George Orwell describes as double-speak when addressing his employees. Using speech items like Operators that are basically prescribed words that really don't convey meaning, but are used as filler when the Boss wants to appear on top and in control of things.(Orwell, Politics and the English Language) Examples (see comic's 5, 6, 11, 17,21)

The Workaholic

The word no is not in the Workaholic's dictionary. For the majority of people, the workplace is somewhere to fill your time, 9 to 5, but for The Workaholic the office turns into bed, kitchen, bathroom, and as far as social life goes, well there simply isn't one. Holidays, something The Workaholic only takes when threatened with divorce, are usually punctuated by constant beeps of text messaging and frantic calls to the office to ensure that they are coping without his or her vital presence. Generally, you can spot this character by the permanently pained expression covering their face. Theirs is a crippling condition, taking the meaning of stress to new levels. These people are always on the verge of a mental breakdown. (see comic 27)

The Intern

'Eager' is the best way to sum The Intern up in one word. You'll usually find them

4

hovering around the feet of The Boss, effusively nodding, agreeing and smiling with his or her every comment. Aided by the art of deception, The Intern has the ability to make you believe that any task set, no matter how banal, is immensely interesting. Interns are easy prey for the veteran workers of the office. The intern is like a ghost wondering through the office begging for just a little attention. (Watson, Office Stereotypes) (See Comic 4)

The Lazy Worker

The Lazy-Worker is the master of back channeling. Picture this character sitting in a meeting with the Boss and constantly interjecting Hmmm's and Ohhhhh's every so often so that the Boss believes not only is this person listening, that he or she understands what I am saying. The master of deception as well, The Lazy Worker will never show his true guise. His day is catalogued by self-pitying outbursts every time someone asks him to do something "this has been a very busy day for him," he will complain; for added effect he will even stress how he has sacrificed his lunch break. Yet, if you cast a sly glance at his computer screen you'll be sure to find Solitaire. You can bet that The Lazy Worker will be the last to roll into the office