Rivas 1

Nathan Rivas

Professor Granillo

English 103

23 October 2018
The Hidden Marxist Prophecy in ​The Office

The world economy almost collapsed in the 2006-2008 financial crisis. Worldwide

employment is going down in favor of automation. Most people hate their jobs. What all three of

these problems have in common, is that they are caused by capitalism. Karl Marx’s theories that

he used to criticise capitalism are​, alienation​ and c​ommodification, ​which would all cullminate​ ​to

the ​inevitability of rebellion​ (Karl Marx; Tyson 60). In the ​The Office​, episode three season four,

entitled “Dunder Mifflin Infinity,” a new website alienates many of the characters, and forces

some to rebel against their boss. “Dunder Mifflin Infinity,” and many other episodes of ​The

Office ​have Marxist undertones, because they feature people being disenfranchised be capitalism,

which connects to Marx’s theory of ​alienation​, and ​commodification​; “Dunder Mifflin Infinity”

also features a miniature rebellion by someone in the working class against their employer,

connecting to ​inevitability of rebellion (​Karl Marx; Tyson 60). Understanding capitalism matters

because the problems featured in ​The Office​ apply to us all: we are all alienated and

commodified by capitalism, and a rebellion, or at least resistance, is inevitable.

The episode, and context that which “Dunder Mifflin Infinity” is a part of, functions to

inform an understanding of the episode’s Marxist undertones. “Dunder Mifflin Infinity” was

aired in 2007 on NBC. The audience is most likely people middle from the middle or lower class

who are dissatisfied with their jobs, because ​The Office​ relies that the audience can understand

the awkward and unsatisfying workplace situations that take place in the show. What takes place
 Rivas 2

in “Dunder Mifflin Infinity,” is the new boss, Ryan, introducing a new website that will sell

paper faster, resulting in many employees feeling that their labor, and by extension themselves,

will become devalued (8:18). The employees that feel dissatisfied by the new website are, and

with the office in general, are all the employees, including Michael, Creed, Jim, Pam, and Toby

(​The Office)​. Some of these characters openly worry about the new website, and Michael resists

this idea by giving out gift baskets and driving his car into a lake (9:38,22:26;34:36). While this

is what happens, there are some argue that ​The Office​ is the antithesis of Marxism.

There are some that argue that ​The Office​ promotes neoliberalism, not Marxism.

Neoliberalism is a political view that is socially liberal, but market friendly. HonestKilgore, who

is a reddit user, posted a comment on a Reddit thread named “Is the ‘The Office’ (US) pro or anti

capitalism,” in which they argue that ​The Office ​promotes capitalism. HonestKilgore says “​[​The

Office]​ displays competition between co-workers as a natural state, human nature, rather than as

a product of the structure in which the characters find themselves.” In other words,

HonestKilgore is saying that ​The Office d​ oes not challenge the view that is implied by

capitalism: exploitation is a natural state, and for that reason, it needs not be challenged.

However, there are many aspects of “Dunder Mifflin Infinity” that directly challenge capitalist

exploitation. While HonestKilgore argues that ​The Office​ promotes capitalism, “Dunder Mifflin

Infinity” features many of Karl Marx’s criticism of capitalism.

Marx’s theory of ​alienation​ refers to the a certain relationship that workers have with

their products in capitalism, of which is featured mostly in the first half of “Dunder Mifflin

Infinity” (Karl Marx; 00:00). In capitalism, Marx argues, the labor is disconnected from the

worker (Karl Marx). Marx lists four predicates of alienated labor, of which are all featured in
 Rivas 3

“Dunder Mifflin Infinity,” they are: (1) the worker has no choice in what they produce, (2) the

worker does not enjoy producing the product, (3) the worker does not see the completed

product, and (4) the worker does not present the finished product to a customer (Karl Marx).

Alienation is systemic in capitalism, Marx argues, and reduces family relations to “mere

monetary relations,” and that friends are determined by “callous cash payment;” Marx’s criticism

that capitalism turns relationships into mere monetary relationships is referenced by Michael,

who says that “business are about people, not profit” (Engels, Marx;​ 4​ 1:05). The reason for this,

Marx argues,is because capitalism treats people not as ends in of themselves, but merely relative

to their commercial utility, which is identical to the relation that a factory owner has with a

hammer (Karl Marx). For instance, when Michael and Creed talk about losing their jobs in the

place of the new website, they recognise their relationship with the means of production: as just

another tool that is only valued relative to its production capability (9:38). It is a great tragedy

when people are treated like objects, which is exactly what capitalism does. While it is true that

capitalism is harmful to the common good, Marx also argues that capitalism will fail under the

weight of its own contradictions.

Marx’s other theory, ​inevitability of rebellion,​ regards the fallout of capitalism, which is

featured primarily in the second half of “Dunder Mifflin Infinity” (22:20). Marx argues that the

transfer of wealth upwards will result in the lower classes rebelling against their boss’s (Karl

Marx).The likelihood of a rebellion increases the worse the conditions are for the working class,

and this idea is featured in “Dunder Mifflin Infinity” when Michael goes against Ryan’s wishes

by distributing gift baskets (Engels, Marx; 22:26). These are some of Marx’s theories and how
 Rivas 4

they relate to “Dunder Mifflin Infinity” on the surface level, but deeper examinations should be

made.

Marx’s theory of ​alienation​ is is heavily featured in “Dunder Mifflin Infinity.” For

instance, when Creed learns that the new website will be “younger, faster,” and “more agile,” he

goes to Michael and says “we’re screwed” (9:29). This connects to ​alienation​, because Creed is

referring to the basic worry that his relationship with the company is a mere monetary

relationship, and that he will be cast aside like a broken tool the moment he is no has market

utility (Tyson 60). This fear is not only rational for Creed, but it is rational for anyone that lives

in a society in which their basic needs are met only according to their relative utility to the

market, i.e. as tools. While these are the conditions that which Creed is born into, his reaction

confirms a deeper alienation.

Creed also exhibits what Marx referred to as ​commodification​ of people by capitalism

(Karl Marx). When Creed learns that he may be fired for being old, Creed reconstructs a false

persona to sell himself as a functional tool with market utility; Creed dyes his hair black, and

repeats his best conception of how young people talk (16:01). When Creed tries to sell himself to

Ryan as a product, he refers to himself as a product, which both alienates himself from what he

truly is (a being with inherent value), and it works to confirm what capitalism promotes: the

reduction of all relations, in this case, even self referencial relations, to “mere money relations”

(Engels, Marx; 16:01). This matters, because in referring to ourselves as mere tools, we are

showing ourselves a grand amount of disrespect; we are not merely things to be manipulated for

the advantage of the whatever the market decides, but rather, experiencing subjects of our own
 Rivas 5

lives. Not only is Creed alienated in the show, but many other characters go through the same

struggle.

The entire premise of ​The Office​ is built on the idea of alienation, and throughout the

show, each character is simply trying to survive a job that the despise for a paycheck. Each

character’s job (except for Dwight), reaches the criteria of ​alienation​ (Tyson 60). For instance,

Pam has no control over what she does, because on her ​free​ time, she works to become a graphic

artist (Karl Marx; ​The Office)​. The second criteria is met as well, everyone (except for Dwight),

does not enjoy their job; in fact, this an essential theme of the show: that Dunder Mifflin

Stamford is a horrible place to work (Karl Marx; ​The Office).​ For instance, it is clear that Tobi

in particular is miserable in almost every moment of the show (Karl Marx; ​The Office)​. The third

predicate is featured: no character gets to see their finished product; for instance, the salespeople,

such as Jim, only sell other people’s products, not their own (Karl Marx; ​The Office).​ The last

criteria is met only in a limited sense; the salespeople do follow up with their customers

regarding the paper that they sell, but the effect of the paper is not from their doing; the paper

was made by someone else (Karl Marx;​The Office​) These are the conditions in the office that

which have Marxist themes, but the way that the characters respond has a connection to Marx as

well.

Michael Scott responds to the website making him feel devalued by going against Ryan’s

wishes, and distributing gift baskets, which connects to the ​inevitability of rebellion ​(Karl Marx;

22:26). Michael resists technology so much that he crashes his car into a lake in a strange attempt

to prove the inferiority of technology to people (34:36). This connects somewhat to Marx’s

theory of the implications and consequences of capitalism; Marx said that capitalism is self
 Rivas 6

defeating because capitalism is too effective: capitalism’s function is to maximize profit for the

boss (Engels, Marx). However, if too much capital is extracted from the working class, the

working class will rebel (Engels, Marx). In this way, Marx says, capitalism gives the reason, and

the weapons to the working class to destroy capitalism; Marx even said that a rebellion from the

working class is inevitable (Engels, Marx). It is. Each component of “Dunder Mifflin Infinity”

should be examined on their own, but also in relation to each other.

“Dunder Mifflin Infinity” features many marxist concepts. Season three episode four of

The Office n​ amed “Dunder Mifflin Infinity” features the employees becoming alienated by the

new means of production that Ryan introduces, and Michael rebels against him. This story has

many Marxist undertones, such as the entire office being alienated, Creed commodifying

himself, and Michael rebelling against his boss (16:01, 22:26, 34:36). ​Alienation​ refers to labor

that is not chosen, enjoyed, finished, or given by the worker; ​commodification​ refers to people

conceptualizing themselves as a cog in the market, with value relative only to market utility

(Karl Marx, Tyson 60). Finally, Marx says that rebellion against capitalism is inevitable:

rebellion is implied by capitalism , which connects to the ​inevitability of rebellion​ (Engels,

Marx). While ​The Office​ is a comedy tv show, the Marxist themes have a direct relation to our

lives: capitalism does alienate and commodify us, and rebellion is, for better or for worse,

inevitable. In by finding out how we are enslaved, we can free ourselves. After all, what hope

does a slave have of being free, if they don’t first know that they are a slave?

Works Cited
 Rivas 7

“Dunder Mifflin Infinity.” ​The Office,​ season 4, episode 2 CBS, October 4, 2007. ​Netflix,

https://www.netflix.com/watch/70108688?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2Cba83b61

3-4a5f-4ddf-b4ac-c0b6e41228d8-376503747%2C%2C​, ​accessed october 21 2018

Engels, Friedrich. Marx, Karl. ​The Communist Manifesto.​ 1998 edition, Elecbook, 1998. p. 12.

Accessed October 21, 2018. PDF.

HonestKilgore. Comment on “The Office (US) pro or anti-capitalist?” ​Reddit, ​December 2017.

“Karl Marx.” ​Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,​ April 12, 2017,

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/marx/​. Accessed October 21, 2018.

Tyson, Lois. ​Critical Theory Today, t​ hird edition, Routledge, 2015, 51, accessed October 21,

accessed 2018