The Office: Bringing People Together

We currently have a contractor working on a project with us at work.  He is a nice guy, but keeps to himself.  I’ve had little chats here and there with him about minor things, but generally speaking, he does not interact.  
From my perspective, this isn’t a judgement but an observation.  In his profession, he can be onsite at 2-3 different clients in one week.  And, his engagements are short-term meaning he is in and out before people really remember his name.  It’s probably more of a preservation technique than anything.
Wednesday around lunch time, his cohort (another contractor from the same company) and I were having a discussion about how our respective projects were going.  He came by and joined the conversation.  In the middle of it, he explained “It’s a Dwight bobblehead doll!!”  At that point, the previous conversation was over.
He asked if I had seen the season opening episode.  What did I think about the new HR person?  How funny is it about Ryan?  Isn’t it great the Pam and Jim are finally engaged?  I learned that he and his wife have their own “that’s what she said” moments in inappropriate situations.   We talked about our most uncomfortable Michael Scott moment.  And how the British versions differ from the American ones.
If you work in an office, you likely have a Dwight or an Angela or a Stanley in your midst.  I think that is why The Office unifies people.  While a Michael Scott would never survive in a real office, we all know someone who did for a while.  It allows us to laugh at a normally somber day.  And, it creates something in common between people who may not normally interact.  Not a bad side effect for a sitcom. 

What do you think?

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