4 ms·

I've never watched the show, but I have to admit I'm a bit bemused by the number of times I've come across people saying they've got [professional] life figured

I've never watched the show, but I have to admit I'm a bit bemused by the number of times I've come across people saying they've got [professional] life figured out by realizing it's actually exactly like The Office, which coincidentally, is their favorite show. As I said, I haven't watched the show so I can't really appraise the claims properly, but it seems suspect to me. (Incidentally I noticed a similar tendency in myself to think I had policing and Baltimore local politics figured out after watching The Wire. Did that show really teach me as much as I feel? Or do I have a false sensation of being informed, steming from my enjoyment of the show?)

ashtonkem 6y ago
Unrelated observation: "just do the opposite of what Michael Scott would do" is actually pretty decent management advice, and probably better training than 80% of what new managers are taught (which is usually nothing more than "here is what you need to do to not get us sued").
throwaway0a5e 6y ago
Parks and Rec is basically a documentary about working in government (with all the shenanigans happening on an accelerated timeline). The office is basically a documentary about white collar work places, once again, with all the shenanigans happening more rapidly. I don't know any city cops so I can't speak to the accuracy of Brooklyn Nine Nine.
- op03 6y ago
  Good observations and for those who want to dig deeper look up the works of Nobel + Turing award winner Herbert Simon - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_A._Simon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_A._Simon
croissants 6y ago
> Did that show really teach me as much as I feel? I think one thing The Wire does is show you how bad equilibria can arise from mostly rational people making mostly rational decisions in response to the incentives around them, and seeing it play out in compelling dramatic form is a good way to cement the idea. So now it's pretty easy for me to come up with a plausible reason why bad thing x happens in my city y. I think my main takeaway from watching The Wire in college was various ways of arriving at the conclusion that things are pretty complex. Except for the war on drugs, which should mostly end.

ashtonkem 6y ago

Unrelated observation: "just do the opposite of what Michael Scott would do" is actually pretty decent management advice, and probably better training than 80% of what new managers are taught (which is usually nothing more than "here is what you need to do to not get us sued").

throwaway0a5e 6y ago

Parks and Rec is basically a documentary about working in government (with all the shenanigans happening on an accelerated timeline). The office is basically a documentary about white collar work places, once again, with all the shenanigans happening more rapidly. I don't know any city cops so I can't speak to the accuracy of Brooklyn Nine Nine.

op03 6y ago
Good observations and for those who want to dig deeper look up the works of Nobel + Turing award winner Herbert Simon - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_A._Simon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_A._Simon

croissants 6y ago

> Did that show really teach me as much as I feel? I think one thing The Wire does is show you how bad equilibria can arise from mostly rational people making mostly rational decisions in response to the incentives around them, and seeing it play out in compelling dramatic form is a good way to cement the idea. So now it's pretty easy for me to come up with a plausible reason why bad thing x happens in my city y. I think my main takeaway from watching The Wire in college was various ways of arriving at the conclusion that things are pretty complex. Except for the war on drugs, which should mostly end.