- 216 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
This book spans three centuries of popular entertainment and everyday culture, showcasing both mainstream and submerged channels and voices to examine how once reviled business values gained supremacy and poisoned the American spirit. The office in popular culture is often depicted as a topsy-turvy parallel universe where psychological disorders are legitimized as "managerial styles" and comically depraved bosses torment those who do the actual work. During the 1950s, the Beats chose denim and the open road over gray flannel suits and office jobs, but today their grandchildrenāGeneration Yāaggressively covet desk jobs. "Greed Is Good" and Other Fables: Office Life in Popular Culture examines how office life is both extolled and lampooned in popular culture. The book tracks how business values ascended to cultural dominance in the United States today, revealing our incessant struggle between financial and spiritual goals in the pursuit of "freedom" and the fulfillment of the American dream. By drawing upon sources as varied as books, newspapers, magazines, television shows, movies, blogs, message boards, documentaries, public speeches, corporate training films, and employee newsletters, the author provides compelling insights into the range of competing values and ideals interwoven throughout office life.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- Chapter 1. The Great American Dilemma: Conformity or Rebellion?
- Chapter 2. My Approach and Some Reflections on Pop Culture and Such
- Chapter 3. Early Mass Culture: Print from the Victorian Era to the Roaring Twenties
- Chapter 4. Sponsored Films: Quaintness with a Radical Bite
- Chapter 5. The Organization Man and His Kin: Preachers and Salesmen
- Chapter 6. The Office in Drama and Comedy during the 1950s and 1960s
- Chapter 7. Greed Is Good: The 1980s to Present-Day America
- Chapter 8. Scaling the Pyramid: Common Types and Office Games
- Epilogue
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
- About the Author