"Gay Witch Hunt" and the Tribulations of American Homosexuals

The episode “Gay Witch Hunt” , from the popular present day TV series “The Office”, portrays the forced revelation, to an office community, that one of their co-workers, Oscar, is a homosexual. The episode begins with one of the main characters, Michael, who is the manager of the office, discovering that one of his employees is gay when the human resources representative informs him that an employee, whom he had called “faggy”, was an actual homosexual. Michael responds to this, in a soliloquy with the camera, saying that if he had known Oscar was a homosexual he would have not behaved so inappropriately. This demonstrates many things. Not only does it demonstrate how homosexuality is generally regarded as something negative in our culture and society but it also demonstrates the fact that homosexuality is just a sexual preference and nothing more. As Michael says in a later episode, “Your [homosexuality] is not what defines you…”. The episode also shows that the stereotypes of gays in America most certainly can be false. In one scene, Michael turns to his employee Dwight and asks him if he can tell a gay man from a straight man. To this, Dwight says “Of course”. When Michael asks him whether or not Oscar is gay, Dwight says “Absolutely not.” This is a clear cut example of how the gay-stereotypes do not apply to all gay men. However, the episode does not stop there in its portrayal of the difficulties of male homosexual Americans.
When Michael apologizes to Oscar for calling him “faggy”, a number of other co-workers overhear their conversation. Sooner than later, word spreads and the entire office becomes aware of Oscar’s homosexuality. Soon Oscar begins feeling discriminated for his homosexuality and informs the human resources representative, Toby, once again. The co-workers all have different approaches to this new revelation. Some find hilarity in it, others compliment him, and some gain a new distrust in him and look at him in another light. Still, there are also those that express their lack of concern with the fact that Oscar is gay and treat him as they would normally. This reaction from society is representative of the many kinds of reactions possible when learning that someone you know is in fact, a homosexual.



Yet the issue arises also that Michael has unwittingly “outted” Oscar. This means that Michael has forced Oscar to reveal his homosexuality to his fellow peers without Oscar’s consent. This demonstrates probably one of the more momentous aspects and difficulties of being a homosexual. When each baby is born, none of them are assumed to be gay. Therefore, each and every homosexual will have to, if they chose to be an outspoken homosexual, come out to his/her parents/friends/peers at one time or another in his/her life. This is a huge moment in the gay man or woman’s life and is a feeling that is not shared with heterosexuals.

In conclusion the episode “Gay Witch Hunt” depicts, with humor, the folly of homosexual stereotypes and the dangers of ignorance. By walking the audience through a number of different difficult situations experienced by gay men in American society in a comical and fantastic way, “Gay Witch Hunt” has exposed some real truths and events that happen to everyday people across the country. Perhaps in this way we all may be more prepared, unlike Michael, for any related or similar situations if they should arise in reality.