“Because I truly believe in corporate morale…” Ilana Wexler declares while leaving behind her Tube Man (sometimes called a Fly Guy or Air Dancer), and then turns on the button that will allow it to do what it does best: sway back and forth with an infectious sense of calm. This generous parting gift (after she’s fired, of course) not only speaks to the irreverent, fun-spirited nature of Ilana that simply can’t be accepted in a workplace where phrases like “mandatory fun” are bandied, but also her generous character in attempting to loosen up the fuckfaces that populate the so-called “carefree” atmosphere of a startup (which can, at times, feel like an even worse environment than that of the corporate one).
But there is no boosting of morale in an office setting, no “loosening up” of assholes that are more tightly clenched than Cameron Frye’s. And any office worker who hasn’t succumbed to the Kool-Aid is a fool to try. It will only further break your will to continue working there as you see firsthand just how fearful the average American is of rocking the boat at the potential expense of invoking the watchful eye of his slave driver. You can always buy a Tube Man for your own home though, in spite of the fact that it would probably take up the majority of the hovel that your office job has afforded you.