Doing homework over Thanksgiving break was a terribly difficult thing. My tiny little brain could not handle ancient political philosophy while being over-stimulated by the smells of turkey, gravy and Grandma’s Italian stuffing. My mind wandered from my text to the turkey, the turkey to the television and then back from TV to the text again. My dog-eared copy of Niccolà Machiavelli’s The Prince began to mesh together with my favorite reruns of The Office. Perhaps it was the euphoria associated with impending turkey that muddled my thoughts, but it turns out that my good buddy NiccolÃ^ is pretty relevant in the world of Dunder Mifflin.
One of Machiavelli’s most famous passages from The Prince is where he ponders whether it is better for a leader to be loved or feared. Machiavelli asserts that the best case for a ruler is to be feared, but not hated. This semantic difference is important: It indicates just how this leader can have his cake and eat it too. The fear people feel for you makes them obedient, but does not preclude them from loving you as well.
One has to keep in mind that Machiavelli was writing about life in the 16th century, so I think it is only fair to cut him some slack when it comes to the modern meaning of his words. To analyze Machiavelli in modern context, I have turned to the great 21st century philosopher Michael Scott.
Michael Scott is a narcissistic micro-manager played by Steve Carell on NBC’s The Office. Though he lacks insight when it comes to sensitivity or office politics, he is a great sage when it comes to Machiavelli. “Would I rather be feared or loved?” Michael ponders of the Machiavelli-inspired question. “Um…Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.”
While Michael may have come up with this answer out of his childish need to be liked or his overwhelming desire to turn a phrase, his answer is quite telling. Michael uses Machiavelli’s famous question simply to analyze his role as “boss.” He understands the modern relationship between leaders and followers and does a very good job breaking his philosophy down. It is simple and short enough so that it won’t hurt anyone (that’s what she said). In his bumbling yet eloquent way, Michael has given modern context to Machiavelli.
One would think that with his martial arts training and frequent demonstrative behavior, The Office’s Dwight Shrute would want to be feared if he were a leader. When he does get his chance as interim regional manager, Dwight attempts to maximize the potential of his “employees” by offering them Shrute Bucks, his own invented system of motivation. One thousand Shrute Bucks is equal to five extra minutes of lunch time. Dwight views this show of compassion as a great way to motivate the office and as a powerful tool. Unfortunately for Dwight, this plan sputtered when his employees failed to buy into the new system and Shrute Bucks remained as worthless as Stanley Nickels.
Michael and Dwight’s messages are easy to follow. In some situations, fear can be an effective weapon, but people in our society place a premium on being admired and respected. Even when the desire to be loved is counterproductive, being feared just isn’t worth it.
In Machiavelli’s view, tyrannical leadership is the safest course, because a leader who is unchallenged is unthreatened. Perhaps this was acceptable in Machiavelli’s time, but Machiavelli’s state, unlike Michael and Dwight’s office, did not have a human resources department.
“Is it better for a ruler to be cruel or merciful?” Machiavelli asks. Maybe establishing a republic requires fear, but for modern purposes, even five extra minutes of lunch time is much more effective.
J.M. Fratangelo is a junior government and politics major. He can be reached at jtangelo@umd.edu.
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