The Office Space Rule

Today someone overheard me unleashing a tirade full of colorful metaphors first thing in the morning.

They said, "Sounds like someone's got a case of the Mondays."

Which brought up a rule. The rule is this:

Don't swear in public.

No, just kidding. That's not the rule. The rule is this:

If a character makes fun of something in a movie, and you think the movie is good, don't do whatever they're making fun of. If you do, chances are you're missing the point of the movie.

Take OFFICE SPACE, for example. This is a film very few people saw in the theater, but it has gained popularity after coming out on video, and later, after playing on cable all day long, every day (in a bastardized form). The more popular it gets, the more it starts to reach an audience it clearly wasn't intended for -- i.e., the exact people the movie satirizes. Problem is, no one is aware they're being satirized. Case in point: I'm writing this whole thing, and the movie is probably making fun of me. But, you can avoid the joke being on you if you follow this rule:

If you see a movie, OFFICE SPACE, for example, and the comedic hero of the movie shit talks people who say, "Looks like someone has a case of the Mondays," and then every character who says that line is portrayed as a total douche, the message is: Don't say that to people. It's not, "Oh, isn't it hilarious! I'll remember that and say it to people from now on."

Or just say and do whatever you want. Whatever.