Logical Fallacies in a Fire Drill

The Office is an amazing show that is chock-full of great and hilarious logical fallacies to choose from. Logical fallacies are arguments that are trying to be won with incorrect reasoning. I am focusing on the episode titled “Stress Relief” where Dwight organizes a fire drill. This scene is an example of circular reasoning, where Dwight is using the same argument to win an argument.

In this scene, Dwight explains that he tried briefing the rest of the office on the importance of fire safety, but no one really paid attention to it. Because of this, Dwight actually starts a fire in the middle of the office, locking all the doors and heating the handles with a blow torch. The sight of smoke in the office sends everyone into a panic, unable to exit the building in a safe manner. Total anarchy breaks loose as everyone runs for their life around the office that they are seemingly trapped in.

This is a fallacy because instead of Dwight educating his co-workers on fire safety, he has created a hazardous and crazed environment that is actually putting the rest of the office at risk. Dwight is arguing that educating the staff on fire safety is important in order to prevent a dangerous situation by actually creating a dangerous environment for everyone in the office.

Link to the full scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO8N3L_aERg