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Xeroxlore, photocopylore, faxlore, folklore by facsimile, office graffiti, or formerly typescript broadsides refer to materials circulated through fax machines, Xerox machines, or other photocopiers—usually within a workspace. The tradition has spread to offices all over the world and relies on a wide variety of forms and genres. The term Xeroxlore, coined by Michael J. Preston in his 1974 article “Xerox-lore,” demonstrates the flexibility of folk traditions to evolve as technology grows.
Previously, office workers spread folklore, cartoons, or jokes through written notes or on carbon copies. As photocopiers became more widespread and the cost of ink and paper decreased in the 1970s and 1980s, Xeroxlore became increasingly common in the workplace. The introduction of photocopiers in the office allowed for wider circulation of the materials. Xeroxlore reflects the technological recasting of traditional pranks, jokes, and myths.
The subject of Xeroxlore covers a range of topics and genres. Commonly, Xeroxlore centers on work, politics, current events, popular culture, humor, rumors, and urban legends. Their form or genre is just as diverse as their topics. Xeroxlore comes as business cards, letters, memos, help-wanted posters, poetry, holiday cards, comics, cartoons, and recipes (most famously, the Cabbage Soup Diet in the 1980s). Many pieces of Xeroxlore include images, sketches, or photographs. Sometimes, the images reflect the meaning of the written message; other times, the images are random or directly contrast with the written message.
Unlike many other folktales or myths that are often circulated orally and publicly, Xeroxlore often circulates anonymously through the documents. People anonymously deliver the documents to coworkers or friends although they occasionally deliver the documents publicly. While the materials circulated are often anonymous, they might contain a comic, satiric, or parodied author.
Distribution methods vary. A worker might produce several photocopies to distribute to multiple members of an office. Another distribution method involves making one copy for a single coworker. Then, the recipient of the Xeroxlore photocopies another document to give to another coworker, and, as a result, the graphics worsen with each printing. The poor quality of oft-copied documents helps to establish the belief and feeling that, like other folklore traditions, the document has been inherited from many others. The distribution of Xeroxlore generally starts in the workplace, and the content is often work-related, but the material moves into the home when employees share the documents with their spouses, family, or friends.
The methods for displaying Xeroxlore vary among different individuals. Some might tape the papers on the sides of filing cabinets or desks, pin the papers on bulletin boards or cubicle walls, or use a magnet to post the papers on refrigerators in the breakroom. Other documents are too personal or subversive for public display, and people either keep these documents hidden in the bottoms of drawers or bring the documents home. Other pieces of Xeroxlore are simply recycled or thrown in the garbage.
Some consider the use of the Xeroxlore as a means of building a folk community. Those who send and receive the documents are a distinct group from those who do not: usually supervisors, bosses, or other management. Those within the folk community spread and respread old and new rumors, jokes, and legends, and Xeroxlore helps offer the community comical sustenance throughout their workday.
Many consider Xeroxlore as a subversive (and generally harmless) folk practice. Instead of sending official work-related documents, employees defy management and send comical documents. This tradition gives workers temporary relief from what folklorist Alan Dundes terms the Paperwork Empire. People consider Xeroxlore subversive because employees spend time and the office’s money photocopying the unofficial documents. Many pieces of Xeroxlore either directly and personally attack supervisors or generally attack the boss figure.
Additionally, Xeroxlore can be considered subversive because the material might not be appropriate for work. For example, lists about “why a cucumber is better than a man” or “why a beer is better than a woman” often circulate. Some pieces of Xeroxlore may be considered pornographic (the infamous photocopies of all imaginable body parts), sexist, homophobic, racist, or discriminatory in other ways.
Xeroxlore is practiced internationally, but the content is usually dependent on each workplace. These materials rely on work-specific jargon or personal references to coworkers or management. Some workplace Xeroxlore creates imaginary meetings, new assignments, or updated policies. For example, some memos issue new restrictions regarding bathroom use (limiting the number of times per day or the duration of each trip), changes to health care plans, or silly updates to the dress code policy.
One common urban legend that spread as Xeroxlore is the Blue Star Acid legend, which claims that temporary tattoos of stars or characters, like Mickey Mouse or Bart Simpson, are laced with LSD and sold to children. Another common urban legend spread by Xeroxlore is the Lights Out Warning. This prank claimed that as a part of gang initiation, potential members were driving with their lights off, and drivers who flashed their lights at them might be marked for murder. Other Xeroxlore claimed that the president of Procter & Gamble was a member of the church of Satan and the company’s logo allegedly had satanic, evil, and apocalyptic symbols.
While Xeroxlore is generally harmless, the hoaxes, like the Blue Star Acid warning, have moved out of the workplace and into police precincts. Many detectives, as well as journalists, have investigated the reports of the Blue Star Acid prank, but they have debunked the claims. Police are also unable to charge someone with starting the rumor because of the anonymity of Xeroxlore.
Perhaps the best testament to Xeroxlore’s influence on American culture is the way its pranks and comical atmosphere have been ingrained into popular television shows. For example, The Office centers on continuous pranks between office workers, especially Dwight Schrute and Jim Halpert. For these characters, fax machines and copiers are for pranks, not work. In one episode, Jim uses the fax machine to send fictional faxes from the future to Dwight. In another episode, Pam draws a picture resembling Dwight with the caption “This man is pervert.” An oblivious Dwight copies the drawing and posts it to warn others. The Office, then, celebrates Xeroxlore and spreads its use to television audiences.
As Internet technology became more widespread in the workplace in the 1990s, newer forms and offshoots of Xeroxlore emerged. For example, hoaxes or rumors began to spread through email chain letters or on social media websites like Facebook. No longer restricted to the workplace, Internet memes are a descendant of Xeroxlore cartoons. An especially common email is the curse chain, which warns recipients that they will be cursed, have their account deleted, or be killed by evil spirits if they do not forward the email to others. With email’s forward feature, the distribution of these chain letters has become more widespread and easy. As new technology develops, new ways to transmit urban legends and pranks will continue to develop.
James M. Cochran
See also Fakelore; Internet Hoaxes; Urban Legends/Urban Belief Tales
Further Reading
Brunvand, Jan. 1989. Curses! Broiled Again! New York: W. W. Norton.
Brunvand, Jan. 2001. The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.
Dundes, Alan, and Carl R. Pagter. 1975. Urban Folklore from the Paperwork Empire. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Locke, Nicholas. 1979. The Complete Office Graffiti: You Want It When?!! New York: Proteus.
Preston, Cathy Lynne, and Michael J. Preston, eds. 1994. Photocopylore from Colorado: Folk Collections. Boulder, CO: Janus Academic Press.