Moment of Power

A small victory today had me reflecting on a syndrome we all know and have experienced.

Small minded and spiritually stunted people sometimes manage to find a position where they can exercise little moments of power. In the grand scheme of things, these moments are nothing, and yet experiencing them can be frustrating and annoying.

Common examples are the secretary in charge of stationary at the office, a doorman or receptionist at a hotel, or a waiter at a restaurant. Their modus operandi lies in finding a regulation, preferably badly worded, and then sticking rigidly to one or two of those words – while ignoring the intent of those regulations.
If someone argues with them, they indignantly justify their actions with “I am just obeying my instructions/the regulations.”

Another classic is the spotty faced kid employed as a speed cop. Standing tall and proud, he adopts the attitude of a teacher addressing a small school child. Two standard opening gambits are “Do you know what speed you were doing?” and “Do you have a good reason for breaking the speed limit?”
Facetious questions, because no answer will avoid that ticket.
Then will follow a lecture on how speed kills.
Funny, after you were doing 105 in a 100 zone and he just did 130+ to catch up with you. (Justification, this is a zero tolerance area).

It is tempting to say that they are just dumb, but as their victims depart you can hear these people smile.

I am reminded of an acquaintance that once gave me a lift in his car. With a giant truck behind him, he kept stomping on his brakes and then accelerating away. “The clown will just think that I’m having engine problems.” He found this game highly amusing.

In my “What we do to them” blog page I discussed levels of attention, which explains why these people do as they do – their place in life is to be a pain in the arse.

How do you deal with them?
Answer, you don’t.

If it is worth the effort, you simple go above their head – and talk to someone with real power.
Without boring you with the details, that is the nature of my victory today.

Addendum:
When a cop asked me those facetious questions, I replied “I have this silly approach to driving. I keep my eye on the road instead of staring steadfastly at my speedo. So, yes, my speed might marginally increase or decrease once in a while.”
He had no answer and silently continued writing the ticket.