Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a Prince.
This Prince found that some of his subjects had been involved in very naughty activities, and had broken promises made to the Prince. As such, the King punished them.
However, these naughty subjects, they were well connected to the priesthood. And the priesthood kicked up a right stink about them being punished, and sought to overrule the Prince.
Even more so, the priesthood then offered bribes and pressure to an influential and powerful baron, to try and pressure the Prince into doing what they wanted. The Prince could not stand up to both the Priesthood and this baron, and so eventually relented.
The rest of the Prince's subjects then saw the limits to the Prince's power clearly, and used the priesthood and rivalries within the court to press their own agenda and undermine the Prince's rule. Eventually, the Prince was overthrown and beheaded.
===================
All of this is just an extreme overreaction to my being told that I cannot punish students for a certain set of infractions, when I was previously told I would be supported totally if complaints were put in against me. I have now been made to reverse my previous course of action, despite making it clear to the students that I would not, and I have just spent the last half hour penning a humiliating "apology" letter for something I feel no need to apologize for, and that I was told I would be supported in, if I went ahead with it.
I am seriously pissed. They've just given every student in the building a green light to do whatever the fuck they want, since their parents are never here and will give them permission to do pretty much anything, in 99% of cases. I should have the final say. Parents are morons, and more importantly, they don't live here. They don't have to put up with the consequences. They just pay enormous sums to strangers and expect them to clean up the mess, and then hamstring them when they actually try to do so.
So. Fucking. Angry. I just had my authority totally underminned, and by the parents of students who see house staff as servants, not superiors. Why bother having any fucking rules then? Let the little fuckers run riot, and when they end up failing their exams, or having their visas rescinded by the UKBA, or they end up in hospital or a jail cell because they're rich, young and utterly incapable of self-control, we can just shrug our shoulders and say "not our problem".
Fucking morons.
Find another job. Don't quit this one yet, at least not until you have something lined up, but find another job. If they hang you out to dry once (and that's all it takes), they'll do it a thousand times.
May I suggest that your next job not involve the general public at all, let alone that portion of the population that has enough money and/or influence to have any sort of impact on your life in any meaningful way? And that doesn't necessarily mean working for the government, though that is the best place to explain your "position" to humanity in general.
Fuck that noise, Cain. Get the hell out.
This is definitely pushing me towards the "caring less about my job" position right now. While I haven't been completely neutered, and I definitely have enough authority and general methods to keep order, this does inject another pole of power into the system. Before, it was clear. There was me and the other house staff, then there was our boss, who answered to the principal.
But now, apparently, the parents get a say too.
Well fuck that noise, and any kid who tries to use that on me will be in a world of very personal trouble.
There are still benefits to this job which mean I'm not prepared to quit just yet. However I'm definitely going to rely far less on the official discpline system after this fiasco.
This is the problem, authority needs to come from a single source. Otherwise it's not authority, it's just an opinion, and no-one gives a fuck about opinions.
Quote from: Cain on February 01, 2012, 05:30:00 PMSo. Fucking. Angry. I just had my authority totally underminned, and by the parents of students who see house staff as servants, not superiors. Why bother having any fucking rules then? Let the little fuckers run riot, and
when they end up failing their exams, or having their visas rescinded by the UKBA, or they end up in hospital or a jail cell because they're rich, young and utterly incapable of self-control, we can just shrug our shoulders and say "not our problem".
I'd be very careful making that assumption. Seeing how easily they backed out on the support they promised you, good chance that when the shit hits the fan, you can shrug your shoulders all you want, but they will probably make it your problem--or at least, they'll be looking for some easy target to shift the blame. Maybe if you can make sure someone else is the easier target you might be fine?
I'm not making that assumption, or acting upon it. I'm pointing out this is the logical end point of where this is going.
But thanks for having so little faith in me.
I find it an interesting question, whether or not authority can come from many places and remain undiminished.
It makes obvious intuitive sense that it can't be divided without loss, but that's what makes me question it.
Cain,
Are you able to inject an additional power pole into the system that you could leverage when you get undermined like that?
The fact that they told you directly that they would support you in a specific action, and then failed to back you up AND have asked you to write a letter of apology is absolutely loathsome.
I'd say that, if nothing else, it's time for an upper-decker in someone's office.
PS, wasn't ignoring the insult because I don't care, but because I was trying to turn a bad situation into an interesting discussion. It really is an unforgivable breach of trust, and I hope something of a top-floor-of-a-boat nature happens to their toilet.
Quote from: Nigel on February 02, 2012, 05:02:39 AM
The fact that they told you directly that they would support you in a specific action, and then failed to back you up AND have asked you to write a letter of apology is absolutely loathsome.
I'm going to second that emotion. Have they ASKED you for an apology letter, or DEMANDED one? I'm the kind of asshole who wouldn't even bother with that bs unless I was specifically approached and given no choice.
I've had this in retail when dealing with the public.
I refuse to serve some drunk who comes in, he kicks up a stink and the manager comes in, turns out he is someones cousin or somesuch and I get these belittling looks from the two of them as the drunk gets served.
It's a horrible feeling, and seeing as these are a bunch of spoiled brats I'd say the little shits probably have a lot more leverage than was previously anticipated.
Quote from: Cain on February 01, 2012, 06:25:26 PM
I'm not making that assumption, or acting upon it. I'm pointing out this is the logical end point of where this is going.
But thanks for having so little faith in me.
Well. I was just trying to relate to your situation and show a bit of support. Didn't mean to imply you would do so. It's a crap situation and it sucks that you have to deal with it.
You have my sympathy. But sometimes, life's shit and we just have to suck it up.
Quote from: BadBeast on February 02, 2012, 07:49:23 PM
You have my sympathy. But sometimes, life's shit and we just have to suck it up.
It's always helpful to inform people of that when they're trying to vent a bit.
If you know what I mean.
Quote from: BadBeast on February 02, 2012, 07:49:23 PM
You have my sympathy. But sometimes, life's shit and we just have to suck it up.
Bollocks. If you ever see me "sucking it up" you can rest assured that it's a facade intended to cause whoever put me in that position to let their guard down so I can take my hideous and unreasonable revenge.
Quote from: Fuck You One-Eye on February 02, 2012, 08:13:46 PM
Quote from: BadBeast on February 02, 2012, 07:49:23 PM
You have my sympathy. But sometimes, life's shit and we just have to suck it up.
Bollocks. If you ever see me "sucking it up" you can rest assured that it's a facade intended to cause whoever put me in that position to let their guard down so I can take my hideous and unreasonable revenge.
Disproportionate responses, when used judiciously (read: all the time) are probably the best way to get through to someone like that anyway.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on February 02, 2012, 07:51:08 PM
Quote from: BadBeast on February 02, 2012, 07:49:23 PM
You have my sympathy. But sometimes, life's shit and we just have to suck it up.
It's always helpful to inform people of that when they're trying to vent a bit.
If you know what I mean.
Yeah, I know what you mean, and I meant the sympathy part with all sincerity, but it I've been sucking up so much shit this winter I'm finding it hard enough to drag my arse out of bed every day to see what else is going to get thrown at me.
So sorry Cain, for sounding flippant, I feel your anger, and I liked the story. Yes, it's shit when someone's supposed to have your back, and they turn out to be gutless. Yes, it's galling when the kids you're supposed to be in charge of go over your head, and use their privileged position to pull the rug out from under you. But the apple never falls far from the tree, and there are always people who are prepared to kiss the arse of wealth and influence to curry favour. I've never been one to do that, and sometimes it's the only thing that comforts me. (Small enough comfort, but it's enough) You are angry because you're having to capitulate because of someone else rolling over. Those people are always going to be there, wherever you go. But it doesn't mean you have to join them. Fuck 'em. You're still better than them, because you still care enough to even get angry.
And yeah Roger, you're right. That last post of mine made me sound like a defeatist. And I'm fucking not. I've had toothache all week, and I can't get a Dentist. But I'm going to beat it. I've got a total of £4.60 to my name, and I don't get paid until monday. My stomach thinks I'm going to starve. But I wont.
And now I've got heartburn too. I shall suck it up, and then shit it out again. It's all I can do at the moment.
Quote from: Fuck You One-Eye on February 02, 2012, 08:13:46 PM
Quote from: BadBeast on February 02, 2012, 07:49:23 PM
You have my sympathy. But sometimes, life's shit and we just have to suck it up.
Bollocks. If you ever see me "sucking it up" you can rest assured that it's a facade intended to cause whoever put me in that position to let their guard down so I can take my hideous and unreasonable revenge.
That is, indeed TCM. Revenge is a dish best served up with a disproportionate magnitude of shit. But said shit has to come from somewhere.
Quote from: The Freeky of SCIENCE! on February 02, 2012, 08:22:24 PM
Quote from: Fuck You One-Eye on February 02, 2012, 08:13:46 PM
Quote from: BadBeast on February 02, 2012, 07:49:23 PM
You have my sympathy. But sometimes, life's shit and we just have to suck it up.
Bollocks. If you ever see me "sucking it up" you can rest assured that it's a facade intended to cause whoever put me in that position to let their guard down so I can take my hideous and unreasonable revenge.
Disproportionate responses, when used judiciously (read: all the time) are probably the best way to get through to someone like that anyway.
Indeed. "Your entire head for an eye", that's what I always say.
The thing is that you would have to act against a group of them, not just one. The same measure by which the fuckers pull, however, may be used to single out the weak one. Isolate and threaten that one first to derive admission to persecute the others according to psychological advantage and whatever twisted game theory fits their crime. If they have no vice, introduce them to one. Teach them the code. :america:
Quote from: BadBeast on February 02, 2012, 07:49:23 PM
You have my sympathy. But sometimes, life's shit and we just have to suck it up.
FUCK.
THAT.
The only time anyone should ever "suck it up" is if they're being a whiny baby over nothing. Otherwise, they should egg the fuck up and fight, dirty or clean, every inch of the way even if it's a losing battle.
Quote from: Fuck You One-Eye on February 02, 2012, 08:13:46 PM
Quote from: BadBeast on February 02, 2012, 07:49:23 PM
You have my sympathy. But sometimes, life's shit and we just have to suck it up.
Bollocks. If you ever see me "sucking it up" you can rest assured that it's a facade intended to cause whoever put me in that position to let their guard down so I can take my hideous and unreasonable revenge.
Amen, brotha.
Quote from: BadBeast on February 02, 2012, 08:49:29 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on February 02, 2012, 07:51:08 PM
Quote from: BadBeast on February 02, 2012, 07:49:23 PM
You have my sympathy. But sometimes, life's shit and we just have to suck it up.
It's always helpful to inform people of that when they're trying to vent a bit.
If you know what I mean.
Yeah, I know what you mean, and I meant the sympathy part with all sincerity, but it I've been sucking up so much shit this winter I'm finding it hard enough to drag my arse out of bed every day to see what else is going to get thrown at me.
So sorry Cain, for sounding flippant, I feel your anger, and I liked the story. Yes, it's shit when someone's supposed to have your back, and they turn out to be gutless. Yes, it's galling when the kids you're supposed to be in charge of go over your head, and use their privileged position to pull the rug out from under you. But the apple never falls far from the tree, and there are always people who are prepared to kiss the arse of wealth and influence to curry favour. I've never been one to do that, and sometimes it's the only thing that comforts me. (Small enough comfort, but it's enough) You are angry because you're having to capitulate because of someone else rolling over. Those people are always going to be there, wherever you go. But it doesn't mean you have to join them. Fuck 'em. You're still better than them, because you still care enough to even get angry.
And yeah Roger, you're right. That last post of mine made me sound like a defeatist. And I'm fucking not. I've had toothache all week, and I can't get a Dentist. But I'm going to beat it. I've got a total of £4.60 to my name, and I don't get paid until monday. My stomach thinks I'm going to starve. But I wont.
And now I've got heartburn too. I shall suck it up, and then shit it out again. It's all I can do at the moment.
Well all that is shit, but I hope you don't just fucking suck it up and roll over and lie there.
FIGHT.
Quote from: Fuck You One-Eye on February 03, 2012, 03:02:01 AM
Quote from: The Freeky of SCIENCE! on February 02, 2012, 08:22:24 PM
Quote from: Fuck You One-Eye on February 02, 2012, 08:13:46 PM
Quote from: BadBeast on February 02, 2012, 07:49:23 PM
You have my sympathy. But sometimes, life's shit and we just have to suck it up.
Bollocks. If you ever see me "sucking it up" you can rest assured that it's a facade intended to cause whoever put me in that position to let their guard down so I can take my hideous and unreasonable revenge.
Disproportionate responses, when used judiciously (read: all the time) are probably the best way to get through to someone like that anyway.
Indeed. "Your entire head for an eye", that's what I always say.
Wise words to live by. :)
Quote from: Nigel on February 04, 2012, 04:53:33 AM
Quote from: BadBeast on February 02, 2012, 08:49:29 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on February 02, 2012, 07:51:08 PM
Quote from: BadBeast on February 02, 2012, 07:49:23 PM
You have my sympathy. But sometimes, life's shit and we just have to suck it up.
It's always helpful to inform people of that when they're trying to vent a bit.
If you know what I mean.
Yeah, I know what you mean, and I meant the sympathy part with all sincerity, but it I've been sucking up so much shit this winter I'm finding it hard enough to drag my arse out of bed every day to see what else is going to get thrown at me.
So sorry Cain, for sounding flippant, I feel your anger, and I liked the story. Yes, it's shit when someone's supposed to have your back, and they turn out to be gutless. Yes, it's galling when the kids you're supposed to be in charge of go over your head, and use their privileged position to pull the rug out from under you. But the apple never falls far from the tree, and there are always people who are prepared to kiss the arse of wealth and influence to curry favour. I've never been one to do that, and sometimes it's the only thing that comforts me. (Small enough comfort, but it's enough) You are angry because you're having to capitulate because of someone else rolling over. Those people are always going to be there, wherever you go. But it doesn't mean you have to join them. Fuck 'em. You're still better than them, because you still care enough to even get angry.
And yeah Roger, you're right. That last post of mine made me sound like a defeatist. And I'm fucking not. I've had toothache all week, and I can't get a Dentist. But I'm going to beat it. I've got a total of £4.60 to my name, and I don't get paid until monday. My stomach thinks I'm going to starve. But I wont.
And now I've got heartburn too. I shall suck it up, and then shit it out again. It's all I can do at the moment.
Well all that is shit, but I hope you don't just fucking suck it up* and roll over and lie there.
FIGHT.
*Not sure if this was sarcasm or not, ^^ but
If you ever see me roll over and just lie there, then it will be safe to come over and kick me, because I'll be fucking dead. And I'm not too sure whether you meant I was implying Cain was a whiny baby, or whether you were implying I was a whiny baby. If it was the former, then you quite clearly misunderstood what I was saying. Which was that some things, you just have to bear with as good a grace as you can. (Until such time as another option presents itself)
If it was the latter, then you really should wind your neck in a bit. This is the ONE TIME I have ever posted here complaining about ONE single thing in my life.
And If it was neither, then it ws a poor choice of words. (And we're all guilty of that from time to time, as I well know)
And sucking it up? As far as toothache is concerned, short of nipping across the block for a bag of heroin, (And believe me, that in itself is a fight you wouldn't want to have to "egg the fuck up" for) sucking it up is my only viable option. The reason I have toothache in the first place is because the last emergency NHS Dentist I went to left chunks of root behind after attempting to extract a wisdom tooth under local anaesthetic. But It's only pain. And it will go away eventually. Then I'll feel much better. In fact, it's already much better than it was yesterday.
As for fighting, if you only knew what a fight I've had in the last three or four weeks just keeping a fucking roof over my head, then you'd know that suggesting I 'fight' is like suggesting to the wind that it should 'blow'. But there's no reason why you should have known that, because I haven't felt the need to burden anyone else with my problems.
Suffice to say, any motherfucker who comes gunning for me will find out exactly how much fight I have left. So yeah, thanks for the advice Nigel, but if there's one thing I know how to do well, it's to fight. So don't worry, I won't be rolling over anytime soon.
If I appear to be disproportionately reactive to your last post, don't take it personally. I'm not attacking you. As I said, that "whiny baby" thing really put me on my back foot. I know Cain isn't a whinger, and I don't believe I am either, so I hope I've made my position, and my reason for sounding a little less than positive here, a little clearer.
"Coping/pushing through" and "sucking it up" are two very different things, is pretty much all I'm saying. "Suck it up" pretty much means "quit yer whinging" and I think that when something shitty is going on it's perfectly OK to complain about it and seek moral support from your peers WHILE you cope with it and push on through.
All that, and you'll find you get a lot more sympathy and support if you don't tell other people "life is hard, suck it up" when they're having a rough go. :)
I wasn't after sympathy or support. I was offering sympathy, and commiserating that yes, life is often a fucking bitch, and there's sometimes very little we can do in the face of that. If my own troubles coloured the tone of my post, then I'm sorry, but that's what troubles do. However, they also allow us to empathise with someone else's misfortune, which was all I was doing here.
I have no doubt Cain will emerge from this with his integrity intact. And I'm certain he'll manage to get some licks in where they'll be felt. He's one canny fucker.
But back on topic, the OP is about Authority, and part of any position of Authority is having to comply with those who have more of it than you do. It goes with the territory. It's not always a comfortable ride, but that's how it goes. It's not something I've ever been comfortable with, which is why I have never sought Authority over anyone but myself.
(Also why I resent anyone who attempts to usurp that Authority, when I'm making such a supreme effort not to fuck with them)
If I had sought Authority over others, I get the feeling I would have made the worst kind of tyrant imaginable. It's hard enough keeping my own shit in order, without having to tell other people how they should be doing it. Not that that would have stopped me.
I think my attitude towards Authority was tempered by finding myself on the rough end of it from an early age. Why would I want to do that to anyone else? Revenge isn't a good enough reason. Whether served hot, or cold, I never really found it very nourishing. And not for want of trying either.
I don't have nearly as many issues with Authority as I did when I was a young buck. But I'm far better at keeping my own shit together than I was.
Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's. Well, I don't have anything much of Caesar's, and if he want's to come and contest that statement, he can come and
knock on my door. He knows where I am. If he comes knocking, I try to project a T.A.Z. around myself. It doesn't always work, but it's getting easier.
Quote from: BadBeast on February 04, 2012, 07:06:42 PM
But back on topic, the OP is about Authority, and part of any position of Authority is having to comply with those who have more of it than you do. It goes with the territory. It's not always a comfortable ride, but that's how it goes. It's not something I've ever been comfortable with, which is why I have never sought Authority over anyone but myself.
(Also why I resent anyone who attempts to usurp that Authority, when I'm making such a supreme effort not to fuck with them)
Troof! There's a time and a place for authority. Most of the time and most places isn't it. They hand out this authority, willy nilly, to pretty much any fuckhead who asks for it. Coppers, store detectives, bouncers, bank managers, cocksuckers, fuckpigs and all the rest. They tell these monkeys they have authority over me. And each and every one, to a man, gets a sniff and turns into the next fucking stalin the minute he's given the hat.
Coppers are about the worst. Especially the little uns. I get noised up out my bed at three o clock in the morning, on a school night and brother filth (all 4 foot nothing of him) on a curfew check and he's assured of the fact that he has the authority over me that I'm just going to wear it. And I do. Cos I don't need the headache. But I'm comfortable with that. He's a very little man. I could pick him up and snap his spine like a twig. He lives because I'm not as petty as him. He walks away because I let it slide. That's real authority - to grant an annoying little wanker a stay of execution because you're too smart to get sucked into their stupid little pissing contest.
That said, it still sticks in my throat that I couldn't just drag him inside and stamp on his head a few times but I rest assured that someone eventually will. I'm surrounded by people who don't give a fuck about going to prison so it's probably just a matter of time.
In the Northernmost coastal regions of India, it is in fact illegal to respect the authority of a certified cocksucker.
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on February 07, 2012, 12:47:30 PM
Quote from: BadBeast on February 04, 2012, 07:06:42 PM
But back on topic, the OP is about Authority, and part of any position of Authority is having to comply with those who have more of it than you do. It goes with the territory. It's not always a comfortable ride, but that's how it goes. It's not something I've ever been comfortable with, which is why I have never sought Authority over anyone but myself.
(Also why I resent anyone who attempts to usurp that Authority, when I'm making such a supreme effort not to fuck with them)
Troof! There's a time and a place for authority. Most of the time and most places isn't it. They hand out this authority, willy nilly, to pretty much any fuckhead who asks for it. Coppers, store detectives, bouncers, bank managers, cocksuckers, fuckpigs and all the rest. They tell these monkeys they have authority over me. And each and every one, to a man, gets a sniff and turns into the next fucking stalin the minute he's given the hat.
Coppers are about the worst. Especially the little uns. I get noised up out my bed at three o clock in the morning on a school night and brother filth (all 4 foot nothing of him) on a curfew check and he's assured of the fact that he has the authority over me that I'm just going to wear it.
That's an appalling example of harassment, and abuse of position. I would be sorely tempted to quietly drop a cat out of a first floor window onto his head next time he knocks. Just to remind him how much authority he really has.
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on February 07, 2012, 12:47:30 PM
. . .and he's assured of the fact that he has the authority over me that I'm just going to wear it. And I do. Cos I don't need the headache. But I'm comfortable with that. He's a very little man. I could pick him up and snap his spine like a twig. He lives because I'm not as petty as him. He walks away because I let it slide. That's real authority - to grant an annoying little wanker a stay of execution because you're too smart to get sucked into their stupid little pissing contest.
This is the most correct of motorcycles. 20 seconds of gratification is rarely worth
3 years bird. Tempting, I know, but ultimately futile. There's nothing you can teach an obsequious little lickarse like that anyway. Fuckin' hell, you can't even swear at the cunts anymore without getting arrested.
I once asked one of them if he could arrest me if I called him a cunt. He said "Yes", then rattled off section and act. So then I asked him if he could arrest me if I just thought he was a cunt. He said "Don't be ridiculous".
So I said "Ok then, I think you're a cunt" and walked off before he could react. The thick cunt. :lulz:
Quote from: BadBeast on February 07, 2012, 01:43:19 PM
I once asked one of them if he could arrest me if I called him a cunt. He said "Yes", then rattled off section and act. So then I asked him if he could arrest me if I just thought he was a cunt. He said "Don't be ridiculous".
So I said "Ok then, I think you're a cunt" and walked off before he could react. The thick cunt. :lulz:
That must be the best use if E-Prime that I've ever heard about.