The bullying of academics follows a pattern of horrendous, Orwellian elimination rituals, often hidden from the public. Despite the anti-bullying policies (often token), bullying is rife across campuses, and the victims (targets) often pay a heavy price.
"Nothing strengthens authority as much as silence." Leonardo da Vinci - "All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men [or good women] do nothing." -- Edmund Burke
• Skorupski's Law: The more vain one's ambition, the more redundant one's grasp of morality.
• Farlie's Law: If in one's professional career one reaches a position way above what is merited, then one can only maintain this position or progress further by surrounding oneself with incompetent people.
Farlie's extensions:
1. If the people surrounding you are not incompetent, filter their every communication so that they appear incompetent and that you've rescued them.
2. If you are/have been the servant of one, then it is reasonable to assume that you will be the one in the future.
Further research and experimentations:
Please, add other locations and subjects observed so that if a significant number of cases are detected they can become published in a relevant conference. ;-)
----------------------------------- There are of course 'The Peter Principle', stated as "In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence", and
'The Dilbert Principle', stating that companies tend to systematically promote their least-competent employees to management (generally middle management), in order to limit the amount of damage that they're capable of doing.
The 'Max Rangers Principle' (a new one), states that when called to account, make up anything spontaneously to fit the needs at that moment.
And an extension to the 'Max Rangers Principle': to be a convincing and practised liar, feign victimhood when held accountable, usually by bursting into tears or claiming you're the one being bullied and harassed.
2 comments:
Anonymous
said...
The Max Ranger's principle was used at my mediation meeting by the person whom I believe has been involved in bullying within my faculty.
Anonymous said: 
In the midst of experimenting with the following laws I have found that their hypotheses are true at Wolverhampton.
In particular:
• Skorupski's Law: The more vain one's ambition, the more redundant one's grasp of morality.
• Farlie's Law: If in one's professional career one reaches a position way above what is merited, then one can only maintain this position or progress further by surrounding oneself with incompetent people.
Farlie's extensions:
1. If the people surrounding you are not incompetent, filter their every communication so that they appear incompetent and that you've rescued them.
2. If you are/have been the servant of one, then it is reasonable to assume that you will be the one in the future.
Further research and experimentations:
Please, add other locations and subjects observed so that if a significant number of cases are detected they can become published in a relevant conference. ;-)
There are of course 'The Peter Principle', stated as "In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence", and
The 'Max Rangers Principle' (a new one), states that when called to account, make up anything spontaneously to fit the needs at that moment.
And an extension to the 'Max Rangers Principle': to be a convincing and practised liar, feign victimhood when held accountable, usually by bursting into tears or claiming you're the one being bullied and harassed.