https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor
Hanlon’s razor states: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”
Much of the irritations (mild & serious) of life are caused by stupidity, not malice. This is especially true when you get to organization-inflicted irritations. That doesn’t mean we should get angry or frustrated by the irritations. Or that we shouldn’t fight back.
It means that we should not assume malignancy as a first approach. Our response should assume stupidity. Not the frontline person you’re dealing with, they are just average people trying to get through life like the rest of us.
No, it is stupidity at the organization level that bites us. I believe that the larger an organization (profit, non-profit, government, etc), the dumber it gets. Processes, decision making, exception handling, and the like are set up to serve the organization, not you are me. Regardless of their mission statement, kind words, and fancy slogans, organizations rarely have your best interests at heart.
Self-preservation is a huge part of any organization and the root of most stupidity that makes our life harder.
When fighting back, first strike is against stupidity. Don’t let an assumption of malignancy mess with your thinking.
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