Shit oozes downwards
Am compelled to share this with the world. courtesy once again of E2.
<lj-cut>Shit oozes downwards (idea)
(idea) by vuo
Thu Jul 31 2003 at 22:58:16
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Paska valuu alaspäin.</i>
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<div align=”center”>– Traditional Finnish Proverb
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This proverb is the most fitting in the military. Say an assistant instructor - a conscript corporal - borrows thirty uncharged cartridges. He is obliged to do this, because they are needed for instruction on the machine gun, and he has an order to give the instruction.
Then, he distributes the cartridges to the recruits. During the day, many groups of recruits - the entire battery, actually - goes through his training “checkpoint”. Just one of them loses, steals, swallows or shoves a cartridge up his ass. Who is to blame?
Officially, there corporal is blamed. His signature is on the borrowing receipt. It does not matter that he had to sign to obey a direct order or that the recruit was the one who lost the cartridge. If asked why the recruit isn’t blamed, the instructors (of cadre) say that the corporal didn’t keep watch on the recruit strictly enough, so actually he is to blame. Now, the corporal barks at every recruit for this. Even if it’s only one recruit, the whole battery suffers from this. “The shit pours on the corporal, but shit oozes downwards.” (Alikersantille tulee paskaa niskaan, mutta paska valuu alaspäin.) The last example almost did occur when I was doing my service.
And if you’re in any position, the lower you can shift the responsibility, the better. In WW2 it became very important for the cadre to explain their blunders as some conscript’s fault. And who do you think this conscript second lieutenant blames?
This can be very comforting when on tour operated by an agency. If the bus breaks, it’s not your problem, it’s a problem for the agency. To the agency, it’s the bus company’s problem. And to the bus company, it’s the driver’s problem. Though there’s no such rigid hierarchy involved as in the army, you can feel like a superior because you’re the one who pays it.</lj-cut>
Gary @ 19 May 2004 :: Old Deadjournal posts :: No Comments »