This American Life: Workplace Bullying

[Kintsugi]

This is an episode of This American Life entitled "Petty Tyrant," about extreme workplace bullying that was unchecked for a shocking (? :meh:) number of years. A tale of explosives, sexual harassment, threats, and general psychological torture, Ira Glass and his team tackle the case of Steve Raucci's tiny empire in the maintenance department of a middle school.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/419/petty-tyrant

 

[Eleanor]

I love This American Life... and Radio Lab. The stories are really really well done...

If you want something more uplifting... the episode called "Batman" is great.

 

[Kintsugi]

@Eleanor, I agree: https://www.myptsd.com/threads/this-american-life-expectations-and-dis-ability.52298/ :D

 

[Eleanor]

HA HA! You beat me to it!

I listened to this one yesterday - OMG. There are MANY amazing things about this story (not in a good way) not the least of which is how very many people had to "cooperate" to enable this guy's abuse of others. And, of course, he still thinks he is the good guy. It was much too easy to subvert the organizational mechanisms designed to prevent this stuff. And the people who worked for him... yikes. This IS how tyranny works.

Amazing (or not) that all ALL the higher ups who's JOB it was to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen ... all went on to other jobs. :mad::sour:

Any other recommendations?

 

[Kintsugi]

Any other recommendations?

For This American Life? Yeah, tons of 'em. I'm working my way backward, and I'm in the mid-300s, so I can safely assume I've listened to neary 200 of these. :D

I can't believe this guy was making well over 6 figures as a maintanence boss of a middle school. I should tell my old bosses (from my college) that they're getting seriously shafted.

What's crazy about Raucci believing he's still the good guy is that I have heard this routine of mental gymnastics with my own workplace bully, that she "hates bullies" and bullying, even though she's a complete psycho bully.

Have other people heard this? What is up with this? I believe in my heart that my own adversary is a narcissist. I mean, I really believe that. Is that what's going on when bullies say they hate bullying? In my experience as a kid, the average bully was fully cognizant that they were behaving as a bully. These adult bullies, though, what is going on that makes them sincerely believe they are not bullies? What the hell? How are they convincing themselves of this?

 

[Eleanor]

It is a most weird form of .. beyond denial. Agnosia. There is clearly SOMETHING seriously wrong with someone who just seems to have missed that you can't set off BOMBS at people's houses... and not be a bully. Adult bullies are clearly a different breed.

One thing that might help is the approval or compliance of others - of course if that is what they are enforcing... but Raucci had all the higher ups telling him what a great guy he was... I'm working my way back too, but am not that far!

 

[Kintsugi]

My work bully was not setting off any bombs, but she is bad news, and all the higher-ups who matter seem to think she's a saint when it is clear to everyone else that she's a monster. It's a really amazing trick, honestly. It's scary that Raucci got away with it to the point of having bombs in a middle school.

 

[Eleanor]

Is it as simple as the "X-Files"... "I want to believe?" Sad if true. Or maybe it is that workplace abuse is so normalized... So close to normal not-so-good boss behavior...

My boss (whom I fortunately can pretty much entirely avoid) is clearly nuts - and does illegal things - but the higher ups are keeping her. Why? Don't know. Crazy. Surely organizations run BETTER when crazy people are not in charge.

 

[Kintsugi]

I'm lucky. Those who have allowed this psycho off her leash will probably be fired. My best friend is quitting soon, and she's going to tell all after she leaves. I'm also lucky I work in a field where this bullshit cannot and will not be tolerated. But everyone who wants to ensure they keep their job beyond a shadow of a doubt--myself included--have kept their mouths shut. I'm just lucky someone who was there to witness and suffer with me does not want her job for long, anyway. The higher-ups will (and should) be grateful she's going to them instead of the newspapers.

The illusion will end for me. I'm just sad this happens all the time in places where it might not. It should never come to the point where someone is being charged with terrorism.

By the way, for those who listened, do y'all hear the PTS in the testimonies given? Such a horrible shame even a middle school can't seem to ward off the potential for trauma.

 

[Eleanor]

YES I did hear the PTS in it. And I hope now the threat is gone they get some healing. It is just so.... so so SAD. And how ONE guy can cause SO MUCH pain and suffering.... We just have to start TELLING these stories - because the good guys/bad guys one that we use to understand good and bad is just totally and completely inadequate. NONE of the really bad bad guys believe they are being bad. The drama triangle is a much better story/model - but harder to tell.... We need more drama triangle stories.....

I'm glad your boss is going to get her comeuppance. Or at least get gone at some point. People have GOT to start understanding that employment as we've structured it, is inherently coercive for anyone who needs the job (and most do, and it is easy over time to avoid hiring ones that don't) and so a situation ripe for abuse.

 

[Kintsugi]

And how ONE guy can cause SO MUCH pain and suffering.... We just have to start TELLING these stories - because the good guys/bad guys one that we use to understand good and bad is just totally and completely inadequate. NONE of the really bad bad guys believe they are being bad. The drama triangle is a much better story/model - but harder to tell.... We need more drama triangle stories.....

Amen, sister. Maybe everyone just needs a mandatory Fiction 101 class. First lessen: all conflict arises from conflicting interests. All parties always believe they are doing the right thing. That is like the whole deal, people. The likelihood of running into a real-life Jafar (from Aladdin) is an insanely slim one. You're more likely to run into the villain from The Hunchback of Notre Dam--someone who believes they are God's gift to the people, weeding out wickedness and unbelievers while they page the road to their sick righteousness.

All antagonists are the protagonists of their story. We need to stop waiting for someone to cackle while twisting an overblown mustache.

 

[Ladyghosthunter]

Let me text you privately what happened on why I never work for the State again. I got fired, the perp got away with it.