Being able to maintain a good sitting position is a core competency for bureaucrats. In the video below, a bureaucrat working in the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission demonstrates the challenges that a conscientious bureaucrat faces. Watch it carefully and learn!
The bureaucrat begins with a lean-forward, braced note-taking position. The problem with such a strong documentary start is that it can be difficult to sustain. Thus we were not surprised to see her soon shift into the double-elbow, flat-arm bracing position. That’s an excellent position to go the distance in a long-winded meeting. Moreover, it helps protect the head in the case of a somnolence-induced sagging of the upper spinal region.
Notice, however, that the bureaucrat failed to hold the position. Despite some standard head movements, which signal attention and help to promote blood flow, at 5:10 into the video she broke form into the back-leaning, folded-armed position. This position is associated with arrogance and obstinacy. It has no place in the sitting repertoire of a professional bureaucrat.
Supplementary tentative statement: According to the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission, it is against the law in Alberta “to discriminate against anyone in the following areas of activity… [including] public statements, publications, notices, signs, symbols, emblems, or other representations.” We therefore and heretofore hereby duly declare that the above public statement is not meant to discriminate against, between, or for anyone in Alberta, and that we hereby affirm, in accordance with the applicable human rights law, that it applies not just to the bureaucrat represented, but equally to all bureaucrats in Alberta.
In other bureaucratic emissions for this month, Tim O’Reilly at O’Reilly Radar discusses Bad Math Among eBook Enthusiasts. O’Reilly is an organization that has been in business since 1978. Hence it qualifies as a bona-fide bureaucracy for the purposes of this Carnival in accordance with Carnival Rule 2.A.a, calculated according to Internet time. Tim declares:
My advice to publishers and authors is this: figure out what it costs to produce what you sell, estimate what kind of volume you’ll be able to achieve using the best available data, and then set your prices at a level that will deliver a reasonable profit from your efforts.
This is classic public-utility pricing methodology. Forget about Web 2.0 buzzwords; on the web or off, just set prices for rate-payers. True bureaucratic insight.
Chris Tolles at Topix offers data on comments. The data show that non-registered users generate three times as many comments with only a 50% higher comment rejection rate. Is requiring registration a bad idea? Of course not. Requiring registration helps users to develop their skills in filling out forms.
The Daily Davos reports that billionaire George Soros has called for a “massive injection of regulation and oversight over financial markets.” In conjunction with such an effort, we believe it is also important to increase public appreciation for regulators. How about establishing a “Hug a Regulator” Day? If you know a regulator, thank her/him for all s/he does!
Steve Yelverton discusses journalism history. He states, “Today’s J-student should understand that the task is not to get a job and draw a paycheck, but rather to build a following.” Followers are necessary for a following. Work in bureaucracy is excellent training for developing followers.
Samuel Bryson at Total Wellbeing discusses free market economy and the welfare state. He states, “It may well be that a lot of the money disappears in various bureaucratic processes, which is a common complaint of the classical liberals.” It may well be that this common complaint has little merit and should be summarily dismissed.
The Little Professor describes the Academic Olympics. It includes the “bureaucratic triple jump”:
Each competitor must fight back against a student grievance, which s/he contests in three different administrative offices. There are bonus points for eloquence, documentation, and concision, but penalties for foul language, threats, and/or tears.
We are delighted that bureaucracy has risen to the level of Olympic sport.
That’s all for this month’s Carnival of the Bureaucrats. Submit your blog article to the next edition using our Carnival submission form. Submissions should conform to the Carnival regulations. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the Carnival index page.