The Terror of Words

The Terror of Words by Peter

I spend my time slumped in a chair and do not move. My eyes closed, I do not want to hear and see anything of anything that goes on around me. And try not to have any thoughts at all – just nothing.
But sometimes I feel rage: How did I get into this mess? How did that burnout at work happen? And thoughts are flooding back about how it was and still is.

I get constantly domineered and pushed around by society. People are using certain psychological tricks or verbal technology to impose upon others for their own diabolic reasons.

They use single words or a set of phrases, well known and well worn, but they never fail to depress me and make me feel bad about myself.

Here are some categories and examples of how these stand-over merchants operate:

‘WHOLIER THAT THOU’ – ATTITUDE

Where would we be if everybody……….’
‘We cannot allow that…..’
‘We cannot break the law………’

These people are in well-tailored business suits, placed strategically behind their desk, blustering with self righteousness. If you got, God forbid, a speeding ticket in performance of your duty, you are on your own. You may have saved the company in doing so, but ‘that is beside the point’.

Two years later, they may have been sacked for discrepancy in their accounting or for tax fraud. They are gone but will resume their domineering of other workers at a different place. And their victims will take them serious.

SUPERIOR ATTITUDE

‘One would assume that……..’
‘However………’
‘Furthermore……..’
‘I have always been of the opinion…’
‘I don’t take kindly to that………’

Dark business suit, conservative tie, youngish in looks and holding a position far beyond their mental capacity because of their friendship with a company director whom they have knows from a previous business venture they’ve run into the ground. Unable to communicate on a professional basis, they adopt a deep, sonic, voice, puff out their chest, put on a superior smile which is closer to a smirk and drone on with their well-worn phrases they have picked-up from somewhere.

OUTRIGHT LIAR

‘What I said was…….’
‘I have always maintained……..’
‘I have always been of the opinion…….’

These words are said by utterly spineless people, who hold their high position by twisting and turning with every wind and burp of the company climate. They never defend anything or anybody and when they open their mouth, you can brace yourself for one of the biggest lies you’ve ever heard!

Amazingly, these people are being taken seriously by their peers and easily keep their superior position by destroying people they are supposed to work with.

THE DELUSION OF GRANDEUR

‘I get you to………..’
‘Somebody ought to……’
‘I represent the interests of.……..’

Usually, this low-life is a little pipsqueak who happens to work with you. He is not your superior, has no special privileges, but for some mysterious reasons perceives himself a leader. As you are too polite to inform him of his real authorities – none - he just keep upsetting you and others.

THE DENIGRADER

‘Is that right?…….’
‘You don’t say?……’
‘And – what else?…….’
‘That looks like him ……’

This is a person with no particular achievements but who is proud of something you are not quite sure of. Maybe it is his ethnic background, religion or his son’s progress at university he identifies with – who knows? Usually, he looks at you first over his glasses and then rolls back his head in a superior gestures. Of course, he has always known whatever you tell him!

And he makes you feel like a little child reporting to big daddy…….

THE KNOW-ALL

‘If you only knew what we know……….’
‘That has been discussed……’
‘I know exactly what you said to………’
‘This subject has come up……..’
‘I thought of that……….’

A rank-and-file executive in a large corporation who tries to block himself off from your input. And while he exhales his nonsense, he usually rocks back and forth on his heels, head erect, chin up, looking far away at something only he can see and has his hands clasped behind his back, like royalty. But he has not ideas, no initiative, no concept and only wants to survive in a corporate jungle where knives are honed and may strike any moment. But never him. He hides his incompetency from his peers and does so successfully, because the others are of the same type.

And this character keeps destroying honest workers like you…..

THE IGNORER

‘We say………’
‘The problem is…….’

Regardless what you ask him, he will puff out his chest, stare into space and say whatever he wants to say. There is no law that forces him to answer your question or deal with the topic you have just raised. This type are one of the worst. You see them often on t.v., politicians confronted with people who want to know………And if he talks long enough, people might forget their question!

He leaves you empty and low because he has not satisfied you with an answer or explanation. What you have received is a bucketful of his verbal diarrhoea, useless and a waste. And yet, these people make a good living, better than honest workers like you.

THE ATTACKER

‘I’ve never heard more nonsense in my life…..’
‘Rubbish……’
‘What a lot of bull……..’

Bull-necked and stubborn to the point of being obstinate, he is against everything. What his tiny mind cannot perceive does not exist, is nonsense. He will not hesitate to attack you physically if you persist, as he feels threatened by the slightest suggestion from you. Only by keeping you feeling bad about yourself, he maintains his position.

Towards his superiors, he crawls and fawns and they usually think the world of him as he makes them feel truly good.

THE DESTABILISER

There are not specific words, no set of phrases – he uses them all!

He talks very fast to somebody who is taciturn and extra slow to somebody who has a quick mind and fast expression.

He may stand up when talking to you in order to look down, and once talking, he may not stop for a long time, thereby wearing you out.

He talks rudely to the sensitive person and overly polite to the rugged type in order to destabilise them.

Usually a little creep. But being disadvantaged by nature, physically and mentally, he goes through life destabilising and putting down others. Using all insidious tricks possible and constantly learning very quickly new techniques, he twists and turns, schemes and constantly cuts other co-workers down. Especially the productive ones who are showing him up ! He has no backbone, no code of ethics and is a born survivor. When he has destroyed a rival, he makes sure that he has destroyed him forever.

When he sits still for more than an hour, he begins to fidget, bite his fingernails and starts scheming. He thrives on controversies and cannot sleep if he has not upset anybody during the day. This person is personified evil but highly esteemed in the corporate world.

On and on, these thoughts are racing through in my mind. We never learn in school how to protect oneself from this low-live, never learn how to counter their devious tricks and, most importantly, how to expose these people for what they really are.

Therapists try to convince me to ignore these above types and somehow envelope myself with self-confidence and ruggedness.

But even if I could do so, this would be a nihilistic approach as it would not change the world and everything would stay as it is.

This attitude would work right into the hands of these evil people and it would make them prosper and grow. And make their underhanded methods to a success formula to be adopted by a new generation of parasites.

And I remember the wise words: ‘All that is needed for evil to triumph Is good people doing nothing……’