When reading another's words, I often wonder whether or not my mental translation accurately corresponds to what the person is actually thinking. This is especially true if and when the continued discussion shows signs of a prior misunderstanding. I suppose that this is a necessary bi-product of language and seeing how different terms 'spark' different underlying feelings, then I would also conclude that that emotional invocation must play a role in how one processes another's written expressions. If the only means for assessment is written, then words themselves are the only available indication, however regarding a situation in day to day life with another person, there are also actions by which to measure the other's attitude.

I am one who makes a conscious attempt to avoid drawing conclusions about another's mental state of mind, however, if and when that particular person necessarily has the ability to directly effect my own livelihood, such as an immediate supervisor has, the ability to accurately assess the attitude that that person has about me becomes a matter of greater importance, if for no other reason than the fact that I have others who depend upon me. My career and the financial reward it brings benefits them as well. Therefore, it is of utter importance that I measure each step carefully.

With that in mind, I have been forced to tolerate a demoralizing set of working conditions which is being perpetuated by a dishonest supervisor that has openly admitted to deliberately lying in order to avoid personal accountability. The guy has also insulated his position in such a way that the owner(who has shown monetary elitist tendencies) believes he is irreplaceable. The system of operation has been set up in such a way that everything must go through the supervisor in one way or another. He makes all decisions, yet is not held accountable when something goes wrong because he is adept at knowing how to deflect the focus onto someone else. He also knows how to manipulate a conversation with the owner. No one else has been given the entire responsibility for any given project because all of the initial 'groundwork' and figuring necessarily go through the supervisor as well and this is further 'justified' through a dishonest means of assessing problems as they arise. One may think that there must be some form of inherent accountability, yet because there is no consistency regarding what is to be expected from the other employees, the standard of operation and therefore the delegation of responsibility and the discussion thereof is mallible in retrospect. This sets the stage for false blame, and the situation can always be manipulated by the supervisor to make it seem as though he had no responsibility or else gave different direction, and it seems plausible to the owner.

The owner has known no other way of operation and in his eyes the ends justify the means. Although I cannot draw the conclusion that he actually knows what those means entail, because I do not believe that he recognizes the underlying situation for what it is. Unfortunately, the owner's thinking is a part of the problem as well. He believes that because they have a history of profit, then they are doing everything right, and therefore nothing can be or needs to be improved. The 'fix' is to remove the employees being blamed and replace them with future scapegoats. Another factor I have witnessed is that any idea, no matter whether it can be proven as beneficial(more profitable) or not, is immediately and flippantly dismissed as unacceptable and having no value unless it comes through the supervisor or the owner. It seems that they do not believe that anyone else is capable of improving upon what they have established. They do not even consciously consider the reasoning behind a newly proposed idea, because no matter how it can be laid out - or even proven - it never gets that far in discussion. If it is different, in any way than what they have predetermined is 'best', then it is immediately dismissed and deemed unworthy of discussion. Any continued attempt to discuss is then viewed as somehow being argumentative or insubordinate in nature and is clearly frowned upon. So the 'other' side is never even considered and just offering a differing opinion, no matter how well grounded it may be is held as a negative. This is undoubtedly unconsciously colored by all of the previously held private discussions regarding past issues/mistakes. While I have not been privy to exactly what the private discussions include, if the public ones I have witnessed are the least bit indicative, then I also know that the private ones can impart an overall negative view of the individual and his/her abilities based upon false grounds, and in doing so this also falsely justifies and possibly even demands the continuance of the system. It is self-serving and self-fulfilling through illogical and deliberately deceptive means.

Federal labor laws are being broken on a daily basis and yet there is little that can be done without suffering the repurcussions that necessarily come along with taking such actions. It is the worst set of working conditions that I have ever known regarding the open treatment of the employees, let alone the unknown and privately held portrayals which are indicated by the publicly shown demeanor towards them. The problem is not one to the owner though, because as mentioned earlier, in the owner's eyes the goal of profit is being met to satisfaction. The profit is not, however, being maximized with the current system as it is, and this could be easily shown to be the case. In other words, the treatment of the employees - aside from being illegal - is unnecessarily creating a negative atmosphere which has a necessary consequence of lower efficiency and inner worker drive. That is something that the Japanese have long known and benefitted from, yet the "I am better than you" attitude that is clearly displayed through their demeanor is actually 'confirmed' through the thinking/false reasoning which grounds the false blame-game. It necessarily has, at it's foundation the deliberate and conscious belittlement of the employees by the supervisor.

I am almost completely certain that my presence alone make the supervisor uncomfortable. I am not certain, however, that he understands exactly why or how that is the case. I certainly do not. I can knowingly state that that is the case though based upon two years worth of evidence, including but not limited to the sheer amount of unprovoked confessions from other employees about what the supervisor has said outside of my presence in addition to the wrongful and ungrounded accusations by him to my face. Add to this the idea that I have attempted to entertain all possible scenarios which could explain why the guy acts as he does, but I can think of no other line of reasoning other than the guy knowingly makes himself the center hub of the operation as a means for unknowingly maintaining the alpha role. It seems that the presence of anyone else who he feels might actually be able to do his job well makes him feel threatened in some way, no matter of whether or not the person actually wants his job. While I have no desire to supplant his role or to openly discuss things as I have here, it is seemingly impossible to help the company and myself simultaneously because by doing so I would have to necessarily establish some things which would undoubtedly contradict what the supervisor has said about me. I have every reason to believe that he would and has framed me to the owner in the same manner that he has to my fellow employees. Therefore, if he were to allow me to use the knowledge and skill sets which I possess, then my successful completion of the project alone would necessarily do three things, help the company's profit margin, establish my own value to the owner, and make my supervisor look bad which would increase the verbal abusiveness and the deliberate creation of a hostile work environment which is already the norm.

Thus, because of the current economy and others' dependence upon me, I have been forced to tolerate the situation. Thanks for the opportunity to vent some frustration...

sounds like the typ day at work. and your doing what everyone else has done before you . man up .

Brilliant...