One thing I have a hard time with is seeing injustice prevail. Instilled in me is a very strong sense of right and wrong. I want to see what is right get done, and to see evil vanquished. Unfortunately, life does not always work that way. There are times when it seems the wicked prevail and prosper, while the righteous are smashed under foot.
It is hard to see it once, but it gets even more difficult when you see it again, and again, and again; day after day, month after month, year after year. When what is wrong is institutionalized it becomes a real problem. When you stand up to point out the wrongdoing, you yourself become the target and are made to feel like the wrongdoer. Those who are in place to make sure what is right is done, are now threatened by you because you have exposed their own wrongdoing in not stopping the wrong.
When you stand up for what is right, others will not stand with you; even if they agree with you and see what you see because they fear. They don’t want to put their own livelihood in jeopardy for someone else, so they let evil stand also. They are content just to quietly complain about it, but when it comes time to actually take action, they go scurrying into the dark corners like scared mice.
This is even more difficult when you are the victim. The treatment you receive from superiors and coworkers can make you feel victimized again. Rather than finding support in exposing the wrongdoer(s), they find themselves alone and treated like they are doing wrong. It is painfully difficult to go through. You don’t know who to trust and it feels like everyone is against you. You are just hoping that someone somewhere who can actually do something will hear your cry.
Most people end up giving up the battle, feeling that it is too big for them to fight, and are forced to leave their situation. I suppose it is easier to do so. When you see a victimizer continually getting away with the wrong they do, and those who are supposed to put a stop to it are unwilling to do so, what do you do? When you have gone through the protocol and been treated like the bad guy yourself for standing up for your rights, what do you do?
You cannot continue in a situation that makes you feel threatened, intimidated, or where you have to constantly be on the lookout for bad things to come your way. It becomes either fight or flight. At some point, the battle is no longer worth it for some people. I can understand that. It should not be that way and it makes me very angry that it is.
I find it harder and harder myself to continue to be involve in a workplace that seems unwilling to deal with behaviors that in other work environments would result in immediate termination. How can I honestly try and be a positive and productive worker in an environment where harassment and bullying are protected, and pointing it out leads to being bullied, harassed, and threatened by those in charge who are supposed to maintain a safe and healthy work environment?
If it were just one incident, I think it could be passed off as an error, or something, but when it has been a pervasive environment over years and years, you have an institutional problem going up the chain of command. You have people in charge who care more about themselves and how they look than they are about the employees they are in charge over. They would rather sweep problems under the rug so they can look good then to actually fix problems.
What to do about it is a hard problem.
Spotter Speaking 