Daniela Marcel, Week 11: The Fear That Comes With Power
Power is something that can be used dangerously and can be something lots of people fear. I do not think many people realize how much power affects a person and how scary someone with power can be. When you ask a person what they fear, they usually think of insects or the dark, but they'll rarely say power. When someone has power, you naturally bow your head down to them. You listen to what they say and you make sure you please them. People do this just because the other person has more power over them. When a boss yells at a worker saying how they were doing something wrong even though it wasn't their fault. The worker would naturally apologize and promise they would never do it again. This is just because it was their boss yelling at them. The worker knows that if they piss off the boss, they'll get fired and lose their job, and they would rather just get yelled at than lose their job. Now if this was a friend or a person of the same level yelling at the worker, the worker would fight back defending themself.
Power can also destroy someone's mind (which personally I find scary). Once a person realizes how much power they have they can take that to their advantage. They can start manipulating people, ruining people's lives, or just taking advantage of people. Power can take over their minds and make them go insane. Once they have that moment of realization they can start to become a whole new person. Let's say a normal worker got promoted to manager or even the CEO. At first, they might be frail and a soft-spoken person but once they give an order and everyone follows it they realize how much power they hold. Once a person profusely apologizes and begs for forgiveness the power can get to the person's head. They'll turn cold and start ordering everyone around as if they were their servants.
Power can change so much in a person, they can start betraying friends, changing personalities and they can make people do unimaginable things.
https://www.flexjobs.com/employer-blog/are-you-a-bad-boss/
Hi Daniela. I found your blog very interesting because this idea of power itself being dangerous has been an issue ever since people were first put into leadership positions. Frankly, having a scary boss isn’t something I would wish on anyone, yet this is the unfortunate truth for many people in the workforce. One lousy boss often ruins the lives of their workers, who can’t keep up with the ever-changing demands of that boss. In my opinion, this issue stems from placing certain people in charge, regardless of whether these people are even qualified for a management role in a workplace. I find that these folks aren’t interested in doing their job; they just want to look good in order to receive another promotion. I hope this issue gets corrected because authoritarian bosses are simply annoying and damaging to the mental well-being of their workers.
ReplyDeleteHi Daniela, I completely agree that those with power are feared much more than those without. Last year, when I joined my dance team, I was a lowerclassmen and basically the bottom of the food chain. I heavily feared the upperclassmen, especially the captains, knowing that they have the power to remove me from the team if they wanted. I would listen and follow everything they said because this fear and thought in the back of my mind controlled me. If any of them told me I messed up a move, I would be overly apologetic and full of fear. However, this year, I am an upperclassman and also captain of the team. Compared to last year, I have a lot more power because of my position on the team. I do not abuse my power but I do notice the slight fear instilled in the lowerclassmen when I interact with them. They are overly nice to me, listen to everything I say, and follow what I tell them to do because of my position. I see myself in them, conforming to the person of a higher power and living in slight fear of them. It is interesting to me how a small change and a little bit of power can change mindsets and I think that is why people go insane from power, as you had mentioned.
ReplyDeleteHi Daniels. I find that your blog to be very informative as I addresses the power dynamics of language and its influence. I feel that in a team setting often this power dynamic is negative because it suppresses what would have been an opportunity for a concern to be talked about. I feel like a lousy boss can tank the atmosphere of a workspace. I experience the sense that at first as a leader I am softspoken but later I tend to develop harsher tones. In my robotics team, I try to keep myself in check and make sure I am understanding and open to collaboration. I find this vital to keeping a happy work atmosphere in the garage. I also find myself on the other side of this spectrum, I find myself noticing and being happy when leaders are understanding and open to judgment. Great work I think you were able to encapsulate all the ideas and examples of the power of language in a work ecosystem.
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