Last week I sat for my yearly evaluation. I was told I was appreciated. I was told I was doing a good job. I was told of no areas needing improvement. I was told that due to a current hiring and wage freeze, there would be no personal pay increase and there would be no help forthcoming in a department that is overwhelmed, daily. I was told this by a man who conveniently received a 45% pay increase just before the freeze; a man who makes 7.4 times as much as I do; an arrogant, condescending, comfortably well-off white man. This is more than merely a lack of credibility. This is malfeasance, demoralization, venality, deceit, oppression. Overreaction? Only if you are a wide-eyed, unrealistic, unapologetic optimist.

I thought carefully about the words ‘arrogant’ and ‘condescending’ before using them above. First, I believe, to represent an organization that is those things is to be those things. And what better breeding ground for all-powerful demigods than a large state university with all of its layers; first between faculty and students, then departmental divisions that further separate faculty, management and staff in which top faculty and management can easily earn 20 to 30 times more than front line staff. Looking at the definitions below, It is reasonable that the larger an organization, the greater the likelihood of imperious demeaning stratification. So, in fairness, the self-important overlord who graced me with 20 minutes was following orders, fulfilling a role, same as the old boss, doing a job, keeping me in my place, same as it ever was.

• Condescending – patronizing descent from dignity or superiority; stooping to the level of one’s inferiors.
• Arrogant – making claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights; characterized by a sense of superiority, self-importance, or entitlement.

If this man did not feel entitled and/or superior, and if he chose to cut the strings and think independently, he would have recognized the exorbitance of his pay raise and willingly given up one-half to hire another individual and improve his department; or at the very, very, very least he would have willingly made an effort to understand my viewpoint. One-half of his pay raise is still more than my total compensation and if he chose to sacrifice, he would still be making six times his inferiors; and an extra hour or two (or, to truly understand, day or two) spent with his charges might have more successfully negated his pretension and substantiated his rhetorical claim of empathy. But of course there are reasons (excuses) that he could not do either of these things; there are reasons that power is only allowed to masquerade as willingness.

Moving past the superficiality of time constraints and bureaucratic justifications, the main reason there can be no actual empathy is fear – for an individual or an organization to actually be willing to listen and understand might compel them to also willingly narrow the gap which might in turn empower lesser individuals who cannot be empowered because they must be controlled and in their place, and they should be happy in that place. Those in power work instead to unthink and to maintain the status quo. Most days at work, I have a spreadsheet open that contains salary information across the entire organization. I do this so I am constantly reminded of my place and my value according to my employer.