the last word -- the last laugh?

When one moves from one apartment to another, old treasures are unearthed. Thus, I came upon a 'farewell' note I posted to co-workers at a job I held just before heading to graduate school. Despite its dated Adornoean style, the content remains remarkably timeless.


In most cases when one leaves for greener pastures, the usual pleasantries conveying thanks for years well spent and memories made are laid out not unlike merchandise which awaits purchase at a twenty-four hour clearance sale. It is as if the unwanted product of many years spent poorly, in actuality, must be gotten rid of lest it trail behind indefinitely, cluttering one's mental inventory. I will spare you these mundane expressions, however -- not so much as to save time, but as not to insult your intelligence. The situation as it has been is well-known, that only through sheer obstinacy has sanity been retained. Indeed, it is 'no fun' to work in a bureaucracy, yet this situation is intensified in the present surroundings. It may be that never before has so little difference in educational experience between some and others meant so much in terms of salary and respect. Of course, this difference is so precarious that it must be enforced. The overall, over-active ego, which is constantly at work, weaves the magical veil of authority, yet, in spite of itself, seeks to downplay the power that it so desperately wants. The inane and clumsy chatter which marks the social interaction between groups belies the often promoted team concept. What is misunderstood is that in a situation in which authority has no legitimacy there can be no real power; and the meagerness of the carrot which matches that of the stick dangled before the low ones adds to the stalemate of powerlessness.