4 lines
1.8 KiB
Plaintext
4 lines
1.8 KiB
Plaintext
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SNAFU principle
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/snafoo prinsipl/ , n. [from a WWII Army acronym for Situation Normal, All Fucked Up ] True communication is possible only between equals, because inferiors are more consistently rewarded for telling their superiors pleasant lies than for telling the truth.: a central tenet of Discordianism , often invoked by hackers to explain why authoritarian hierarchies screw up so reliably and systematically. The effect of the SNAFU principle is a progressive disconnection of decision-makers from reality. This lightly adapted version of a fable dating back to the early 1960s illustrates the phenomenon perfectly: Inthebeginningwastheplan, andthenthespecification; Andtheplanwaswithoutform, andthespecificationwasvoid. Anddarkness wasonthefacesoftheimplementorsthereof; Andtheyspakeuntotheirleader, saying: Itisacrockofshit, andsmellsasofasewer. Andtheleadertookpityonthem, andspoketotheprojectleader: Itisacrockofexcrement, andnonemayabidetheodorthereof. Andtheprojectleader spakeuntohissectionhead,saying: Itisacontainerofexcrement, anditisverystrong,suchthatnonemayabideit. Thesectionheadthenhurriedtohisdepartmentmanager, andinformedhimthus: Itisavesseloffertilizer, andnonemayabideitsstrength. Thedepartmentmanagercarriedthesewords tohisgeneralmanager, andspokeuntohim saying: Itcontaineththatwhichaideththegrowthofplants, anditisverystrong. Andsoitwasthatthegeneralmanagerrejoiced anddeliveredthegoodnewsuntotheVicePresident. Itpromotethgrowth, anditisverypowerful. TheVicePresidentrushedtothePresident'sside, andjoyouslyexclaimed: Thispowerfulnewsoftwareproduct willpromotethegrowthofthecompany! AndthePresidentlookedupontheproduct, andsawthatitwasverygood. After the subsequent and inevitable disaster, the suit s protect themselves by saying I was misinformed! , and the implementors are demoted or fired. Compare Conway's Law.
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