SNAFU principle

/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
suits protect themselves by saying I was misinformed! , and the
implementors are demoted or fired. Compare Conway's Law.