Professor David Yamada – Professor of Law at Suffolk University in Boston, Director of the New Workplace Institute and one of the giants in the healthy workplace movement – was not impressed with my facebook post about dealing with bullies.
I wrote, “Thinking about starting a National Week for Targeting Workplace & Academic Bullies. It’s time they feel some heat!”
Not a good idea, he wrote on my page.
“I understand the anger behind the idea, but it’s not a good one. If it picks up steam, it’s guaranteed to result in someone being threatened or harmed. Maybe they deserve it in the karmic sense. But the law may disagree, and we don’t want to create mob attacks, virtual or otherwise, even against workplace aggressors. Let’s not become what we abhor,” he wrote.
He was right. I don’t want to be the cause or source of mob violence or violence in any form.* Yet, I believe, that bullies should feel the heat and be made accountable for their actions. And I would prefer something stronger than in a karmic vein So, my new theme, “Now Thinking of Ways to Out Bullies Without Breaking Heads Or Breaking the Law.”
*I was the target of a phony Violence in the Workplace Complaint a while back after my department chair at a department meeting asked me twice to hit him. This is a short version of that day: He had become apoplectic when he was losing an argument after he was accused of being dishonest, essentially in a time-old D:F/M scapegoating stratagem. The meeting was called to the end by Colleague Robert Stanley when the chair could no longer go on with the meeting. As I was walking out, a Colleague who was then the Hunter College Chapter Chair for the Professional Staff Congress (the union representing CUNY faculty) followed me and was poking me in the back. And started screaming as I walked through the door.
Fortunately, I was able to get info and corroboration to refute the allegations that I had acted menacingly toward the Chair. I subsequently filed a complaint against the Diversity Dean, John Rose, who had conducted the investigation.
… trying to intimidate a Colleague when she was Hunter College PSC Chapter Chair. Picture taken at meeting where department chair lost his cool and asked me twice to hit him.
Tags: Academic Bullying, Andrew Lund, Arnold Gibbons, Bernard Stein, Billy d Herman, campus bullying, Christa Davis Acampora, Dean Andrew J Polsky New York State Assembly, Eija Ayravainen, Faculty Delegate Assembly, Greggory w Morris, Gustavo Mercado, Harold Newman Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, Hunter College, HUnter College Faculty Delegate Assembly, Hunter College Ombuds Office, Hunter College Senate, Isabel c Pinedo, Ivone Margulies, James B. Milliken, James Roman, Jennifer Raab, Joe McElhaney, Joel Zuker, Karen Hunter, Kelly Anderson, Larry Shore, LumpenGoombah, LumpenGoombahAwards, Martin Lucas, Mick Hurbis-Cherrier, New York Healthy Workplace Advocates, New York State Senate, Peter Parisi, Ricardo Miranda, Robert Stanley, S3863/A4965 – The NYS Healthy Workplace Bill, Shanti k Thakur, Steve Gorelick, Stuart Ewen, Tami Gold, The Peter Jackson Who Signed the Moveon.org Petition, Timothy Portlock, Tony Doyle, Vita C. Rabinowitz, workplace bullying