Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Cow Tipping

Surely anyone with a job today has heard of sacred cows. These are the untouchable people, things, or processes that should have been dealt with a long time ago. If the cow is a person, typically the constant milking turns them into spoiled brats who demand the very best.

Here is the contradiction. Everyone talks about sacred cows and how we shouldn't have them. They are discussed with scorn and resentment. At the same time, the end result is never the slaughter of the damn cow. Oh no, the cow continues to be exalted. It's a classic love/hate relationship.

Of course I do have personal experience with this. What continues to amaze me (actually piss me off) is how sacred cows tend to be the least worthy of being exalted. These people (and things) are truly the waste of most organizations.

So, if you see a sacred cow, do me a favor and tip it over. The milk went bad a long time ago.

5 comments:

Damn It Anyway said...

As someone who grew up on a farm, I hate to tell you that cow tipping is a myth. Can't be done.
Still...i agree with ya.

MsPinkSlip said...

Yeah I know it's a myth but the idea of it is tempting. Not the real cows of course, but the sacred ones do need a push.

Anonymous said...

I grew up next to a farm and if you get enough people with a running start....... Nothing is impossible. On a serious note, these cows that are being exalted know too much. To merely tip them would cause them to spill the beans and then everyone is sour. I agree, lead them blindly to slaughter. Nothing spells fun like a gunshot to the noggin.

Anonymous said...

Conversely, if you DO manage to become a sacred cow, work the damn machine to stay on top.

Probably the biggest lesson I learned from being a summer city worker right there.

Shelley said...

I can certainly relate this rant. A couple years ago, my company went through a total "clean house" phase to get rid of these sacred cows. While logically, it made perfect sense...in practice, it was one hell of a fight to get them out!