The Messenger

Of all the thankless jobs in the world, the messenger must be the worst. Simply because messengers are many times the bearers of bad news or represent an obstacle to progress. They are not to blame for the ill tidings or labyrinthine procedures they prescribe, but they take the brunt of the heat from us and that just ain’t right.

The “bad news” messenger is generally a spokesperson of some sort or an intermediary that is removed from the decision making process, but nevertheless must pass the information on to those affected. Your repair bill for the roof or the car or the furnace or the you-name-it is not the doing of the messenger (cashier or repairman). Yet that is the individual who gets a dose of your outrage. The corporate mouthpiece has nothing to do with downsizing or outsourcing, yet once again, that face becomes the target of malice and threats. A high school classmate of mine was recently in such a position. Her company was involved in a corporate take-over and she was the designated spokesperson. The news was not good for a good number of employees and their reaction to her announcements created the need for bodyguards and other heightened security measures.

The “obstructionist” messenger is generally a clerk. Given little or no training and no authority whatsoever, it falls upon this poor soul to inform you that the outcome you desire must be accompanied by letters, copies, and other seemingly random requirements if you hope for any chance of success. Is the clerk your enemy? No. Does the clerk enjoy the redness in your face and the bulging of your veins? Well maybe, but only because it is probably the only enjoyment this position provides. Regardless, orders are orders and this is just one of the many stupid things a clerk is ordered to say with the hope from higher-ups that you will simply give up, go away, and leave them to their business of maximizing profits while minimizing customer service. But not before the clerk suffers yet another rip in the backside.

Shooting the messenger has always been a pastime for many of the ill-informed, but the practice has spread to those that should know better. Why is that, do you think? I think it is due largely to the ever increasing frustration with poor customer service and the economic pressure of staying even with the cost of living. Add to that the perception of working for a faceless corporation that cuts employees off at the knees while trotting out a spokesperson assigned to describe the heart-wrenching decisions that led up to the amputation. In other words, we’re pissed off and we need to vent to someone who we connect with the current injustice being foisted upon us. And, generally, that someone is the messenger.

Whichever type of messenger you encounter, they each have their own problems with a whole new set of messengers. The “bad news” types are trying to hang on to a job just like the “obstructionists” and expecting them to simply up and quit their position because of their unenviable assignment is naive. We can always detour around the obstructor by asking for a supervisor, but we’re simply stuck with the bad news bearer and must try to avoid shooting (figuratively speaking, of course) in that direction.

If you stop and think about it, each one of us is a messenger at one time or another and many times our messages are not filled with welcome news. With that thought in mind, it might well be easier to avoid taking undue umbrage towards the unfortunate person tasked with passing on information that is all too often less than that for which we had hoped. Call it empathy, call it consideration. At the very least, call it humane.