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The recent list of politically correct ways to call someone stupid
reminded me of a running joke about my company's administrative folks.
All the admin functions are consolidated in corporate headquarters in
(let's say) Fargo, North Dakota. To those of us in the remote office, it
looks like the folks in Fargo have only one brain, which they share
among themselves. If the person who has the brain that day can solve
your problem, everything is fine. Unfortunately:
        People on vacation have priority use of the brain. So, the
chances of reaching the person with the brain drop dramatically in the
summer, or at Christmas, or when everyone is in Arizona for a winter
vacation.
        If the person you first call has the brain, then he or she will
know who can really solve your problem.  Unfortunately, she or he will
then transfer you to someone who doesn't have the brain--a
conversational black hole.
        If the person you first call does not have the brain, he or she
won't be able to solve your problem, and won't know who can, so it
doesn't matter whether the "right" person has the brain or not. Another
conversational black hole.
        The system usually works like a pre-emptive multitasking
system--either a person has the brain or they don't. At high use times,
like when financial reports come out every month, it works more like a
conventional time sharing system.  And, like conventional time sharing
systems, too many users cause too much overhead, bringing the whole
system to its knees.
        If someone is able to break free of the system and develop an
independent brain, this person will either quit altogether, or transfer
to another department where you will never hear from them again. Or
maybe the drones just kill them...

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