/sna' foo prin' si-pl/ [WWII Army acronym for "Situ
ATion Normal: All Fucked Up"] "True communic
ATion 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 system
ATically. The effect of the SNAFU principle is a progressive disconnection of decision-makers from reality. This lightly adapted version of a fable d
ATing back to the early 1960s illustr
ATes the phenomenon perfectly: In the beginning was the plan, and then the specific
ATion And the plan was without form, and the specific
ATion was void. And darkness was on the faces of the implementors thereof And they spake unto their leader, saying: "It is a crock of shit, and smells as of a sewer." And the leader took pity on them, and spoke to the project leader: "It is a crock of excrement, and none may abide the odor thereof." And the project leader spake unto his section head, saying: "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such th
AT none may abide it." The section head then hurried to his department manager, and informed him thus: "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength." The department manager carried these words to his general manager, and spoke unto him saying: "It containeth th
AT which aideth the growth of plants, and it is very strong." And so it was th
AT the general manager rejoiced and delivered the good news unto the Vice President. "It promoteth growth, and it is very powerful." The Vice President rushed to the President' s side, and joyously exclaimed: "This powerful new software product will promote the growth of the company!" And the President looked upon the product, and saw th
AT it was very good. After the subsequent disaster, the
suits protect themselves by saying "I was misinformed!", and the implementors are demoted or fired. [
Jargon File]
In addition suitable contents:
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