Devonne Brown

As a society, we paint the most malformed picture we can grumble about. We tangle our thoughts in knots of despair so tight we can’t move from one group to the next without dire consequences. Once you move, there’s no going back, especially if you’ve moved “down.” Shunning is done with silent delight. Open, honest, scorn and snubbery are alive and well.

Snobbery is disguised professionalism. Rather than listen to another’s expertise, ideas are scorned due to race, age, or popularity. In private, the social outcasts may be experts, but in public, they are ignored and ridiculed. 

The popular and pretty make everything work on the surface. Their presentations are supported by the ugly and the experienced that have no voice in public. Those hideous geniuses who don’t fit the mold the herd doesn’t want seen are the backbone of most organizations. Even their ideas are attributed to the beloved as they are being spoken. 

Labeled nerds with weird notions, these folks are relegated to the sidelines where they can be ignored without prejudice. It would be too obvious to put them in the back. Sprinkling them amongst the pretty people is the best way to wring out their useful thoughts without having to give them credit. 

Sometimes, they’re even given the pen to record the group thoughts on the chart paper. The safest place to store these folks is the reporter, the one who has no thoughts of their own. That’s right, let them paraphrase and edit. Makes them feel useful.