Don’t Blame The Fireman For The Fire

I’m not sure if I cooked up this phrase on my own, or if it’s an aphorism in general use,  or whether it was dredged up from my deep subconscious when, during a meeting, my team of highly specialised technical-types was criticised by the cheap-sub-rainmaker-in-charge-of-absolutely-nothing with a nasty aside implying that those aforementioned fair and learned gentlemen couldn’t write a contract correctly if their lives depended on it. Nothing could be further from the truth. But, then, the guy’s a dick.

So, I said, “Don’t blame the firemen for the fire.” This went over well in the meeting. I was pleased. Score one for the common man. Score minus one for the dicks. Oh, what the hell: they win in the end anyways.

Still, keep in mind that when you ask someone to provide technical expertise, expertise that takes not only a predilection, but usually, significant study to provide, that you are doing so because you’re not competent to do the work yourself. That’s not a fault on you, really. It just means we can help. It also means that you should show some f*cking appreciation.

So, go on being a dick, just not to the firemen, because, baby, they save your ass every day.