Every one of us has a sense of identity, an intrinsic understanding of who we are and how we see ourselves. Sometimes, our perceptions clash with the perceptions of those around us. In the context of entering a new discourse community, this can, in some cases, lead to feelings of being ostracized before you have the chance to assimilate into a given community. There are plenty of nuances to this issue, many of which are perfectly illustrated by the example provided by Elizabeth Wardle in her telling of Alan’s story.
Differing Perspectives
Alan is the subject of the second half of Wardle’s piece, “Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces”. She describes his as “a new computer specialist in a humanities department at a large Midwestern university”, giving the reader some brief context for his position in this new community of his. While Alan was a newer member of this community, he had technical knowledge and expertise that no one else in the workplace possessed. To his coworkers, this made Alan a cog in the machine (an important cog, but a cog nevertheless). To Alan, this made him God.
Clearly, Alan and his coworkers had vastly different perspectives on his position in the workplace. Alan assumed that because he had important knowledge, this gave him implicit authority over the others in his workplace. This attitude carried over into his emails, which was his primary method of communication with the other members of the humanities department. He did not compose his emails in the way that other members of the department deemed appropriate. His emails were indirect (received by most members of the department as opposed to a select few who actually needed the information), filled with grammatical errors, and permeated by his arrogant attitude. His refusal to conform to these norms of the community cost him the initial authority he was granted by virtue of having sought after technical knowledge, as well as his coworkers’ respect.
What Can we Learn From Alan?
The general consensus seems to be that Alan is, to put it plainly, a tool. Not only did his coworkers find him unpleasant, this sentiment also seemed to be shared by my classmates, who read Alan’s story and experienced his attitude secondhand. This reception is in part due to his arrogance, but is also due to insistence on doing things his way, even when his way is contrary to the typically functions of the community he has entered. Instead of assimilating and working with his community, he doubled down on his resistance, much to the annoyance of his coworkers.
Leave a Reply