Work, school and systems
When an organization, its rules or its paperwork become the weapon. 31 tactics on this line, in the order the guide walks them.
Open this line in the guideEvery tactic on this line, with look-alikes on other lines.S 01Process ExhaustionSteps, forms, meetings and re-reviews keep piling up until the person gives up worn out, and not because their matter was decided.S 02Diffusion of ResponsibilityA decision or harm gets spread across so many people and steps that no one can be found who is answerable for it.S 03Legal/Administrative ThreatsRaising the police, lawyers, HR, courts or other authorities as pressure in a personal or workplace dispute, instead of as part of a real…S 04Confidentiality as WeaponCiting confidentiality rules to keep from someone the accusation, the evidence or even the source of a complaint against them. They are…S 05HR ShieldingA workplace complaints process that, in practice, protects the organization’s reputation and the accused person better than it protects…S 06Institutional BetrayalAn institution that people depend on fails to prevent harm or to treat them fairly afterward, adding a second injury.S 07Algorithmic ManagementSoftware that assigns tasks, tracks output and makes decisions about workers’ hours, pay or jobs, with little human review.S 08Organizational Silence EngineeringBuilding a workplace culture in which people learn that speaking up brings punishment and staying quiet brings safety.S 09“Polite Hostile” EnvironmentsA workplace or social setting that stays polite on the surface but quietly punishes anyone who speaks plainly or disagrees.S 10Performance Framework ManipulationDesigning ratings, targets and reviews so that agreement and loyalty are rewarded, and skill, dissent and ethical objection are marked down.S 11PIP WeaponizationA formal plan to improve work performance that in practice sets goals the person cannot meet and builds a record for pushing them out.S 12Paper-Trail TrapsCreating or shaping written records, like write-ups, emails and notes, to build a one-sided case against someone who does not know it is…S 13Setting Up to FailGiving someone a task or standard they are unlikely to meet with the means given, then treating the miss as proof they are inadequate.S 14“Managed Out” Through ExhaustionSlowly removing a person’s meaningful work, visibility and belonging until their leaving looks like a free choice on paper.S 15Individualization of Systemic IssuesCalling a problem of workload, staffing or structure a personal weakness, and expecting the individual to fix it.S 16Credit LaunderingPassing someone’s idea or work along through several people, each rewording it a little, until no one can trace it back to the person.S 17Credit TheftSomeone presents another person’s work, idea or effort as their own, or lets the credit drift away from the person who made it.S 18Idea Theft in Real TimeSomeone repeats a point you just made, moments later, and the room gives them the credit or response your version did not get.S 19GatekeepingControlling who can reach certain people, information, resources or opportunities, so some people must ask permission while others get in…S 20TokenismIncluding one person, or a small number of people, from a group as a visible gesture. They are not given the voice or authority that…S 21Pseudo-ConsultationAsking for opinions, feedback or comment after the decision is already made, when the input can no longer change anything.S 22Weaponized Inclusion / Strategic ContainmentPlacing someone in a group or process where they stay visible but have little real influence, so being included replaces acting…S 23Performative Allyship / False SolidarityPublic support for a cause or group that private actions and choices do not match, so it earns trust it has not backed up.S 24Willful Blindness as ComplicityNot looking into, acknowledging or acting on wrongdoing there is good reason to suspect, so that ‘I didn’t know’ can be said later.S 25Paper TerrorismOverwhelming a person with a steady stream of filings, motions, complaints and requests that drain their time, money and energy.S 26Administrative EscalationTurning a small, informal concern into a formal complaint, report or legal step that is far heavier than what actually happened.S 27False ReportsMaking a formal complaint to an employer, school, agency or police that the filer knows is untrue, so the accused answers for something…S 28Pressure to SignPressing someone to sign or accept a document, agreement or statement of blame right away. They get no time or chance to read it, ask…S 29Clinical Tone PolicingAnswering a person’s report of pain, fear or distress by judging how they express it, as ‘dramatic’ or ‘catastrophizing’. What they…S 30False Conclusion from Normal LabsThis is when a normal test result is taken as proof that ongoing symptoms are not real. The test could not have found the cause of what…S 31Medical GaslightingDismissing, minimizing or explaining away a patient’s symptoms or pain in a medical setting, until the patient starts doubting their own…