You Were Cc'd

I work for an organization that is composed of about 99.8% women. And since we can’t handle our problems by wrestling in the mud or just hauling off and slapping someone in the face soap opera style, a variety of passive aggressive responses to problems and challenges are displayed. This includes, but is not limited to: talking to everyone else, but the person about the problem (until it finally gets back to said person), making someone else do your ‘dirty’ work, foregoing solidarity and telling your supervisor everything about that co-worker you can't stand.

But I think one of the most passive aggressive, ‘I’m gonna git you sucka’ type ish that happens in the workplace is the use of the cc. We all know about the dreaded cc, right? If you've never had the pleasure to experience the greatness that is the cc, here are some scenarios.

So let's say you're at your desk working (or surfing the net), and for about half the day you and your co-worker have been having an email exchange that has borderlined on being a misunderstanding or a disagreement between you two, but for the most part has remained rather cordial and professional. And it’s not until you say that one thing that sets them off and next thing you know when your co-worker responds again, your boss has been cc’d. What the frick, you wanna scream?!? Now the dynamics have changed. They have decided to play dirty. And you end up looking like the crazy person. The uncooperative co-worker who won't play nice.

Or maybe you’re a lowly employee who’s having an exchange with your supervisor and you don’t like what task(s) they're giving you to do or how they want you to do it. And so your 'I'ma call you out on some ish you haven't done to take the heat off me' response includes a cc to they boss – knowing good and well that your supervisor is going to catch more hell than you, leaving you off the hook. For now at least.

Now, one could argue that the cc is used to ‘cover one’s tracks’ so to speak, have a paper trail that can be brought against the accused at a later date. But I think this is a punkest of punk moves. I feel that if you feel the need to use the cc, it should only be done for truly necessary reasons (like this person might not be the primary intended person for this info, but still needs to know this info) or strictly for drastic matters, like you bout to really whup that co-worker's ass and cc intervention is needed to talk you off the ledge. And should not be used for some everyday, it was your turn to make the coffee type mess. And don’t even get me started on the bcc.

But maybe I feel this way because I have no desire to swim a river, climb a corporate ladder, like so many of my counterparts. Instead, I just want to work my little job, make a decent salary that I can live on, have enough vacation hours to do my thang, and go home with no worries. I have absolutely no desire to prove anything to anybody. I don't want to defend my work ethic to you. And must we really come to email blows over some simple stuff? Knowing good and well something will happen tomorrow that is bound to set you off again. And so the cc cycle continues...

I'm telling y'all, some stop ccing shirts are so necessary. On some snitches get stitches. Ccin' gets beatins. Now run cc dat.

That’s my time y’all! Happy Rum Punch Friday!