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: Begging the Question

Minority Rule?

By "Milbarge" and "Fitz-Hume"

I write not about politics. I'm talking about a much more important subject. Light.

Background. I work in a relatively small company. My group occupies a section of the 3rd and top floor of your average office park building. There are 20 people on our floor. With the onset of fall, it is not unusual to get to work before the sun has fully cleared the tree line. We have a set of people on the floor who like to get to work early and leave early. I am often in the middle of the pack, with about 10 people already there when I get to work.

Those 10 people that get to work early, and myself, will leave the hallway lights off. But then, someone will walk in (usually the same one or two someones each time) and turn on the lights. They know that several people are already there. They obviously know that the several people already there prefer the lights to be off. But yet for some reason this one person's preference to have the lights on overrides the preferences of literally 10 times more people.

The hallway we work on is a big U shape, with doors and light switches on each end. One day a group of us were at one door when Light-Turner-Onner came in the other door and turned the lights on. One of the guys in the group waited a second, then reached over and turned the lights back off. In about 15 seconds Light-Turner-Onner went back to the other door and turned them on again. The guy waits a few seconds again and turns the lights back off. Sure enough, seconds later, the lights come back on. Even when the preference of the majority was attempted to be actively enforced, those who like the light believed their wish had priority.

For some reason this always reminds me of a line from Bill Cosby (I can't find a good link). He was talking about how someone only had to be 1/8th black to be able legally claim that they were African-American. Cosby: "That means if I'm at a party with 7 white guys, they have to play my music."

I don't have a point or a conclusion, just a curiosity as to what makes people think their desire trumps others? I know this is not an isolated phenomenon because I have seen this play out at other places where I've worked. If any of you loyal, or not so loyal readers are the Light-Turner-Onner at your office, I would very much like to know what goes through your mind.

Full post as published by Begging the Question on November 23, 2009 (boomark / email).