Don't get mad--get even

What I see as a trend is the "Don't get mad--get even" Theory.

When I began a career in law enforcement, your supervisor held life and death power over you. He could get you terminated. It was very rare that anyone talked back to a supervisor, and a charge of insubordination was something to worry about.

One Sergeant stands out in my mind. Merle Bush. Sgt. Bush had been a coxswain in the Coast Guard, and drove landing craft to the beaches in the Pacific during WWII.

If you displeased Sgt. Bush, he would instantly cuss you in a LOUD tone.
One officer did not fill in the space where the V I N number went on a Vehicle Storage Form Sgt. Bush asked him why he had not done that. The Officer snickered and said, "I didn't think it was important" Sgt. Bush threw a pencil at the officer's head.

Yes, every one in the office knew when Sgt. Bush chewed your ass. But, then it was over. If it came came to a fight, Sgt. Bush would be there for his officers, even one he just got done doing an ass chewing on.

Now, what you have are "The Nice Guys". They will watch and listen to your every move. If you are not a protected species, Minority, Female or Gay, every time you do something questionable, they will pull you in an office --just you and the supervisor--and question you. [Side note..There are just the two of you because the law prohibits you from taping a "Counselling Session" with a supervisor]
Usually, you will be called in a second time to sign a paper, detailing what you did "Wrong", and directing you to correct your operation.

Now the Nice Guys will tell you that they are there to "Help" you. They never raise their voice, have a permanent fixed smile, and act like you need sympathy. A Song they remind me of came out in the 60's, called "Smilin' Faces".

It is the conclusion of the ones who are targeted for this "direction" that there are two reasons the Nice Guy does this:
A. He/She is covering their own ass, so if you do something REALLY wrong in the future, he/she can say, "I told you so".
B. There is a term: "Bury you with paper". Which means that after about ten of these write-ups, usually containing ONLY opinion of the supervisor, who these days has minimal time "On the Road", and NO "street smarts", that supervisor can ask to start termination proceedings against you for "Incompetency" He/she will point to the "Letters of Direction" or "Incident Reports" that you signed as evidence that you can'tdo the job.