A long long time ago, in a former life, I was tasked with attending a seminar given by an attorney who argued law before the Supreme Court. You would think it a dry session, but I found his talk riveting. Yes, I am a bit odd.
Anywho, he introduced me to two terms I have never forgotten. 'Arbitrarily Capricious' and 'Willfully Ignorant'. They were being used in discussing public school administration and multi-million dollar judgements. His main point being... if either or both terms could reasonably be applied to the way an administrator handled a situation that placed a student at risk, the school WILL lose in court.
Arbitrarily Capricious and Willfully Ignorant. Think on those terms a bit, and just maybe the actions and words of some folks will come into focus a bit clearer.
Arbitrarily Capricious means working without a book. No manual, no handbook, no written rules. Just making it up as they go and operating by whim of the moment.
Willfully Ignorant. CHOOSING not to know. Actively working to not know what happened, the truth, or reality. The adult equivalent to a child sticking fingers in it's ears and saying 'I can't hear you!' so it doesn't have to listen.
I think of these two terms far more often now that I'm retired, and can pay more attention to our society and political landscape. They apply to a frightening number of people and situations.
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