this post was submitted on 04 Apr 2025
19 points (91.3% liked)

Ask Lemmy

30662 readers
1448 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world or !askusa@discuss.online


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
top 15 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] MintyFresh@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

It's a balancing act with no clear one size answer. Can't fix stupid, nor can you teach wisdom. There's definitely situations where I'd want someone older in charge, cooler heads and all that.

I think when you see a rigid seniority system in place, it's usually a stand in for a more equitable solution. Sometimes the argument over who gets precedent isn't worth the trouble, and it's easier to just say fuck it and go by seniority. Less fair than some methods, fairer than a lot though too.

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 14 points 1 day ago

Seniority is the stand-in for merit. Until merit can be evaluated, it's presumed that someone more senior in a position has more experience, training, and connections in that position, and thus higher merit.

[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 32 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Everyone deserves an initial base level respect, regardless of their age, that ammount of respect can either be increased, decreased or lost entierly, all based on their actions.

I do not subscribe to the "respect your seniors" mantra, seniors can be complete dipshits just everyone else can.

That being said, it is dumb to not listen to experience from a senior, though they will probably have shown through their actions that they should be listened to.

[–] Wrufieotnak@feddit.org 10 points 1 day ago

Exactly, I'm of the same opinion.

If their seniority is worth anything, they will also have merit to prove it. And too often I experienced they reached a position not because but rather despite their own lacking merit.

[–] bane_killgrind@slrpnk.net 11 points 1 day ago

In the situations that merit can't be accurately or meaningfully measured.

[–] vvilld@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago
[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

Merit is generally the superior of the two. Seniority should only really be preferred if:

  • The performance of the task at hand is more dependent on pre-established connections and the like - ie a very knowledgeable and charismatic but new diplomat might actually be a worse choice for a given job than a rather boring and mid-tier diplomat who nonetheless has a lot of long-standing relationships in the area.

  • There is an issue of systemic rules in an institution where merit is not always the top concern, or not easily and clearly discerned - such as legislative committee appointments. "The best person is the most qualified for the top job" is a nice thought, but raises questions of "How do you figure out who is the best person?" and "The people didn't send the best person, they sent this fellow to represent their interests."

[–] MantisToboggon@lazysoci.al 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If it's a really good hand job go with merit.

[–] Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The only way to find out for sure is to try both.

[–] MantisToboggon@lazysoci.al 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Not as they have calluses.

Wait till they see my callouses.

[–] floo@retrolemmy.com 6 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Never. If the system is working correctly, then one’s experience should contribute to merit.

[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world -3 points 1 day ago

If the system is working correctly

then it's time to perform a few reality checks: you are stuck in a dreamstate.

here's some random shit from the internet to get you started: https://luciddreamsociety.com/reality-checks-guide/