It’s no secret that petty power begets petty tyrants, but there’s something about a petty tyrant who is very aware that they’re not quite at the top of the food chain that causes exceedingly terrible behavior. For example, it’s often that store managers are the chillest people in existence, being at the top of the immediate food chain with nowhere really else to go; they tend to take things as they come and are easygoing to subordinates. Meanwhile, assistant managers have a much higher chance of being absolutely rabid, desperate to exert every and any ounce of power that they might possibly be able to wield in order to remind everyone else who is (almost) in charge. This same scenario plays out in any situation where there’s a large percentage of people who have gotten stuck while climbing the ladder and are still desperate to reach the top.
When the opportunity presents itself, on that rare occasion, getting one over on these tyrants is almost irresistible.
