The Dictatorship of the Secretariat

In this state, the secretary holds all the power.
She may be poor, may be low on the totem pole in terms of professional respect, but, nonetheless, she is the locus of power in any organization. Please her, and doors open, piss her off and you are so much more than fucked.
I had previously spoken with an underling secretary in my department, let's call it "the Department of Something Nondescript", and she had informed me that I could not take the "prelim" because I had not filled out "the form". (-Even though she said I didn't have to sign up!)
I called again, for another reason, and found the master of the Nondescript universe! We got to chatting, which meant that I bowed and scraped verbally while she grunted and groaned of disapproval. In the end, she allowed me the unattainable sacred access to the vaunted and feared exam, despite the "rule" that requires all supplicants to "fill out the form". (Perhaps in triplicate, I'm not sure.)
Rules are made for people in powerful positions.
The rest of us bend over.

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