Rules

[rainbow_goddess]

How do people here feel about rules? Do you like following rules? Does it depend on what the rules are regarding

Comments

[lastres0rt]

Agreed. Most Rules (at least, y'know, when they don't adhere to strict programming guidelines or something) are there for a reason, and can be broken in the face of Really Good Execution. Of course, most people aren't capable of that, so the rules are there to keep the rest from attempting something unless they're smart enough to find the exceptions.

Having exceptions hardcoded into the rules themselves is just dumb though, I must agree. They're exceptions because they're NOT the rule; either admit they're also rules as well, or just don't list them.

[christinaathena]

Well, it depends on the nature of the exception. Some exceptions make sense. For example, in some cases you may allow an exception to a general rule in the case of an emergency. Or, there may be an exception in that something that is generally prohibited may be permitted durign certain time periods.

Depends what you call an exception vs. a rule

[lastres0rt]

In my mind, if you actually write the thing down, it becomes a rule (or at least a fraction of one). An 'exception' therefore becomes something unexpected that changes all the appropriate behaviors across the board - a good example of this is how it's not okay to blow off your classes and homework, but nobody will actually hold it against you if, y'know, your parents are in some three-car-pileup and they want you back home.

The exceptions you mentioned above would register to me as "Rules for Emergency Situations" (because while Emergencies are often Exceptions, handling an emergency is routine to those who specialize in it, and therefore there are certain rules that they enforce on everyone else) and "Time-based Rules" ("On this day we may _____" is in too many Jewish things to think otherwise) where if you know the time is coming, you can prepare for it significantly better than not.

Case in point: I'm training to work at the College Radio (at the Boyfriend's insistence, almost), and they are VERY specific about how to treat

[mysticsong]

Rules are good if I know why they are there and if they make sense.

For example, in our call scripting for enrollment, we HAVE to offer social security as a payment method even if I know full well that the prospective member cannot use SSA as a payment method because (a)They are "railroad retirement (b)are on low-income assistance or (c)haven't been collecting social security, which we can tell if their Medicare# ends in a "T". But I still have to offer SSA as a payment method. This is stupid and I don't like it. I don't like that I can lose 20 points off of my quality score for not offering SSA when they couldn't have it anyway.

[mysticsong]

Also -- from the "You Might Be an Aspie If" list -- this says the above much shorter:

...you follow rules to the letter - but only if they make sense to you.

(http://www.geocities.com/autistry/YMBAAI.html)

[christinaathena]

I don't generally worry too much if the rule makes sense, as long as it's A) applied to everyone equally, B) is clearly stated and is obvious when and where it applies. I mean, ideally I'd like rules to make sense, and rules that are gratuitously illogical bother me, but I've long since given up on expecting rules to make sense. :-)

[mysticsong]

This rule I'm talking about applies to everyone and is clearly stated where and when it applies -- but it's completely unfair to the customer not to mention a waste of their time and my time. I get points taken off my score for -quality- when what I'm doing to the customer clearly isn't a quality service. I'm not the only one that's pointed out the stupidity of said rule (and I'm pretty sure I'm the only aspie on my team).

Of course... we're dealing with the government in this case so.....

Part 1 of a two-part comment

[old_cutter_john]

Besides helping to moderate asperger, I help moderate male_dom. I started to read your post in my Live Journal inbox. For a moment I was totally disoriented.

I regard rules as an expedient for common sense. Rules are often useful because, despite the fact that it's called common sense, very few people have common sense. I'd much rather that people use common sense, if they have it, than that they follow rules. The results are much better.

I'll tell you a story about an experience of my own, spanning the past few months. It's a long story. If I put it here, I'll exceed the 4300-character limit on comments, so the story will be a separate comment - Part 2. It has the advantage of being emotionally neutral.

Part 2 of what turns out to be a three-part comment

[old_cutter_john]

I have an ancient truck. I get it serviced by the dealership that sold it to me, back in the last millennium. A few months ago, the starter began to fail. I'd turn the key and hear a click and that was all. I'd do it a few times, and on the fourth or fifth try, the starter would turn and the engine would start. The next time I brought the truck to the dealership for routine maintenance, I mentioned the problem. Their mechanic couldn't reproduce the problem or find anything wrong with the start-em-up system, so he didn't do anything to fix it

Part 3 of a three-part comment

[old_cutter_john]

After three more days of very iffy starts, I brought the truck back again and told the service adviser that I wanted the starter replaced even if there was nothing wrong with it. I commented that the problem seemed to be worse when the truck had been sitting out under the desert sun into the hottest part of the day. Though they had my authorization to replace the starter unnecessarily, and though I have a long history with the service adviser and I've never disputed a bill, I guess they figured it was a set-up and I was really an investigative reporter looking to do a newspaper story on unnecessary repairs. Rather than replace the starter first thing in the morning, they let the truck sit out in the sun until mid-afternoon. Then the mechanic tried to start it and it didn't start. Hallelujah! He put an ammeter in the circuit, as his rules require, and found that the starter was drawing 450 amps. That's too much! Surprise! That justified pulling the starter. When he pulled the starter, he discovered that the bolts that had

Re: Part 3 of a three-part comment

[mysticsong]

I read through your whole story. That is a prime example of the stupidity of rules. No wonder vehicles never repeat the problem at the dealer -- they use rules that don't allow for it to repeat!

I had that sort of problem with a dealer with my old car -- but it was a mold issue. They swore up and down they cleaned it .... I said I could still smell it and I wasn't leaving until the rectified the issue. ;)

Re: Part 3 of a three-part comment

[teamnoir]

Seems to me that's more a statement about the engineering quality of your truck's manufacture than it is about common sense.

:).

Ok, rare occasions I actually do try to be difficult.