Down the rabbit hole

Life in New Zealand 2011.

A doctor who drove an Auckland University medical student to tears through his "overbearing and overly aggressive" teaching style has been awarded $10,000 for hurt feelings.

Would be lovely to have 10 grand for each time my feelings have been hurt. But that's an aside.

During the School of Medicine tutorial lesson in October 2008, Conaglen played the role of a difficult patient and selected the shyest student to treat him.

So the tutorial was about learning how to deal with difficult people, difficult people whom one might suppose the student is likely to encounter when in the real world outside the hallowed halls of academia. And who of course will have to be dealt with - even by shrinking violets who I suggest will not be given a pass.

Indeed in my experience difficult and unpleasant people tend to single out and pick on shrinking violets, sad and unfair as this may be.

Anyway complaints were laid, written admonitions issued, ordered apologies given and the good doctors feelings were hurt in the process.

So he in his turn laid a complaint with the Employment Relations Authority who awarded him the $10,000 to ease his distress.

This would all be terribly amusing except you do have to bear in mind that the $10,000 windfall that is coming the doctor's way, along with the salaries of those who sanctioned him,leading to the award, and payment for those who awarded it to him are all part of the Government money-go-round where the money to play with actually comes from ........

Source: $10,000 awarded for 'hurt feelings'