First They Came for the Federal Employees

FAFO—an acronym for “F*** Around and Find Out”—is the idea that actions have consequences, often in unexpected ways. But so can inaction.

Several times in my life, I’ve been the victim of relentless bullying that lasted for years at a time. Each time almost broke me. First as a kid for being too churchy, later as an adult for not being the-right-churchy enough, and in between for a variety of reasons that always boiled down to being different somehow from others. As a student, as an adult, personal life, church life, author career, Federal career. Bullying isn’t just for playgrounds, and it does often enough extend to the workplace.

Let’s just say that it took me a while to find my tribe each time, and the isolation of going it alone was probably the hardest because the people who could’ve spoken up for me and ended my misery were afraid of becoming targets themselves.

The bullies never apologized for their actions. Not once. Each time, I was told to “forgive” it, be the better person, move on. Each time, it was made my responsibility to keep the peace. Each time, I eventually was able to remove myself from the situation. And in my absence, someone new took my place as target, often the same people who didn’t stand up for me when I needed a friend the most.

It’s made me someone who will stand up for others, regardless of personal costs. I’m a soft-voiced introvert, but I’ll do my best not to let someone be humiliated in public or disparaged by someone without a clue. Even when it’s none of my business.

Because bullies and gossips make it my business by doing it in my presence.

I’m a retired Federal employee. I can do nothing, if I choose, because I’m not facing a RIF or a firing or a forced resignation. I can be like the friends and acquaintances who watched with interest and sympathy when I was mistreated and offered thoughts and prayers when what I needed was a louder, stronger chorus of voices to defend me when I wasn’t heard. I needed the treatment called out, not lectures on forgiveness. I can totally ignore what’s happening to my former colleagues or even agree with their haters, just to curry favor with people who might make my life easier somehow. That would certainly make some of the folks back home happy because it aligns with their beliefs about Federal employees they’ve never met.

But I’m not gonna.

Bullies thrive in the silence of others. They derive their power from it. But it’s rarely their immediate victim who has the resources to change those dynamics.

Back in my days of misery, each time I left the situation, someone else quickly, unintentionally, took my place as the new target. Not surprisingly—except to the new target—the bullies chose someone who had not spoken up on my behalf or even had backtracked on a weak defense of me when they tried. The new target would soon be following in my footsteps and shocked at what was happening to them.

And that’s where FAFO comes into play.

There’s an old poem, “First They Came,” attributed to Martin Niemöller, that suggests various subsequent groups of people are targeted without being defended until there’s no one left to defend the last group. It’s certainly true of bullies and their targets.

A few weeks ago, I saw current Federal employees ridicule my defense of other Feds because they didn’t think they would suddenly be out of a job. That was for others. That was for “DEI” or “poor performers” or “wasteful” jobs or people who were “too lazy” to return to the office. Not for them.

Then came the emails jolting them of their comfort zones, and then came the sobbing phone calls asking my help or just for a shoulder to cry on.

There are still others, right now, who have left Federal employment or don’t believe, still, that they might be next on the list. They’ve jumped to industry, to academia, to consulting full-time. They still push back in our conversations. Because they are not currently affected. They seem to have no problem speaking out in favor of chaos.

Not everyone is in a position to speak out. Whether or not they’re still Federal employees.  They rightfully fear they’ll be next or they’ll be blacklisted. But if those groups are able to find their voices—or network closely enough to take actions to defend themselves and protect others—they can shift the power dynamics, and if those groups outside of Federal employment and contracts can raise their voices in defense of those under duress, perhaps someone will still be around to speak up for them when they become the target.

I’m proud to have been a civil servant. I’m proud of the work I did, and I’m proud of what I’m seeing this year from my former colleagues and the work they do to support their customers while saving taxpayer dollars, especially those in Contracting like I was. I don’t like this current trend of bullying and chaos and downright lies about Feds who have don’t spectacular work from their home offices in difficult situations. I don’t like what’s been happening to Federal employees or the lack of people speaking up on their behalf. We have to do exactly that, to the best we can.

Because if we don’t, the cycle will continue, and the silence that protects the bullies today will leave no one left to stand when it’s your turn.