Lazy Bee, Passhole,Unconscientious Objector, Inverted Cheerleader, Submarine, Seagull, Weenie-whiner, Whampire, or Free-griper?

I am both delighted and overwhelmed by the deluge of smart and often responses to my  last post: Let's Invent a New Word or Phrase: What do you call someone who "opts out of participating in something but then complains about the outcome. You made 57 comments -- by far a record for any Work Matters post and C.V. Harquail put up a related and quite inspiring conversation with Maren, one of her readers that i found very thoughtful.  As you may recall, this was all sparked by an email from Mozilla's Asa Doztler, who asked the question.  There are about 100 suggestions in the various comments and so many are wonderful, that is isn't easy to pick the best.  So how about this. I will pick some I especially liked.  Please let me know what your favorite is, or if you prefer another, and we will see what Asa and his colleagues prefer as well. Here are nine and I pasted in text when people offered it. 

Lazy Bee. Instead of being a busy bee who helps everyone out and brings in honey, this is a bee who doesn't help out the group but reserves the right to sting you once the work is done.

Passhole.  Describes someone who passes on the opportunity to contribute to an idea, then criticizes what others come up with. Also appropriate for a driver in the right lane who speeds up and recklessly cuts in front of you

Unconscientious objector

"Inverted cheerleaders" comes to my mind; goes with the people who suffer from rectal-cranial inversion syndrome.

Submarines: They stay at depth until the last minute (when you are about to ship a product or are trying to pass a final milestone) and then pop up and torpedo (obviously with no constructive criticism either).

Seagull: A "seagull contributor", like a seagull manager, usually holds themselves above and beyond the fray, but sporadically swoop down to steal your french fries and crap on everything.

Weenie-whiner

Whampire: someone who whines while feeding off the energies of the living. Someone who whines while feeding off the energies of the living.

Free-griper: captures both the free-riding and the kvetching...

What is your favorite?  Which one did I leave out that you liked even better?  Any more suggestions?

Comments

[bike indoor trainer]

Well, for me. i go for the "passhole". And it seems that most of here have voted for the passhole.

[Deborah]

There's value in naming behaviors like this, and I am not lacking a sense of humor. I like Passhole best too. But I share the concerns a couple other people have about labeling people as opposed to behaviors.

Once you label someone a problem, there are no more options for changing the situation. If it's about behavior, then it's possible to think about what you are doing to create Passhole behavior, or how to frame change or information so that it's Passhole-resistant.

[Jon4t2]

I had hoped that Dr. Seuss had named this character, but I didn't find it on the Web. I thought the Car Talk guys might have a bon mot since they often repeat neologisms from The Washington Post's Style Invitational contests. No soap. (However, I did find this gem: Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole.)

Comments regarding not voting in order to deny legitimacy to politicians and "the process" reminded me of Larry Slade, the "Grandstand Foolosopher" [sic] in Eugene O'Neil's "The Iceman Cometh." So, I offer for consideration the "Grandstand Critic," one who sets themselves apart from the action, yet reserves the "right" to point out what's "wrong."

[Ted Scott]

Passhole is too easy...but maybe that is exactly the reason why it works, since it is describing the easy way out! I'll go with passhole.

[Christine Ellen Goepfert]

Unfortunately no term really captures the meaning. The favored 'passhole' is handy but does not get the actual meaning either. It evokes more the picture of a person who bypasses or passes others by malicious means.

[Alex F]

How about "ProCHASTinator"? These are the folks that are either unwilling, lazy, or too busy to participate in the important planning stages and then chastise the results.

[Ergoboy]

I think "passhole" may be too strong a word for this behavior in the office, unless this person has already exhibited asshole-like behavior. Perhaps there is a more mild term?

In any event, I want to add to the definitions of "passhole" stated above. "An aggressive driver who speeds up to block you or pass you when you signal a lane change". (I don't understand why people do that).

[davidburkus]

I also vote Passhole.

[Andy Imboden]

I can see it now: "The No Passhole Rule"

subtitle: "Indifference is as important as passion...but not *that* kind of indifference!"

[Don]

Passhole if the offender has really been given opportunity to contribute, submarine for the more descriptive and generic situation - both for the humor-touched maintenance of perspective (and, perhaps, of relationship) by the speaker.

[Antti]

Passhole - definitely my favourite. Sums up a chain of events and communicates the tone of criticism by the offending party :)

[CV Harquail]

I've gotten a kick out of the suggested names, but I have to chime in to support of Thomas's concern about the 'branding' of a person by applying such a label.

There are several important and serious concern about labeling a person -- one of which is that depersonalizes them and makes them all about the behavior, not about who they are in toto.

Plus, as Maren pointed out, once we attach a label to the behavior/person, it can lead us to "complain about the complainers" and let ourselves off the hook for acting to fix it.

So, let's find a good (and funny!) name to capture this dysfunctional behavior *and* also figure out a generous, positive way to respond to it when we see folks trying it.

CV Harquail
AuthenticOrganizations.com

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=745791008]

Suggested Passhole before, glad to see it getting traction. It's simple an unmistakable in its intent.

[working girl]

I really like Passhole. That's inspired.

[Ken]

The term 'grenadeface' comes to my mind. This refers to an individual who takes his/her frustrations out on anybody and everybody in the workplace when things aren't going quite right, he/she quite literally, 'blows up' and really ruins everybody's day.

[Lukasneville]

'Submarine' gets my vote. The analogy is spot-on.

[Thomas]

There was a thoughtful comment at the end of that thread by Dances with Books (and "Dave"?). Perhaps being a "passhole" is just a sane response to particular situations. The reference to Carlin on voting is pretty good, but it could be made even more precise.

Suppose I opt out of voting well before the primaries have even begun because I think the whole system is corrupt (or at least useless in selecting leaders). Then, when one or another asshole is elected into office, I complain about the fact that the country is being run by assholes. That doesn't seem to me to be an obviously ridiculous attitude.

And there's a deeper point here. What's the net effect of an exercise in this sort of "personality branding". Let's come up with a name for the sorts of people that annoy "us". Let's come up with something mean to call "them". What's up with that, Bob?

I used to think a book like No Asshole was a great idea. I'm now not so sure. It may just being a way of ganging up on inconvenient members of the organization. Inconvenient in the short run. Invaluable in the long.

[Alex]

I normally wouldn't comment, but I don't want to be a passhole and then complain that the wrong word was picked.

The others are quite good too, though.

[Ellie]

Yup, Passhole was my first thought too.

[Bret Simmons]

Passhole - love it!