In my last post, I talked about what it feels like when a workplace sends you the unspoken message:
“Don’t ask questions. Don’t expect fairness. Don’t disrupt our carefully constructed illusion.”
So let’s talk about why these places behave this way — and why they twist themselves into pretzels rather than just answer a simple, reasonable question.
Because once you understand the rules of the Funhouse, the whole warped layout finally makes sense.
Rule #1: Confusion Keeps People Quiet
Healthy workplaces want clarity.
Toxic workplaces want compliance.
If the rules are vague, shifting, unwritten, or only enforced selectively, then leadership gets to do whatever it wants — and employees are left guessing what’s “allowed.”
That confusion is a feature, not a flaw.
Because people who are unsure are people who don’t push back.
Rule #2: Selective Enforcement Protects Favorites
Favoritism is a quiet creature.
It rarely announces itself — it blends into everything else.
You see it when:
- Someone gets texted opportunities others have to chase.
- Someone gets answers, while others get silence.
- Someone gets leeway, while others get warnings.
- Someone gets the benefit of the doubt, while others get the microscope.
It’s not loud.
It’s not obvious.
It’s just constant.
Enough to wear you down without giving you anything concrete to point to.
Rule #3: “No Violation Found” Is Often Code For “We Don’t Want to Look Closer.”
You can bring receipts.
You can present facts.
You can politely ask for clarification.
And somehow, the official response is still:
“All procedures were followed.”
It’s the universal stamp used when leadership wants the conversation to die without ever engaging the actual issue.
It’s not meant to reassure you.
It’s meant to shut you up.
Rule #4: Speaking Up Isn’t Always Safe — and They Know That
There’s a myth that brave people always speak up.
Here’s the truth:
Brave people also survive.
Brave people also protect themselves.
Brave people also choose their timing.
Sometimes silence isn’t submission.
Sometimes silence is strategy.
Because when your income, housing, healthcare, or stability are tied to a system that punishes honesty, shouting the truth isn’t rebellion.
It’s self-sabotage.
Toxic workplaces count on that.
They weaponize it.
But that doesn’t make you weak.
It makes the system rotten.
Rule #5: Documentation Is Your Armor
You might not be able to speak loudly.
You might not be able to confront directly.
But here’s what you can do:
- Document every inconsistency
- Save every non-answer
- Record every deviation
- Track every “clarification” that clarifies nothing
- Build your archive quietly, consistently, relentlessly
People who can’t protect themselves publicly can still protect themselves privately.
And that matters.
Rule #6: You’re Not Crazy — The System Is Designed This Way
If you’ve ever wondered:
- “Why can’t they just answer a simple question?”
- “Why do I feel like I’m getting punished for noticing?”
- “Why is fairness treated like a threat?”
- “Why does everything feel so… off?”
It’s because you’re not in a workplace.
You’re in the Funhouse — and all the mirrors are intentionally distorted.
The problem isn’t your perception.
The problem is the architecture.
Where We Go From Here
Not everyone can quit.
Not everyone can speak up safely.
Not everyone can be the person who storms the gates.
But everyone can:
- See the pattern
- Name what’s happening
- Protect themselves quietly
- Build support outside the walls
- Tell their story
- Create community
- Help others feel less alone
Sometimes survival is resistance.
Sometimes clarity is rebellion.
Sometimes refusing to internalize their lies is the most powerful thing you can do.
And every time someone says, “I went through this too,” another mirror in the Funhouse cracks just a little.
Because we weren’t meant to walk this maze alone.
