FYI, See Below - The Atlantic

The granddaddy of perlocutionary email forwards is See below. When a forward comes with this prefix, it carries all the weight of FYI with the ... SkiptocontentSiteNavigationTheAtlanticPopularLatestSectionsPoliticsIdeasFictionTechnologySciencePhotoBusinessCulturePlanetGlobalBooksPodcastsHealthEducationProjectsAmericaInPersonFamilyEventsShadowlandInheritanceNewslettersTheAtlanticCrosswordPlayCrosswordThePrintEditionLatestIssuePastIssuesGiveaGiftSearchTheAtlanticQuickLinksDearTherapistCrosswordPuzzleManageSubscriptionPopularLatestSignInSubscribeEmailistheworst,butsomeemailsareworsethanothers.Theworstemailsareforwards.Andtheworstforwards?NotthejokesyourunclesendsyoufromhisAOLaccount,buttheonesyourbossoryourcoworkerssendalongfromsomeobscurecornerofAdministrivistan.Mostworkemailsarepurelydefensivemissives.Theyseektoshifteffort,hideomissions,orprovidecoveragainstfutureblame.Emailssimulatework:Ratherthangettingsomethingdone,youcreateafuturesmarketforexcusesandrationalesfornotgettingthemdone.Thankstoprecarity,themodernworkplacedemandstheconstructionoflayersofprotectivevirtualrampartstoshieldtheworkerfrompossiblefuturereproach.Emailhasbecometheprimarybrickoutofwhichsuchfortressesarefashioned.Anemailisaone-sidedagreementmadeinsecret.Oncesent,ittakesontheairofaccord.Thisiswhy“Didn’tyougetmyemail?”isaworkplacetrumpcard.“Hey,Ididmypart.It’snotmyfaultifyoudroppedtheball.”Thecorporateemailforwardismeanttotransfertheobligationtoactfromoneagenttoanother.Somehow,thislogicpersistsevendespitethetragedyofthecommonsitproduces.WheneveryonesendsCYAemailsintheirowninterest,nobodyhastimeeventoscanthemalltoseparatethesignalfromthenoise.AndsoemailhasbecometheSisypheandrudgeryweknowsowell:diggingthroughthepilesofchaffontheoffchancethatanedibleseedmighthavebeenleftbehind.Amidstthisdoursituation,aspecialtypeofemailemerges:thecorporateforward.Unliketheforwardedjoke,whichyouruncleactuallymeansforyoutoreadandenjoyalongwithhim,thecorporateemailforwardismeanttotransfertheobligationtoactfromoneagenttoanother.Someemailforwardsmakespecificrequestsandtherebyconsummatedelegation.Yourbossforwardsarequestandasksyoutodealwithit.Acolleaguedoesn'tknowtheanswertoaquestionoraproblemandsendsitontoaspecialistwhomightbeabletohelp.Atrafficmanagerinfinanceorprocurementsendsonaformoraninquiryinneedofcompletion.Thesearetheworkhorsesoftheforward,andforalltheirritationtheycause,theydosoinearnest.Butaspecialvarietyofemailforwardalwaysactsmalignantly,aspassive-aggressivelabor.Therearetwoversionsofthisemail,bestidentifiedbytheone-line,one-phrasemessagebodiesthatprecedetheforwarditself:FYI,andSeebelow.IanBogostThegentlerandmoreambiguousofthetwoistheFYI.AforwardprecededbyFYImight,infact,bepassedalong“foryourinformation.”Aheadsupaboutanupcomingeventordeadline,oranewinsightintothestatusofadealintheworks.FYIalmostmeansit.Itdoesn’treallymatterwhattheforwardactuallyincludes.Itcouldbearequestfromacustomerorclientorbossorco-worker.Itcouldbeaninvitationtoameetingoraneventoraconferencecallorawebinar.Itcouldbeanoticeofapolicyorachangeinprocedure.Thepurposeoftheforwardisnottosharetheinformationcontainedbelowthefold—whatlinguistsandphilosopherscallalocution,thatis,theactualmeaningofthephraseuttered—atleastnotprimarily.Instead,theforwardworksasaperlocution,anutterancethathopestogetaninterlocutortodosomethingwithoutexplicitlyaskingforit.Thisiswhatthecorporateforwarddoes.FYIsays“foryourinformation,”butitmeanssomethingelse.Thepossibilitiesareendless,butmightincludeunspokenmessageslike“Itoldyousoandherebydemandyourcontrition”or“I’mnotgoingtotellyouwhattodo,butImightblameyouifyoudoitwronglater.”ThegranddaddyofperlocutionaryemailforwardsisSeebelow.Whenaforwardcomeswiththisprefix,itcarriesalltheweightofFYIwiththeadditionalbaggageofclearbutunspecifiedobligation.FYImightormightnotmakeanimplicitrequestordemand,butSeebelowalwaysdoes.Thethingis,thebestSeebelowsneverquiterevealwhattheyareafter,evenifit’scleartheyareaftersomething.Thisiswhyit’ssoinfuriatingtoreceiveaSeebelow.Whatdoesthisemailwantfromme?Sometimesit’sclear—aspecificrequestintheforwarditself,forexample.Butmoreoften,theSeebelowemailpurposelyrefusestomakesucharequestordemandclear.Seebelowofferstheultimateversionofprecarity-inducedprevarication:Itforcestherecipienttomakeamoveratherthanthesender.Why?Ultimately,thepowerofthecorporateemailforwardcomesfromthefactthatitscontentsgounprocessed.Ratherthanmakedirectrequests,weobfuscate.Weprevaricate.Aswithdriving,thebestwaytoworktodayisdefensively:Insureyoucanneverbeputinapositionwhereyourwords,deeds,orideascanbetracedbackandusedagainstyou.Seebelowofferstheultimateversionofprecarity-inducedprevarication:Itforcestherecipienttomakeamoveratherthanthesender.So,whattodowithemailslikeFYIandSeebelow?Youcan’tignorethem;sendinganemailalwaystrumpslettingonegounanswered(orevenunseen).Unfortunately,theonlymoveleftistorespond,butplaydumb,askingyourinterlocutortoclarifywhat,precisely,istherelevanceoftheenclosed“information”intheFYI,orwhichaspectofthematerialbelowintheSeebelowrequiresaction—andwhattypeofaction,aslongaswe’reatit.(Ormaybe,ifyou’rereallyfeelingpunchy,youcouldrespondwithnothingmorethanalinktothisarticle.)Ofcourse,suchtacticsaretootime-consumingandsoul-crushingformostofustoperformontheonehand,andtheyjustperpetuatethescourgeofcorporateemailcultureontheother.Butonedubioushopedoesremain.Perhapswe’llfinallyreachthepointwhentheonlythingworsethanlosingyourcorporatejobonaccountofnotplayingthepassive-aggressivegameishavingtoworkthatjobinthefirstplace.