In The No Asshole Rule, I make a tentative argument that it might be better to have one token asshole in a group (rather than none) to show others how NOT to behave — a suggestion supported by some behavioral science research, especially studies on littering that show people are less likely litter into a setting that has one piece of garbage than none at all (apparently because the one bad example makes the norm against littering more vivid). Frankly, I was not sure about the wisdom of this argument then, and am even am less sure of now. The reason I am less sure now (although I do have examples where a single token asshole was used by colleagues to remind themselves how not to behave) is that negative emotions and behaviors pack such a big wallop and are so contagious that the speed at which the negativity can spread from the token asshole to everyone else means this is can be a dangerous practice.
This all sets the stage for an old joke. I think I first heard it from Craig Ferguson, the late night talk show host:
Every group has an asshole. If you look around and don't see one, that means it is you.
I think that is as good an asshole joke as I have heard. Perhaps it is funny because it is true — it is consistent with research showing that we humans are remarkably oblivious to our flaws. In particular, this joke is instructive for bosses because power is so toxic and so many bosses are so oblivious to their asshole ways.
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