Hugh Hewitt signals he is speaking in fun ["on a "lighter note"] when he proposes outlawing team building efforts as described in a New York Times article. Fair enough. Some activities amount to an excuse to go enjoy a fun time with colleagues in a luxurious resort setting. And the trendiness, such as adapting current TV hits, amounts to self—parody in some instances.

But as one who has studied and practiced for decades the art of getting people of different mindset to work together more smoothly, the extreme end of any profession or craft can get loopy. Radio talk show hosts, professors of law, lawyers, pundits, husbands, every other role Hugh (or I) would care to practice have their bizarre extremes.

Humor is often as not a mask for hostility. And hostility is a reasonable reaction to being forced to attend a nonsense seminar. But there's good 'uns and bad 'uns out there in most realms of human endeavor.

Thomas Lifson   8 25 05