Hey, it is Sunday and nothing in the Doctrine says these Posts have to be fun and funny and cute and amusing every time does it? So the sooner we get our learnin’ out of the way, the sooner we can get to the videos and the Polls and the references to imaginary high school exchange students (Imaginario? ¿Qué significa este “imaginario”, Miguel? ). Everyone ok with that? Fine. Let’s begin.
Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers) which as new Readers will want to know is, a unique and productive and fun way to look at the people in our lives and the way that they act. Not a ‘theory of personality’ in the sense of listing traits and behaviors, the Doctrine is more a perspective, a deliberate and voluntary effort to see the world as the other person experiences it. The Wakefield Doctrine is built upon the notion that we are all born with the capacity to experience the world in three characteristic ways, which we call clarks, scotts and rogers. We say that we all have the capacity to live in the world as a clark, scott and roger and at some point early in life we become mostly one of these three. We always have the other two traits, but it is mostly, clark, scott or roger. Gender and culture have no bearing on this way of looking at the way people act. Once you know if a person is a clark or a scott or a roger, you will see that they will react and respond in predictable ways in any situation.
Pretty simple, isn’t it?
Since today is Sunday, last night probably was Saturday night. ( ¿Cómo en el nombre de mi Señora del bazo, ¿puede pedir que? Al igual que hay otra respuesta? Aiiee! ) Of course, it was…Saturday night, that is. And if it was Saturday then it must have been time to drive through Wakefield. (For new Readers, the Wakefield in the Wakefield Doctrine is a very real place and due to it’s location in the more temperate regions of North America, drives are possible throughout the year. And it is on these drives that a particular forum is held to discuss theory and application of the Doctrine. Attended by yours truly and DownSpring glenn it is often the scene of a spirited, occasionally one-sided debate, but never a dull exchange of ideas. If you have ever served Jury Duty, the judge will often explain that the jury system is predicated on a contest of facts, which by this contest, the truth will emerge*. The drives through Wakefield are like this, except louder, with more creative use of language and the truth does not always emerge. But it is fun. And this blog is the direct product of such a drive.)
Last night the topic was, as it often is, ‘What is the Point of this Wakefield Doctrine thing?’
(Damn this is boorinng!!) Hey someone out there? For the love of Jethro, somebody write something! Anything! This Wakefield Doctrine really is a total hoot, it is fun and amazing, you and your friend will laugh and laugh. And you will have Hope that things will get better in your Life. All this is true. Hell, all this is guaranteed.
Trouble is, for a host of reasons, nearly all of these Posts are written by a clark. And if you have learned nothing else about the Doctrine, you surely know that clarks are: creative, crazy, intuitive and pedantic, inventive and persuasive (in person) , but clarks are not, I repeat, not good at communicating to the Masses. In no way derogatory, but clarks simply do not translate well to a general audience. One on one, totally. Read it in The WatchTower? no fuckin way.
rogers are the one who can communicate to the Masses. Read Progenitor rogers blog, Precession Recession or go to Friend of the Doctrine Mel’s blog, Spatula in the Wilderness. You will read words that are easy on the eyes and brains, or as glenn put it last Wakefield, ‘so easy going, it reads itself to you’. That is what rogers are so very good at. But a roger would have no need to create the Wakefield Doctrine, so what good is it to wish to be rogerian?
scotts, scotts!….frickin scotts…no, they will not write better, more accessible words. But if you find one who knows about the Doctrine, they will present it in a way that you will not ignore! scotts will take whatever piece of this Doctrine they happen to like and make it fun!! exciting!! interesting…and for the small, small price of a piece of your soul, they will let you enjoy the Wakefield Doctrine too. But you will not have the Doctrine in any form that is anything more than amusing. If you get it from a scott, it will not be a tool, it will be a toy….a fun toy, an exciting toy (…very fun, Miss Sullivan!! ) but a toy none the less.
So, why bother?
‘Cause…you are obviously curious (if you are still reading this thing), you must be intelligent ( to have waded through this stuff ) and most importantly of all…and in fact, the conclusion arrived at by the end of last night’s drive through Wakefield…you, dear Reader, must already have a certain flexibility of intelligence, i.e. you are able to imagine what is not. The only way you are still reading this is that you have that quality of intelligence that enables you to live with the idea, “ok, I know what is real, but I betcha that stuff those Doctrine people are talkin about is just as real, but different…still real…what else does their theory of clarks, scotts and rogers do?”
…Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine.
OK, you have gotten this far…you done good…and no, we are not all work here at the Doctrine, even on Sundays. Mr. B? Some music if you will…
What? yes, yes glenn did behave himself and while he still has a way, ways to go, let’s give him a little treat….( hey downspring glenn, this is why using the Doctrine to evolve is a good thing….)
( * The cornerstone of the legal system in the United States is the jury trial. Many of the opinions of the U.S. Supreme Court, which set forth the law of the land, are based on the issues and disputes raised in jury trials. The jury trial method of resolving disputes is premised on the belief that justice is best achieved by pitting the parties against each other as adversaries, with each party advocating it’s own version of the truth. Under the adversary system, the jury, a group of citizens from the community, decides which facts in dispute are true. ) (…is this the feet notes that we must study? Mother of the Virgin, how can we learn so much?)
About clarkscottroger
Enjoyed the post. In this age whereby so many live by the nano-second (to speak, read, write, text) I find myself reflecting(in a stolen nano-second) on my own progress applying the Wakefield Doctrine to my day to day life. For months now I have been using my place of employment and fellow workers as a test laboratory. It is here I deliberately, consciously apply the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers.
Although I do not engage in the gossip that travels among the rogers (both male and female) I hover just on the edges of those conversations so as to be considered “in” on it. I can run with the herd.
Being a retail environment scotts are scarce. However, there is one young male scott who works the service desk with whom I have developed a natural comradery from the very beginning. This is, of course, not unexpected as there is a special connection or “affinity” as we have spoken in the past between clarks and scotts. I would have to say that although he “outranks” me we are on equal ground. I know, I know. There can be no equals when dealing with a scott – only dominant/submissive (more of that in my forthcoming Post) We co-exist. (hm, I did good naturedly mock him in front of several rogers a couple of months ago…)
So what am I rambling about today? Well, that it is easy to employ the Doctrine in day to day living.
So day to day when I am at this place of employment I try not to react necessarily as a clark but rather as a roger or a scott depending on “who” it is I am dealing with at the time. I try to blend in with the rogers and run with the group/herd, I challenge the scotts but do not cede power, and with the clarks, I communicate only as clarks can do.
All in a days work. Oh, and it works on/with customers too!
Very well said. However, I have to disagree that scotts in a retail environment are scarce. I am a scott working in a retail environment and work with a few other scotts everyday (mostly managers of course). Yes, we banter. Jockeying for first place. From the outside it appears that we are just joking around with each other. (from the outside being the operative phrase). That being said, each of us in our own minds is thinking “I can top that.” But we are able to co-exist. Perhaps it is the environment that allows us to co-exist. After all we can’t be screaming at each other in front of customers. (“I scream, therefore I am”).