Robredo’s passive aggression

I REMEMBER having experienced it myself, when I had a personal conflict with a colleague who was externally sweet and nice yet was very manipulative. I was this vocal, assertive and often seen as an overbearing person, perceived by many as a quarrelsome individual. People misjudged me as the one causing the trouble when all I was doing was to assert my rights. This woman who was pulling the strings, effectively using her position and connections to undermine me, was seen as the victim of my nastiness, and I, the person whose rights were being trampled, never had a chance. Ranged against her, my fate was sealed. I was the ogre, the evil one that had to be cast out.

It was only years later, after I had left the scene, that people realized and began approaching me, some even apologizing for misjudging me, telling horror stories of the abuse of authority that this woman had inflicted on them. They finally saw what I had always seen before. This woman and I were both books who were judged by our covers, except that in my case I was able to be liberated from her, as I moved on to greener pastures, in so many ways, while those who misjudged me had to suffer her and her passive aggressive manipulation.