Hanlon’s razor can be described as “never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by carelessness.” It is an excellent thing to keep in mind when someone says or does something that upsets/offends/angers you and you might be quick to think that it was done with a desire to hurt you because of the person’s ill will.
We should not assume that someone acts out of malice. It’s more likely that something was said that was not intended to cause harm. Also, having your “go to” be that they have something against you and deliberately meant to antagonize you will cause you to become suspicious, bitter and distrustful, which are bad ways to live.
Here are some examples and the possible explanations:
- Someone you know walked past you on campus and didn’t say hello.
They were preoccupied and were not focusing on anything OR they wanted to snub you.
- You did not receive an email about an important event at the college.
It was an oversight and you were accidently omitted OR the organizer did not want you there.
- A professor is giving a lecture and says something that you find offensive, perhaps discriminatory.
The lecture was about a dark day in history OR the professor is a racist and hates other cultures.
- No invitation was extended to you for a meeting that you were expected to attend.
The invitation was lost OR the meeting organizer has it in for you and wanted to hurt you.
- One of your friends/colleagues shares an embarrassing story about you with another person.
The person thought it was harmless to share OR they wanted you to feel shame and guilt.
If you apply Hanlon’s razor, you would first conclude the first of each of these explanations and attribute them to carelessness. If you later learn that the “acceptable explanation” might not actually be the correct one, then you might want to consider the following response: contact the person and explain that you are curious about what had just happened and you would like to understand it. Approaching it that way is respectful and shows that you are seeking information. It does not immediately slap a negative label on someone because of your angry assumption such as “snob,” “jerk,” “racist,” “privileged,” “gossip.” Taking it a step further and texting someone about it, going on social media to tell the world about this atrocity, and/or hastily filing a formal complaint about it might lead to a myriad of problems. If you, indeed, learn that the person in fact had a malicious intent, then you might choose a more formal route because this is behavior that should be addressed. From the examples above:
- If the person who walked past you intended to snub you, either you address it or you can consider them “toxic” and someone with whom you do not want to continue to interact.
- It was not acceptable for the email about the event to have been withheld or forgotten and you can state that it is your expectation that it will not happen again.
- If the professor’s statement made was intended to be racist or in another way discriminatory, then a formal investigation should begin immediately the action should be addressed. Again, these official steps should be taken after you have satisfied yourself that they are appropriate.
- Being deliberately left out of a meeting can have negative repercussions for you and for the outcome of the meeting, so addressing it with the organizers and/or others can avoid the bad consequences.
- If the person who shared a private story had a callous disregard for your feelings, you should share your disappointment, make it clear that it was unacceptable and stress that it should never happen again. Either you can repair the relationship or it will be broken.
All of these responses are assertive responses and are preferred over passive and aggressive.
Hanlon’s razor can help you avoid negative emotions such as stress and anger that are associated with assuming bad intentions. Remember – as long as it’s reasonable to do so, it’s better to assume that negative outcomes occurred as a result of oversight or similar causes, rather than malicious intent.
If you are unsure about what your options are when faced with something like the scenarios above, contact the Ombuds and you will be able to explore many types of responses and actions.
