SNAFU principle

/sna´foo prin´si·pl/, 名詞

[第二次大戦中の陸軍の頭字語‘Situation Normal, All Fucked Up(状況は平常、すべてめちゃくちゃ)’から] 「真のコミュニケーションは対等な者の間でしか成り立たない。なぜなら、下位の者は上位の者に真実を告げるよりも、心地よい嘘を告げることで一貫してより多く報われるからだ。:」——Discordianismの中心的な教義であり、権威主義的な階層がなぜそれほど確実かつ体系的にしくじるのかを説明するために、ハッカーがしばしば引き合いに出す。SNAFU原理の効果は、意思決定者を現実から漸進的に切り離すことである。1960年代初頭にさかのぼる寓話を軽く翻案したこの版は、その現象を完璧に描き出している。

In the beginning was the plan,
       and then the specification;
And the plan was without form,
       and the specification was void.

And darkness
       was on the faces of the implementors thereof;
And they spake unto their leader,
       saying:
It is a crock of shit,
       and smells as of a sewer.

And the leader took pity on them,
       and spoke to the project leader:
It is a crock of excrement,
       and none may abide the odor thereof.

And the project leader
       spake unto his section head, saying:
It is a container of excrement,
       and it is very strong, such that none may abide it.

The section head then hurried to his department manager,
       and informed him thus:
It is a vessel of fertilizer,
       and none may abide its strength.

The department manager carried these words
      to his general manager,
and spoke unto him
      saying:
It containeth that which aideth the growth of plants,
      and it is very strong.

And so it was that the general manager rejoiced
      and delivered the good news unto the Vice President.
It promoteth growth,
      and it is very powerful.

The Vice President rushed to the President's side,
      and joyously exclaimed:
This powerful new software product
      will promote the growth of the company!

And the President looked upon the product,
      and saw that it was very good.

その後の避けがたい破局のあと、suitたちは「私は間違った情報を伝えられた!」と言って自らを守り、実装者たちは降格されるか解雇される。Conway's Lawと比較せよ。