What, I wonder, is the cause of so many people placed in positions of minor authority to rapidly become tyrannical, especially when dealing with the elderly?


The only reason that I can bring to mind is that they are stupid or of low intellect.
It happened to both my wife and myself very recently and while I, as a layman, am inclined to treat it with some leniency, my wife, a much-published author, who achieve a double first-class honours degree at university and followed that by obtaining a linguistics component at yet another university, gets quite cross about it.
I think the people concerned and there are quite a large number of them, should be made aware by their superiors that such behaviour will not be tolerated.
Walt Jackson
Llantrisant, Usk