Ponceludon, a young water engineer, travels to the court at Versailles to ask for financial help to drain the swamp which is making his village sick (let's disregard here that he wants to drain wetlands without mitigation). He finds, however, that the only person who can help him is the King, and to get the King's attention, he must prove himself among the sharks at court. The best way to rise to favor is through sarcasm and wit, preferably aimed at others. The nastier and more biting the put-down, the more his stock rises. Similarly, the dull and the meek are harassed, shunned, made miserable.
This is a lot like my office, except that we don't even have the goal of getting an audience with our leader (because (1) no one really wants to talk to him anyway and (2) he wouldn't recognize wit if it bit him in the ass). No, we're just in it for the bloodlust --- some for the sheer joy of being cruel to others, some because to stay silent is to become a target. And, of course, no one here quotes Voltaire.
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