Fantastic reply, @salawat. Thank you for taking the time to continue the conversation.

I think I am getting where you are coming from and have a better sense of the value of talking-back, and of unethical management being in competition with non-management.

I tend to work around others' faults (instead of challenging) - and I may be projecting that attitude in my position.

Here I still feel bad for the singled-out exec - though that could simply be me denying the intentionality and tactics of a person in a "powerful" position.

So while I may want to defer to the dominant paradigm, to work within the bounds, I see the value of changing it - of ensuring all workers have safe avenues for communicating dissent.