definitely in a work sense - my field was marketing. i mistakenly thought this would give me the opportunity to be creative, think, create but ultimately the places i worked limited those things to the two or 3 people at the very top. it was disheartening & unexpected when working for a smaller company. i also worked in a similar role for a university, where i was treated similarly, but at least i expected it in a larger environment. you end up feeling like a machine whose contribution remains unvalued - i think it also breed apathy & makes you more & more reluctant to suggest new ideas the longer you're in the situation.

i also agree with this:

I also worry how this affects women in labour in a hospital environment. Medical staff probably have to follow quite a strict protocol and ignore their personal thoughts on things... which is why I was told to "hurry up we need this birthing suite, we're really busy todäy" ie I was labouring too slowly according to their script.
i had DS in a large public hospital. i had GD & PG induced hypertension (from 6 weeks that was well-controlled by meds & no strong traces of protein). at 38 weeks i was encouraged to be induced - regular scans/monitoring showed no issues & both GD & BP were under control. i held out till 40 weeks but then felt pressured to agree. i had had the shortest ante natal appts all the way through my PG - in & out in a couple of mins because i had no real issues. but i felt that because i met a few criteria on their checklist, they ignored my personal situation.

i'm also concerned to hear about teaching. my mum was a teacher & would be horrifed to think that teachers were no longer allowed some freedom in the classroom. i went to a playgroup victoria seminar last week about play. lots of emphasis was placed on allowing children to drive the play & not to provide them with outcomes (assist, but let them reach an end point themselves). there was a story in the booklet about a child at school not being allowed to draw their own picture but having to copy the picture drawn by the teacher & this killing free-thought & choice. i think by treating students as a group (although i understand a need to do this to a certain extent) you miss the opportunity to develop their indivdual strengths & talents. that is so sad.

oh - and one last thing - there's a billy connolly interview with andrew denton where he talks about everyone & everything becoming 'beige' & there being no personality these days. it does feel like that sometimes.