Argh

Argh. I am the most recent victim of departmental politics. I got passed over for a teaching position as they hired someone who doesn't already teach at the university, and has taught a grand total of one class in the five years I have been there. He is also someone who specializes in production, and the class is a critical studies/theory class, which is my forte. I was also a graduate assistant for the classes while I was a grad student, and so I am very familiar with the content and format of the class. It seems like I should have gotten the class, right? Wrong. My resume doesn't have the line "buddy of the department chair", which negates the qualifications I have. I got fucked. FUCKED. I might not be so upset about it if I wasn't about to lose my benefits because I need to teach three more credits (i.e. one more class) in order to have benefits. ONE! There were three classes available, and they couldn't even throw me one measly class. Up to this point I thought they respected me as a teacher and thought I was valuable to the department. I have been proven 100% wrong. I may have friends in the department, but neither they nor I have nearly enough cache to have any sort of influence, and that is apparently the only thing that matters. Qualifications? Don't need 'em. Experience? Don't worry about it. No education? Pshaw. Oh yeah, did I mention all this guy has is a bachelor's degree and some graduate classes? Yeah, I'm even more qualified through my ability to actually FINISH my degree and not simply start one until I get bored. I suppose I could complain to the Teacher's Union, but I think it would only hurt me since I could win now and get what I want and then next semester they could just not renew my contract. So I just have to sit here and take it and keep my mouth shut, which as you know is not even close to how I normally do things.

So I guess that's it. Argh.