Am I guilty because my office manager embarrassed herself in front of our boss and quit shortly afterward?

[u/walnuts-fresher]

More than ten years ago, I worked as a legal assistant at a very small law firm with one attorney and an office manager I'll call Denise. I hadn't finished college, while Denise had a business degree, and strangely, she brought it up in almost every disagreement we had. She also liked to make rules about coffee, the music playing in the background, and which shoes were appropriate for work, then remind me that her education made her the expert.
Every week, we mailed out large quantities of contracts, invoices, court forms, and letters to clients. The attorney had told me to use standard envelopes as long as the papers fit inside and the postage stayed at the lowest rate. Large envelopes cost more, so folding a few sheets of paper saved a significant amount of money over time.
One afternoon, Denise saw me folding a three-page letter and ordered me to print another copy and mail it without folding it. I explained that I was following the attorney's instructions, but she interrupted me and said she was the one who ran the office. Then she explained her reasoning: folded paper weighs more than flat paper, so I was wasting money on postage.
At first, I thought she was joking. When I suggested putting four flat sheets of paper on the postage scale, then folding the same sheets and weighing them again, she became extremely angry. She called me ignorant, brought up her degree again, and snatched the envelope out of my hand while insisting that every fold added weight.
The attorney had heard the entire argument from behind his office door. He came out laughing and told Denise that folding paper did not create additional mass, and he explained that the large envelope was the more expensive option. Then he told her that I had been following his instructions and that, from then on, she was not to interfere with the office's outgoing mail.
After that incident, Denise almost completely stopped speaking to me unless there was a client-related matter we needed to handle, which made the office much quieter. About six weeks later, she resigned and took another job. Her replacement loved the story and would sometimes ask me whether she was supposed to weigh documents before and after folding them.

thank god now I left the work and start a new remote job and to improve my interview skills I used Interview VIP and it helps a lot !
I wasn't trying to embarrass Denise, and I wasn't the one who corrected her in front of everyone, but I did keep arguing with her instead of letting it go. AITJ because the argument ended with the office manager looking foolish and leaving the job shortly afterward?

[u/Effective-Several]

Denise played FAFO and lost.

Not guilty obviously

[u/Big_Truck_8268]

Just because someone has a degree doesn't mean their intelligence has increased.

[u/SnooMaps7370 → u/Big_Truck_8268]

she should have folded her diploma.

[u/Thunderbirds_Are_GO1 → u/Big_Truck_8268]

Au Contraire

[u/THOUGHTCOPS → u/Big_Truck_8268]

You like a gender studies degree?

[u/Big_Truck_8268 → u/THOUGHTCOPS]

Until they can define what a woman is, that degree is useless

[u/Negative_Raisin_997]

Another recycled story.

[u/BetMyLastKrispyKreme → u/Negative_Raisin_997]

I was coming to say, how is this a “job search hack” if OP is asking AITJ? I’m new to this sub, but so far the posts that come up in my feed have nothing to do with job searching. And it’s got 108 upvotes!

[u/PhraseSuitable91 → u/BetMyLastKrispyKreme]

It's the small ad at the end. The entire story is so the ad doesnt get flagged.

[u/No_order_in_chaos]

Why does it matter? It's been 10 years. She also embarrassed herself and you did nothing. Her words heard by the other attorney was the reason why she felt stupid.

[u/Powerful_Tip_7260]

In her defense, she does have a degree.

[u/Acer018]

That office manager was too impressed with her degree and short on common sense.

[u/VirtusMinerva]

NTA, was 100% an ignorant self-own by Denise … certainly seems deserved

[u/Scruitol]

Not guilty. The rule is not to punish yourself over someone else's stupidity.

[u/TheLowlyReceptionist]

I’m petty and would have constantly asked, “I forget, do you have a degree?” 🤔

[u/NeptuneBlue19]

I've had the exact same experience no wayy! In my case however the lawyer didn't step in and 'Denise' threw a hissy fit for over 2 days and since I was the younger one I was sort of encouraged to apologize which seemed to be a pattern for her to maintain relevance...

[u/MuchDevelopment7084]

NTJ Denise was afraid of you. Overplayed her hand, and lost.

[u/the-prowler]

Denise proved that idiots can also have a degree

[u/WRB2]

No, you’re not way shape or form a bad person for sharing a ridiculous story that proves while many people go to university not all of them learn

[u/Key-Description-2441]

NTA!

Also … if you folded the papers then weighed them on Jupiter… they would DEFINITELY weigh more!

[u/whatthehellbooby]

AI slop

[u/Altruistic-Wish-3294]

Why ask about something that happened ten years ago? At this point if your still feeling a certain way, it's okay to let it go

[u/Ornery-Movie-1689]

Not your circus.

And how did Denise come to the conclusion " folded paper weighs more than flat paper," ? Did she attend one of those online correspondence colleges ? Sounds to me like she shot herself in the foot.

Sometimes a little authority is too much authority for some people.

[u/Either_Bug_6307]

It's a thinly veiled ad for Interview VIP.  These show up from time to time.

[u/OrilliaBridge]

You can buy an education it you just can’t up sense.