A pal of mine is experiencing quite extraordinary crap in the office he works in. Men and women in their mid-40s behaving like 12 year olds. Whispering behind hands. Ignoring people when they're asked a direct question from a distance of no more than 2 feet. I'm trying to convince him that this kind of nonsense is perfectly normal, but I'm having trouble because everywhere I've worked (ok, both places I've worked) have been most pleasant. (Except the time my ex-boss called me a w*nker, but that's another story.)

Does anyone have extreme examples of dysfunctional office politics that will help to reassure him that he's not alone?

(I realise that an obvious conclusion to draw from the above is that “him” is in fact me me – e.g. “a good friend of mine suffers from erectile dysfunction” – but it's not. Honest.)