Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
The honesty and transparency with which people are pouring out their lives on the internet is apparently disturbing to many. A recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education begs bloggers to respond en masse. The article, Bloggers Need Not Apply is a rhetorical diatribe that reveals just how much one generation misreads and misunderstands another.
Newflash, Ivan: To deny a prospective employee a job because of something they said, a condition they have (mental illness, AIDS, HIV, etc.) or a belief they’ve held, is called discrimination. I hope that Ivan and crew realize that they have opened themselves up to a flurry of lawsuits. State and federal laws protect workers’ rights. I could have AIDS and be on medication and even written about it in my blog, but unless that somehow interferes with my job, I cannot be discriminated against because it. This law is very clear and the cornerstone of our civil rights legislation.
“California law prohibits employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation based upon race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability (including AIDS and HIV), mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), age (40 or older), or sexual orientation (heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality). The prohibition against employment discrimination also includes a perception that the person has any of these characteristics or that the person is associated with a person who has, or is perceived to have, any of these characteristics..” - Department of Fair Employment and Housing
Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time that universities are hopelessly out of touch with what is going on in the world. I’m sure before too long Ivan’s small, midwest liberal arts college will institute a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on blogging.
I can’t help but believe that the whole article was written to provoke discussion. I seriously doubt any of the events in the article are even true. In a hilarious irony, the author writes under the false name, Ivan Tribble. To shy to even give her name. Most people spend so much of their lives trying to develop a good, socially acceptable persona that the idea of trying to be truthful, open, and honest must be frightening. I’m sure Ivan and the rest of the selection committee have done their rejectees a great service. Who would want to work for a company or university run by the thought police? Stalin?
