EOE? Oh Really???

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013: This morning, while listening to Morning Edition, the NPR affiliate, during one of their local cut ins, played a recorded announcement that their station is ISO of a new program director. They said that qualified, interested job applicants MUST apply online and that no in-person, paper applications would be accepted. In virtually the same breath, they so proudly boasted that their station is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

EOE? Oh Really?

I seriously doubt that someone who could neither afford to own a computer nor pay the monthly internet bill would concur. I can envision some qualified, down on their luck individuals caught up in that catch 22… you know the vicious cycle drill…

I don’t have a job so there’s no money to buy the damned computer to apply for the job to get the money to buy the damned computer…

True, one could always use a public library’s computers. But, that still does not alter the fact that we, as a society, are getting too damned computer dependent.

Beyond that, we have to also consider how, while filling in job applications, prospective employers will be hacking into the computers being used by prospective employees; taking a sneak peek into private files, online banking transactions, browsing history, exploring one’s taste in music, searching for naughty photos, etc…. you know… to ferret out any attitudes that might not fit in well with their evil corporate philosophy.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that if someone does apply from a library, these applications will go to the bottom of the pile. After all, the last thing any employer wants is to hire and pay an employee who can’t afford to own a computer.

But then again, is not invading everyone’s privacy the very reason why corporations and “our” corporate government officials want everyone to own a computer in the first place?