Connor Poorman
Staff Writer
cmp7673@lhup.edu
Throughout the last few weeks, or rather the last few months, I believe we’ve all been paying attention to the news. News can influence anyone’s opinion. The main idea I want everyone to understand from most recent news is that we label everyone.
What do I mean by labeling? Regardless if it is for good or for ill, we name things without even noticing. We often label people based on handicaps and, especially, race.
One of the most frustrating things I see is that on most applications, employers still make it a priority to ask about the potential employee’s race. Do you believe that this is appropriate or inappropriate for the times ahead?
Of course, this is just my opinion, but perhaps instead of asking what race you are, the important and much bigger question at hand should be whether or not you are cleared to legally work in the United States. This has been the topic of much heated debate, but my message resides elsewhere. The message here is this: We need to occasionally remind ourselves that we’re all human, regardless of position, social status, handicap and race. I understand that my message is vague, however it is supposed to be like that. There are many possibilities in the world, the idea being that we need to just take a moment and really think about what is going on around us, especially the people around us.
All of that being said, I also understand, for the most part, we all know better than to take something at face value. I again will pose the question of appropriateness of inquiring about one’s race for employment. We already see the effects of labeling and profiling in recent news – what effect will this have on society in the future?