ARGH! Why do people in this industry decide to become “gurus’ and the “Professional Advisors” (self proclaimed) and they proceed to give advice without even having a clue? Many of you have heard of my consistent frustration at what I consider the Blind edufakating the Blind in this industry, and unfortunately considering the ramifications of the legal outcomes due to the hundreds of State and Federal Laws that surround our industry.. It terrifies me! Do people in this industry Really Enjoy playing Russian Roulette with their Careers or their companies??????
So what this time? Well there was this really interesting conversation where a question was asked whether a “hairy” candidate should consider shaving for the job interview – and the “expert?” The EXPERT said that she would consider asking the candidate to consider shaving!
What! You would advise a candidate to consider Shaving? Would you also consider advising a person who wore glasses to wear contacts? A fat person to wear a slimming suit? A Muslim to wear western clothing? Hmm, maybe we should consider asking people to change their names, and whilst we are at it, why not consider asking them to also consider surgery, dang if that mole isn’t attractive..
She also suggested to look at how DIVERSE a company is to determine the match! Again, are you kidding me?! Let’s see, not enough women there, so let’s not consider this individual for this position. Hmm, yes this company prefers to hire H1-b visas, I am sorry, you are way to American for here, so where else can we place you?
Of course I left a response to this question on this site and have included it below. (Several found humor in the response of the “expert” and others appreciated her desire to be “candid” to the candidate; but my concern is that unfortunately many would consider that the response would be a viable response and would consider acting out on it!)
I guess I will be the boring one here. Typical me, but, what a sad irony should there be anyone who may not recognize the humor here and decide to mention to a candidate that they should consider removing their Body hair, well, it IS NOT A GOOD IDEA -
See discrimination may not only be based upon Race, but also on other aspects Including Any physical Characteristics including race-linked characteristics which can include HAIR (or lack of hair) or yes even facial Features
Individuals for example may NOT be able to consider putting a razor to their skin - Some may not be able to put due to Skin irritations, that may come about due to their race (some races are more prone for irritant and severe razor bumps due to shaving) , (ADA, Title Vii), religious Beliefs Title Vii, or even due to medical conditions (ADA)
Since Body Hair is not reflective of the person’s ability to do the job, and it is not related for job performance or business needs and as this requirement has the potential to be found discriminatory as it could possibly exclude persons of a certain racial group, health status, or color significantly more than others
And, as long as they don’t have poor hygiene because of said hair, my suggestion is to Educate the Client/Employer, and tell them to Grow Up and Just get over it.
Personally, why would Any recruiter even WANT TO GO THERE!!!! Yes, Virginia Recruiters Can be held liable for discrimination as well! No matter what the size of your company - 1 employee (you) — or 100 they don’t care.
Oh, just because we Don’t hear of the lawsuits don’t mean that they Don’t exist.. Seriously, folks, would you advertise to the World (and your current and potential Clients) that you are being investigated or sued? If you did, well that is Not a very smart business move…. “
Karen Mattonen
Folks in the recruiting industry, here are some compelling stats for you *– and yes YOU should care because it has the potential for being very expensive if you are NOT paying attention! The biggest problem that occurs in this industry is that because there is a very LOW barrier to entry many come in uninformed, and then they go to certain websites hoping to find a solution. Unfortunately they are then educated by people who may have some tenure in the industry but knows even less than they do, but, because THEY call themselves “Experts,” well… they Must be experts!
Employment lawsuits are the largest types of suits brought to State court today. (Bankruptcy cases are brought to Federal Courts) I recruit in a heavily regulated industry, where both Federal and State Laws apply. Knowledge has not crippled me or stopped me from doing a great job for my clients.
The Recruiting industry has too many regulated boards that oversee our actions and it is so unwise for individuals to remain uninformed whilst doing their job. We have the FTC, EEOC, Civil Rights, INS, FCC (based upon the phone and fax communications), OSC, Patriot ACT - The Unions, NLRB (who make the EEOC look like pussycats), if you have foreign resumes in your database there is Safe Harbor.
I think the operational knowledge of this industry is like driving a car with a stick shift. There are a lot of things I have to think about, perform and be aware of, but I can still manage to operate my vehicle, stay within the limits of the law and not have to worry about police intervention.
The internet has brought changes to our lives in recruiting. What was once plausible, or even forgivable as recent as 5 years ago is not the case today. Due to issues that were not as prevalent before (ie. Personal Identity Security, Spam, Internet Harassment), the internet has also brought about a rise in business and corporate sabotage. For example, easy access to business directories and information which can hurt the reputation of companies and affect fair trade.
My advice?
Be aware, be prepared, maintain “good” records and especially keep informed or aware of the Laws that surrounds us – and yes there are plenty of them.
Note, I Karen Mattonen am NOT an expert, nor do I proclaim to be one, nor have I played one on tv – always consider contacting professional legal counsel for advice!
ABOUT KAREN MATTONEN, CAC, CSP
Karen is an experienced, successful recruiter who operates her own business and is actively involved in many industry organizations and activities. Her recruiting career began with Snelling Corporation. In 1998, after a successful tenure as a recruiter with Snelling, Karen struck out on her own, founding Advanced Career Solutions (ACS). ACS focuses on recruiting for the HVAC Industry. Karen has achieved accreditation as a California Accredited Consultant (CAC) through California Staffing Professionals. She has also gained her Certified Staffing Professional Certificate (CSP) through American Staffing Professionals. (www.americanstaffing.net)
Karen has a new and future-oriented vision of what recruiting can and should become: a profession we can be proud of for its ethical standing, professional conduct and ability to build great organizations. Her doing-well-by-doing-right philosophy is shaking up the status quo in an industry that needs to be shaken. She does this with conviction, leadership, and a distinctive voice that cries out for change.
Karen was a co-creator of the landmark webinar event – “EEOC Discrimination Debate.” This event featured senior members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and staffing industry experts discussing and debating difficult issues about discrimination in today’s workplace environment. Company executives, hiring managers, recruiters, and human resource professionals from across the United States were invited to participate in the free Webinar and live panel discussion. Karen also served as one of the panelists on the discussion team in the March, 2006 event.
As co-host of the popular podcast “The Recruiters Lounge,”Karen discusses her frank opinions on the recruitment industry with her co-host, Jim Stroud.
Why does it take someone else’s comments to get me totally fired up. What this time? To some this may seem like the same tired argument, but to me, it is about our Job, our welfare, our economy!
I came across a recent comment regarding the 230,000 jobs our country lost this last quarter, in this fledgling economy, and the recruiter who posted wondered if this would affect recruiters, He also questioned if this was something we should be concerned about.
This post was almost amusing to me. No, not laugh out loud amusing, but a sad irony of amusement.
“How could that be?” Some may ask, “ Jobs are being lost and you find that amusing? Even if it is ironic, it definitely isn’t amusing, right?”
What I find sad, and such an absurdity is that we in this industry; yes, WE in the EMPLOYMENT INDUSTRY (Note Caps are intended for Emphasis) are only now realizing that that the information we have been getting all along has been inaccurate; that we have been fed a bill of “goods” for some time..
WAR For Talent…? Really? For real?
For those who keep pumping this out, What are you selling? WHY ARE You selling this bill of “goods”? (I would prefer to use another descriptive, but I must stay professional)
What do I mean?
Folks… Here is the TRUTH! Last year we had over 1 MILLION LESS JOBS than from the year before. Yes, that is true, we really did have ONE MILLION LESS jobs in 2007 than in 2006 but yet, for some reason due to the inaccurate unemployment figures, many kept saying and proclaiming that we had this GREAT ECONOMY. Who were they kidding? What Calculator were they using? Seriously, they (and we know who “they” are) kept stating that unemployment stayed stagnant close to around 4 percent all of last year, Yet in reality WE WERE LOSING JOBS ALL YEAR!!! Then on top of that, inflation continued to rise at unprecedented amounts, while salaries continued to drop 4 times in the past 5 years. Yes that is hourly and weekly wages. So why is it that only now we are we paying attention? Is this because (finally) these figures are in your face and undeniable?
Now, let’s look at some of the other facts.
As I said, wages continue to go down, discrimination is on the rise and H1- b visas are on the rise and as a result, companies can continue to pay foreign labor less salaries. (Wait didn’t I mention that there were less jobs? How could this be? Or is it because… (drumroll please) companies are taking longer to hire? Yet the cost of everything has risen to unbelievable highs!
WAR FOR TALENT: FACT vs FICTION
If there was (truly) a war for talent:
COMPANIES WOULD PAY MORE • According to Department of Labor statistics, real wages—that is, taking into account inflation—dropped by 0.9 percent in 2007, the fourth decline in five years. Between 1979 and 2005, the top five percent of American families saw their real incomes increase 81 percent. Over the same period, the lowest-income fifth saw their real incomes decline 1 percent. The top one percent of households received 21.8 percent of all pre-tax income in 2005, more than double what that figure was in the 1970s. (The top one percent’s share of total income bottomed out at 8.9 percent in 1976.) This is the greatest concentration of income since 1928, when 23.9 percent of all income went to the richest one percent
COMPANIES WOULD TAKE LESS TIME TO HIRE
• Companies would provide more benefits and hire EMPLOYEES, not contractors – there would be less MISCLASSIFICATION of workers.
• Companies would provide more training
• Companies would be more employee and yes even recruiter friendly
Between 1949 and 1979, the inflation-adjusted average hourly wage for production workers rose 75 percent, from $9.00 to $15.78. Since 1979, the average production-worker wage has risen only 2 percent, from $15.78 to $16.11. Between 1979 and 2004, American workers raised their productivity 64 percent, while their median hourly compensation rose only 12 percent.
COMPANIES WOULD NOT DISCRIMINATE
• Discrimination would not be so high today as companies could not “afford” to be so “selective” with an alleged war for talent.. (FYI, Black Unemployment is TWICE as High as that of their White counterparts!)
COMPANIES WOULD HIRE MORE • Long Term unemployment would not be as high as it is today - -fyi, the people we are displacing are not Blue collared workers, no in fact they are white-collar employees and Americans trained in science and technology - “While the U.S. lost about 500,000 tech jobs between 2000 and 2003, Congress admitted about 500,000 foreign tech workers on nonimmigrant visas: L-1 and H-1B - resulting in the displacement of over one million American workers.”
COMPANIES WOULD HAVE INFLATION AND SALARIES IN SYNCH
• America would not have the worst financial, deficit in recorded WORLD history. Yes, wages and economy do go hand in hand. - “For all of 2007, about 17.6% of those who were unemployed had been out of work six months or more. That compares to only 11.4% who were long-term unemployed in 2000. You have to understand that 5% unemployment today is worse than 5% unemployment 10-15 years ago,” said Jason Furman, senior fellow, Brookings Institution.
Furman and others say “…long-term unemployment is not just a problem for those struggling to find jobs. It poses a risk for the economy as a whole and cuts into household earnings and economic output.”
There are some who want you to believe that this innocuous war for talent exists, because they have something to sell. The companies also want to pay less for your work, so they have to create the argument that there are no talented employees so (pretty) please government, increase our H1-b visas so that we may hire more.
Yes, these numbers (230,000 jobs lost last quarter) quoted were almost a “joke” to me, because THEY HAVE BEEN OCCURING FOR QUITE A WHILE, but we have been fed a lie for so long, we don’t even know what the truth is anymore. It is only because the companies are now feeling the pain, that we can see the disaster right before our eyes, that we are now focusing on the real numbers - the JOBS PER THOUSAND, or PAYROLL , instead of the unemployment numbers. It is the unemployment numbers that have been promoted to us that are total and complete B.S. because they never reflected the true story of what was occurring in our economy!
Oh, fyi.. for those who harangue about the War for Talent and BABY BOOMERS — PLEASE GET SOME FACTS STRAIGHT THERE AS WELL.
• Baby Boomers Did NOT produce the Biggest Boom to our Economy.. No, actually Generation Y did.. by the tens of Millions, and these kids are no longer KIDS, they have already started to graduate, they have already entered the workforce.. they are now also having Kids of their own..
• On top of that 80 Plus percent of boomers said they were not retiring (according to AARP) - many can not afford to. (Hmm… Enron and lost 401k’s come to mind.)
So as I have said before, what with the LESS JOBS, the Kids graduating from high school and college, the individuals entering the workforce - ie stay at home parents, Visa Employees, refugees, graduates, and such like.. and of course those who Are NOT retiring.. and let’s again compile that with the “Less Jobs” year after year.
Why have we been spoon fed this full blown load of B.S? (Yes, I said it! Just calling it what it is.)
So, the way I look at all of this — Salaries have been going down for 5 Years, no huge number of jobs added to the economy for at least for well over a year, and for quite some time we have been growing tremendously in inflation and debt, so my question, why was the government pulling the wool over our eyes, with all this hype of one of the best economies???
Some may consider this just Another Rant and Rave by Karen Mattonen, but it is time we really take a good look at these numbers and REALLY ASK questions because this isn’t just about your job as a recruiter; it is about every job that we are losing, and the lies we are being told..
Enough with the fluff and puff.. DEMAND THE TRUTH!
An excellent article to review on this topic is:
The Shortage Myth - The Lies at the End of the American Dream
by: Paul Craig Roberts
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18830.htm
Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review.
-Karen M.
ABOUT KAREN MATTONEN, CAC, CSP
Karen is an experienced, successful recruiter who operates her own business and is actively involved in many industry organizations and activities. Her recruiting career began with Snelling Corporation. In 1998, after a successful tenure as a recruiter with Snelling, Karen struck out on her own, founding Advanced Career Solutions (ACS). ACS focuses on recruiting for the HVAC Industry. Karen has achieved accreditation as a California Accredited Consultant (CAC) through California Staffing Professionals. She has also gained her Certified Staffing Professional Certificate (CSP) through American Staffing Professionals. (www.americanstaffing.net)
Karen has a new and future-oriented vision of what recruiting can and should become: a profession we can be proud of for its ethical standing, professional conduct and ability to build great organizations. Her doing-well-by-doing-right philosophy is shaking up the status quo in an industry that needs to be shaken. She does this with conviction, leadership, and a distinctive voice that cries out for change.
Karen was a co-creator of the landmark webinar event – “EEOC Discrimination Debate.” This event featured senior members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and staffing industry experts discussing and debating difficult issues about discrimination in today’s workplace environment. Company executives, hiring managers, recruiters, and human resource professionals from across the United States were invited to participate in the free Webinar and live panel discussion. Karen also served as one of the panelists on the discussion team in the March, 2006 event.
As co-host of the popular podcast “The Recruiters Lounge,”Karen discusses her frank opinions on the recruitment industry with her co-host, Jim Stroud.
Here, where I live, there is a rising anti Walmart force. See, Walmart has decided to build one of their Over - Megasized “supercenters” in our tiny little small town, and though allegedly, a permit has not yet been pulled, we have already seen some loss of small businesses. The little town I live in has always had a focus on the small business, this sadly will bring the destitution of the small business.
There are many that are “For” Walmart, and what they believe is that this evil empire brings more “freedom” to Americans. Personally, I think that those individuals really don’t get it, and the more they defend Walmart and their cheap prices, that unfortunately their lack of information on this topic really shines through.
People, Do you understand why this country is in Recession??? When you lose your job, because of the trickle down effect of the Problems which companies like Walmart create, will you be able to continue to have the “Freedom” to shop there? Even though those prices are so “cheap”?
And what cost are we paying to get those “cheap” prices? Who does it hurt? now, and ultimately later? What is the Cause and Effect for this alleged “value” and is it really a value to us, and the economy?
Personally I think there should be a law in America that states, that unless you are informed, unless you REALLY know and understand the dynamics of what one is voting for, one should NOT be allowed to vote.. a bit harsh isn’t it? Or is it? Yes, some say, this isn’t about a vote; Yes, indeed it is! It is Not only about hearing, listening, and knowing about what is occurring in your economy today, how it affects you now.. but also finding out what was the Trigger, the Cause, and what more harm will happen tomorrow.
Sometimes when I hear some screaming about the wonders and benefits of companies like walmart, I want to say – hey - Suggestion, take an economics class or two, so that you may get a better understanding of this situation, please, it isn’t as black and white as it appears. It really isn’t..
Seriously, it is companies like Walmart, Enron, Tyco, WorldCom, and especially the GAS COMPANIES like Chevron, Shell, Mobile – that ultimately TAKE AWAY Americans’ freedoms… and the people who are fighting these giants, they are fighting on Behalf of YOUR freedom, because they understand and realize that you were probably too busy, or maybe just didn’t understand, how YOUR FREEDOM becomes lost due to the TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT (In reverse) from companies like this!
Well, for those who wonder what is exactly wrong with what many call the “evil empire” Let me please share some facts with you,-they come from a movie called “the high cost of low price” — This movie comes Loaded with Facts and data – not only from Walmart themselves, but also from research done by UC Berkeley’s Labor Center, Philip Mattera, research director for Good Jobs First; The Center for Public Policy Priorities; Executive Office of Health and Human Services Division of Health Care Finance and Policy; Justice Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and so many more. The information on the facts and data can also be found at http://www.walmartmovie.com/facts.php
Now here is some reasons why YOU Should care about What walmart is doing to Your Local and State economy, environment, and community –
WAL-MART Drives Down Retail Wages $4.7 BILLION Every Year
A recent study by researchers at UC Berkeley’s Labor Center
UPDATE: Since the completion of our film, the study has been finalized and published, and the published findings produced a different number for the annual loss in retail earnings than the preliminary figure we used in the film. The published study ultimately found that Wal-Mart actually reduced the take-home pay of retail workers by $4.7 BILLION dollars annually. Unfortunately for the retail workers this statistic concerns, Wal-Mart’s effect on retail wages turns out to be worse than we had anticipated.
Federal Poverty Level Family of Four - $17,650 Average Wal-Mart Hourly Sales Employee Wages - $13,861 “On average, Wal-Mart sales clerks — “associates” in company parlance — pulled in $8.23 an hour, or $13,861 a year, in 2001, according to documents filed in a lawsuit pending against the company.”
HELEN WALTON: $18.0 BILLION
ALICE WALTON: 18.0 BILLION
JOHN WALTON: 18.2 BILLION
ROB WALTON: $18.3 BILLION
JIM WALTON: $18.3 BILLION
The WALTON FAMILY Has Given LESS THAN 1% of Their Wealth to Charity Bill Gates has given 58%. YET The WALTON FAMILY Made $3.2 MILLION in Political Contributions in 2004. In 2004, WAL-MART Employees gave OVER $5 MILLION to help fellow workers. BUT The Walton Family gave $6,000. The WALTON FAMILY received a federal tax cut of: $91,500.00 per HOUR in the 2004 tax.
According to the Wal-Mart Facts website, “The typical Supercenter raises or gives $30,000 to $50,000 a year to local charitable needs ranging from youth programs to literacy councils.” From a survey of Wal-Mart’s grand opening contributions, its giving averages to about $47,222 per store.
Also, DID YOU KNOW:
WAL-MART Costs Taxpayers $1,557,000,000,00 to Support its Employees”The Democratic Staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce estimates that one 200-person Wal-Mart store may result in a cost to federal taxpayers of $420,750 per year - about $2,103 per employee. Specifically, the low wages result in the following additional public costs being passed along to taxpayers:
$36,000 a year for free and reduced lunches for just 50 qualifying Wal-Mart families.
$42,000 a year for Section 8 housing assistance, assuming 3 percent of the store employees qualify for such assistance, at $6,700 per family.
$125,000 a year for federal tax credits and deductions for low-income families, assuming 50 employees are heads of household with a child and 50 are married with two children.
$100,000 a year for the additional Title I expenses, assuming 50 Wal-Mart families qualify with an average of 2 children.
$108,000 a year for the additional federal health care costs of moving into state children’s health insurance programs (S-CHIP), assuming 30 employees with an average of two children qualify.
$9,750 a year for the additional costs for low income energy assistance.”
The total figure is based on the average $420,750 per-store figure, multiplied by 3700 (the approximate number of stores currently in the United States).
NOTE: $86 MILLION a Year to California Taxpayers In 2004, a study released the UC Berkeley Labor Center found that “reliance by Wal-Mart workers on public assistance programs in California comes at a cost to taxpayers of an estimated $86 million annually; this is comprised of $32 million in health related expenses and $54 million in other assistance.”
Wal-Mart dismisses the findings of the UC Berkeley study, “Hidden Costs of Wal-Mart Jobs,” as a “union hit piece.” However, text from Wal-Mart’s own internal memo substantially corroborates their findings.
The original report did not include costs to the public for Wal-Mart employees who are uninsured. Information from the Wal-Mart memo also points to the possibility of additional taxpayer costs incurred from uninsured employees, as analyzed by the Labor Center: The memo further reports that 19% of Wal-Mart employees lack health insurance. The cost of uncompensated care for those workers adds an estimated $202 million in taxpayer costs nationally, and $10 million in California. These costs were not quantified in the original report.
In addition to these new findings, a paper presented at the recent Wal-Mart sponsored conference by Michael J. Hicks of the Air Force Institute of Technology and Marshall University, finds that “Wal-Mart does increase Medicaid expenditures by roughly $898 per worker, which is consistent with other studies of the Medicaid costs per low wage worker across the United States.”
ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS:
In Texas it is estimated that they cheated workers out of up to one hundred and fifty million dollars in unpaid wages.
Wal-Mart currently faces lawsuits in thirty-one different States for wage and hour abuses potentially involving hundreds of thousand workers.
Wal-Mart is facing a class-action lawsuit for discrimination against 1.75 million former and current female employees.
Currently in the U.S. there are 26,699,678 SQUARE FEET of empty WAL-MARTS
Cost for WAL-MART Factory Worker to Assemble: $0.18. Retail cost at Wal-Mart: $14.96
2005: Connecticut EPA orders WAL-MART to pay $1.15 MILLION for Clean Water Act violations in 22 stores “Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Gina McCarthy today announced a $1.15 million settlement with Wal-Mart involving environmental violations at 22 stores related to stormwater and other water management issues.”
WAL-MART Imported $18 BILLION from CHINA in 2004! The world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, says its inventory of stock produced in China is expected to hit US$18 billion this year [2004], keeping the annual growth rate of over 20 per cent consistent over two years.”
There is So much more on the site, but I got to say this alone was enough to give me a major heartburn.. Yes, I do believe that.
ABOUT KAREN MATTONEN, CAC, CSP
Karen is an experienced, successful recruiter who operates her own business and is actively involved in many industry organizations and activities. Her recruiting career began with Snelling Corporation. In 1998, after a successful tenure as a recruiter with Snelling, Karen struck out on her own, founding Advanced Career Solutions (ACS). ACS focuses on recruiting for the HVAC Industry. Karen has achieved accreditation as a California Accredited Consultant (CAC) through California Staffing Professionals. She has also gained her Certified Staffing Professional Certificate (CSP) through American Staffing Professionals. (www.americanstaffing.net)
Karen has a new and future-oriented vision of what recruiting can and should become: a profession we can be proud of for its ethical standing, professional conduct and ability to build great organizations. Her doing-well-by-doing-right philosophy is shaking up the status quo in an industry that needs to be shaken. She does this with conviction, leadership, and a distinctive voice that cries out for change.
Karen was a co-creator of the landmark webinar event – “EEOC Discrimination Debate.” This event featured senior members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and staffing industry experts discussing and debating difficult issues about discrimination in today’s workplace environment. Company executives, hiring managers, recruiters, and human resource professionals from across the United States were invited to participate in the free Webinar and live panel discussion. Karen also served as one of the panelists on the discussion team in the March, 2006 event.
As co-host of the popular podcast “The Recruiters Lounge,”Karen discusses her frank opinions on the recruitment industry with her co-host, Jim Stroud.
What exactly is stilting of a conversation? What exactly prevents freedom of speech? Is it comments from individuals express opposing views and beliefs? Or is where individuals criticize others because they have an opposing view? Or, is it where individuals Chastise and label others because of those opposing views? Or is it where others harass others because of opposing views?
I guess what we should first look at what is freedom of speech? To use the comments of the much Loved, or much Hated (until you need them) ACLU…
How much we value the right of free speech is put to its severest test when the speaker is someone we disagree with most. Speech that deeply offends our morality or is hostile to our way of life warrants the same constitutional protection as other speech because the right of free speech is indivisible: When one of us is denied this right, all of us are denied.
Free speech rights are indivisible. Restricting the speech of one group or individual jeopardizes everyone’s rights because the same laws or regulations used to silence bigots can be used to silence you. Conversely, laws that defend free speech for bigots can be used to defend the rights of civil rights workers, anti-war protesters, lesbian and gay activists and others fighting for justice.
They quoted a professor with the following “I have always felt as a minority person that we have to protect the rights of all because if we infringe on the rights of any persons, we’ll be next.”
They continue to state “Defending First Amendment rights for the enemies of civil liberties and civil rights” means defending it for you and me.
And…
Freedom of speech allows for the Free Exchange of ideas which allows for Growth through debate, through education, through knowledge. If we don’t allow for freedom of exchange then individuals become scared, nervous, apprehensive, and unfortunately “biases are driven underground where they can’t be addressed.
Now that appears to be fair and square right? I guess this means that because I disagree with you, I am entitled and justified to stand my ground, isn’t that not correct? Yes, of course you do.. but, still, even when we are practicing our privileges we must still also remember to exercise responsibility.
So, when does Free speech stop being fair and square? I think the Supreme Court has a proficient answer to this question…
Online Speech and commerce should always be open and vibrant without concerns of threats to freedom of expression — the internet should foster democracy Democracy and freedom of expression move in tandem, one fueling the other. Neither survives alone.
Freedom of Speech stops being productive and even be considered illegal, when it - target individuals. When there is enticement or advocacy of hatred which ultimately entices and incites discrimination, hostility, harassment, intimidation or violence, and individuals are unable to participate or exercise their rights to participate due to fear!
Sometimes the stilting of speech may be veiled, subtly – under the guise of humor; sometimes it under the guise of name calling, or labeling.
The most Subtle Disguise is when it sometimes camouflaged with the Claim that Free Speech is being stilted by utilizing titles such as “Naysayers”, Critics, Finger Waggers, “conspiracy theorists” or “Fear Mongers” – these individuals will then continue to cleverly espouse that anyone who is not in perfect agreement with their views or opinions; or displays any reasoning or rationale outside of their beliefs are therefore guilty of stilting freedom of expression and speech.
It is the Name Calling and Finger Wagging, the labeling, which in turn does create censorship. It does stilts speech. I know this personally from the hundreds of emails from individuals who have expressed and unwillingness and apprehension of posting online, for fear of the retribution that may come their way for expressing a contraire opinion.
Free Speech does indeed come with responsibility…
We must commit ourselves to arguing for what we believe in and meeting even the most abhorrent views in open debate, not just in the editorial column, not even just on the governmental level, but in our everyday lives. In short, I believe that free speech has no real value without a simultaneous commitment to think about and debate the issues at hand in whatever capacity we can. Our brand of democracy demands far more responsibility than most people realize. Without the majority at least making an attempt to think about what it is doing, we will never improve society. This is the true goal of free speech: the hope that the people as a whole can figure out our problems and ultimately reach a just society. And if this aim is kept in mind, perhaps the debates over free speech will not seem quite so intractable.
There are no legal limits to free speech, but there are civic limits. In any society, there is a civic understanding that free speech should be used wisely so not as to provoke sensitivities, particularly in hybrid, multicultural societies we see in the world today. It is a matter of civic responsibility and wisdom, not a question of legality or rights…. there needs to be an understanding that sensitive issues must be addressed with wisdom and prudence, not provocation. Just because you have the legal right to do something doesn’t mean you have to do it. We.. (sic) all have to understand the people around “us all”. “Do we say things that can provoke or create harm to others” (sic) just because we’re free to do it? No. It’s called civic responsibility
Quoted - Tariq Ramadan
ABOUT KAREN MATTONEN, CAC, CSP
Karen is an experienced, successful recruiter who operates her own business and is actively involved in many industry organizations and activities. Her recruiting career began with Snelling Corporation. In 1998, after a successful tenure as a recruiter with Snelling, Karen struck out on her own, founding Advanced Career Solutions (ACS). ACS focuses on recruiting for the HVAC Industry. Karen has achieved accreditation as a California Accredited Consultant (CAC) through California Staffing Professionals. She has also gained her Certified Staffing Professional Certificate (CSP) through American Staffing Professionals. (www.americanstaffing.net)
Karen has a new and future-oriented vision of what recruiting can and should become: a profession we can be proud of for its ethical standing, professional conduct and ability to build great organizations. Her doing-well-by-doing-right philosophy is shaking up the status quo in an industry that needs to be shaken. She does this with conviction, leadership, and a distinctive voice that cries out for change.
Karen was a co-creator of the landmark webinar event – “EEOC Discrimination Debate.” This event featured senior members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and staffing industry experts discussing and debating difficult issues about discrimination in today’s workplace environment. Company executives, hiring managers, recruiters, and human resource professionals from across the United States were invited to participate in the free Webinar and live panel discussion. Karen also served as one of the panelists on the discussion team in the March, 2006 event.
As co-host of the popular podcast “The Recruiters Lounge,”Karen discusses her frank opinions on the recruitment industry with her co-host, Jim Stroud
The Recruiters Lounge is a blog that explores the wacky world of employment with articles, podcasts, comics, videos and more. It is written by Jim Stroud (and friends). Click here for more information
ARGH! Why do people in this industry decide to become “gurus’ and the “Professional Advisors” (self proclaimed) and they proceed to give advice without even having a clue? Many of you have heard of my consistent frustration at what I consider the Blind edufakating the Blind in this industry, and unfortunately considering the ramifications of the legal outcomes due to the hundreds of State and Federal Laws that surround our industry.. It terrifies me! Do people in this industry Really Enjoy playing Russian Roulette with their Careers or their companies??????
