And so it begins: the "wrong sort of people" need not apply

There have been a number of posts around the blogosphere lately with the "And So it Begins" title, as various folk see various warning signs of the dangerous path our country is on. Here's another hint that Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale may prove to be all too prophetic: Employers are now screening potential employees for conformity to certain religious and political beliefs.



Yesterday, my wife went looking for work at various retailers around town, hoping to make some extra green for the holiday season. She's been off the market for the last 4+ years raising our son, and I've been with my current employer for that same period of time, so neither of us has any recent experience on the job-seeking scene. Thus we were surprised to discover a new trend in the kind of questions being asked on applications. It seems that certain employers are attempting to determine the political and religious preferences of applicants.



The applications in question all had to be completed on computers in the HR office, so I've got no hardcopy proof to offer, only the anecdotal accounts from my wife (no coincidence I suspect). At a certain "big box" store, which go will unnamed, she was asked "Would you say that God is an important factor in your life?" and "Do you believe that our current political leaders are doing a good job?". At a couple other places there were questions like "Would you say that you have 'traditional' values or 'progressive' values?" or something similar.



These are paraphrases unfortunately, but regardless of the specific text, the intent is clear - some employers are attempting to screen applicants based on their political and religious views. Oh, I'm sure that these questions are phrased in such a way to skirt equal-opportunity regulations and appear "neutral" in regards to a given viewpoint and that, if taken to task, the employer can claim that they are not considered in the final hiring decisions, but then why ask the questions at all? What possible relevance could a person's religious/political beliefs have to punching numbers on a cash register?



The implications are truly frightening. The least disturbing justification would be that of maintaining a "harmonious work environment" by insuring that all the employees have compatible world views. But one can imagine much more sinister motivations, such as the assumption that those who give a negative answer to the "God" question are more likely to be immoral (and thus rip-off the company), or those that express a lack of faith in political leaders are more likely to question the authority of the management, or even that their views may be "anti-American" and/or sympathetic to the "enemy". Another motivation might be the advancement of a larger social agenda through a privately-controlled system of economic reward and punishment ("right-minded" folks will be the only ones gainfully employed, thus having their opinions materially validated, as well as more time and money to contribute to the cause; while "wrong-minded" people will be too busy just trying to survive to make any political trouble).



And even if it is entirely true that such questions are ignored in evaluating suitability for employment, the message is clear. My spouse answered the questions based on what she thought the employer wanted to hear, rather than her actual beliefs - she responded "yes" to the God question, "yes" to the political leaders question, and said her values were more "traditional". And though these were all lies, she likely just increased her chances of getting a job. After all, when was the last time you heard of a company hiring applicants specifically because they didn't believe in God, didn't support our political leaders, and were avidly Progressive?



I have nothing to add.