March 3, 2006

Captain’s log: Beauty in the eyes of the employer

By Capt. JON MOFFETT
jrm001@marietta.edu

Disclaimer: The following views are solely those of the highly opinionated Jon Moffett and are not necessarily shared by the other staff of the Marcolian. These views are not intended to insult or offend anyone, but are merely intended to spark debate and/or discussion among the student body.

First off, I was told by a friend of mine that I’m a cynic.  I don’t think that I’m a cynic; I like to consider myself a constructive destroyer of things that I find ridiculous.  Now, for the good stuff.

I saw a quote the other day in Dr. Bill Bauer’s office that I really like.  It says, “You laugh at me because I am different, but I laugh at you because you’re all the same.”  I think it’s a great quote to help people realize that individuality is very important, and before you can know anyone else, you must know yourself.  Then I heard another quote on an episode of The War at Home. The parents were yelling at their daughter about failing a class, and they asked her how she expected to get a good job without a college education, and she replied with, “Easy.  I’m pretty.” You know what’s sad? She’s absolutely right.

Let’s face it--first impressions are everything. Why? Because the first thing someone notices about you is how you physically look; it’s natural. The sad part about that is that people then judge you by how you look physically. The truth is that some employers are actually looking for a specific person, and if you don’t fit the bill, qualified or not, you don’t get hired.

Society has “norms” that you must fit in order to be successful, and if you don’t, you’re just plain unacceptable.  Guys, we have to be “6-foot-4 and full of muscles,” according to the song “Land Down Under” by The Men at Work, in order to personify power.  Girls, you have to be 5-foot-10, skinny, blonde and have a 36C chest and rival Barbie herself in looks.

In case you can’t tell from under my leather jacket, which has become a celebrity on this campus--not me, just the jacket--I am nowhere close to 6-foot-4 and all muscled-up, but I’d like to think that I’m acceptable.  I sure accept me, anyway.  I guess you can consider this Part 2 of my fashion rant, because they almost go hand-in-hand. These cookie-cutter people make me sick. You don’t have to change who you are because some idiot who essentially means nothing to your life tells you that you don’t fit in. Well, **** that. As long as you are happy with who you are, then you fit in. If you’re not hired because of how you look, do you really want to work there? Two summers ago I was denied a job because I had longer hair and a goatee. I didn’t fit the mold, I guess, but I’m sure as hell not going to change who I am for UPS.

One of the greatest gifts we as humans have is our individuality. Gil Grissom of CSI will tell you that no two sets of fingerprints are the same, so why should the people who own them try to be? If you aren’t accepted by one group, I promise you that another one will accept you. I talked to Jesus one time, and he told me that he loved me just the way I was, and at the end of the day I think that’s more important. Deliver that, UPS.