American legalism

Ripheus27

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At various times while I have been looking for work, or holding down a job, I have felt off-and-on frustrated with some of the superficial aspects of the process. For example, the notion of having wrinkle-free clothes, well-trimmed facial hair, and wearing a tie. Usually these things have no objective bearing on whether I am able to be hired in the first place or whether I can do my job when I have it, and I feel like these precepts bear comparison with the dietary and similar regulations that Christ spoke against. Is it just me (am I being too much a "communist" about this, I suppose?) or is this a fair criticism of American society as such?
 

Sabertooth

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Welcome to my world (as an autistic).

For all of its strengths, one of the drawbacks of laissez-faire capitalism is that it's based on a popularity contest above everything else. Particularly, in this Buyer's Market economy.
 
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Ripheus27

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But there is no religious element. It is all built on social mores.

There might not be an overt religious element, but one's attitude towards God is interwoven with one's attitude towards everything else in the end. A culture/society/w/e that feels negatively about people based on absurd visual cues is one that doesn't feel compassion, kindness, respect, etc. towards people based on God's grace, I think.
 
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Sabertooth

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A culture/society/w/e that feels negatively about people based on absurd visual cues is one that doesn't feel compassion, kindness, respect, etc. towards people based on God's grace, I think.
Christians already know this to be the default state of unredeemed humanity.
 
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2PhiloVoid

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At various times while I have been looking for work, or holding down a job, I have felt off-and-on frustrated with some of the superficial aspects of the process. For example, the notion of having wrinkle-free clothes, well-trimmed facial hair, and wearing a tie. Usually these things have no objective bearing on whether I am able to be hired in the first place or whether I can do my job when I have it, and I feel like these precepts bear comparison with the dietary and similar regulations that Christ spoke against. Is it just me (am I being too much a "communist" about this, I suppose?) or is this a fair criticism of American society as such?
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I don't think your predisposition toward being evaluated on equitable terms counts as "communism." No, it probably just means that American society has a penchant for stuffing its profit margins as fat as they possibly can, and it likes to tell us that a nice presentation is supposedly indicative of performance, and thus thereafter, sales. Hopefully, lots and lots and lots of beautiful sales.

So, don't feel bad that you're hemmed in on every side by an otherwise Laodicean-ridden economic society driven with a religious level frenzy about its materialism. It can't help itself. But, look on the bright side--- Jesus doesn't care if you don't wear a tie, wrinkled clothes, or decide to become a contestant on the next John the Baptist look-a-like contest. :cool:
 
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Doctor.Sphinx

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At various times while I have been looking for work, or holding down a job, I have felt off-and-on frustrated with some of the superficial aspects of the process. For example, the notion of having wrinkle-free clothes, well-trimmed facial hair, and wearing a tie. Usually these things have no objective bearing on whether I am able to be hired in the first place or whether I can do my job when I have it, and I feel like these precepts bear comparison with the dietary and similar regulations that Christ spoke against. Is it just me (am I being too much a "communist" about this, I suppose?) or is this a fair criticism of American society as such?
Communist would be if you stole the potential employer's wallet for the privelege, then had him and his family sent to prison so you could live in his house.
 
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zippy2006

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...is this a fair criticism of American society as such?

All societies will have norms of conduct, dress, speech, etc., and application processes are inherently competitive so there will naturally be ways to narrow the field, some of which may seem like arbitrary hoop jumping. Even jumping through arbitrary hoops demonstrates to the employer interest and desire. If you show up unkempt the employer will immediately know that you are not willing to "clean up" for a job interview, to pay that price. All things being equal, why wouldn't they take a different candidate who has greater interest and is willing to pay that price?
 
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