Interview Ignorance is Biss

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Yogi Berra supposedly said “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” I like to think he was describing difficult choices in life that leave one nothing but bad options. If both decisions result in poor outcomes, flip a coin. One could always play dumb and take the easy way out. I opted for this one recently.

I had an interview for a teaching job a few years ago. It was an ESL (English as a Second Language) job teaching Spanish speaking immigrants through the YWCA. Actually the YWCA just ran the program through a Hispanic affiliate. I didn’t really expect to get the job based on the way the interview went. The ladies asked me about socially conscience issues like “How does racism hold people back?” and “What are institutional causes of oppression among minorities?” I’m piecing together the questions from memory. From my best recollection they were some version of that--heavy on institutional blame light on personal responsibility.

The YWCA has a women’s empowerment agenda and depending on one’s definition, this can be problematic. Like most agendas the Left drives, empowerment usually includes abortion rights, some form of employment quotas and an obligatory campaign to ‘stop hate’ or ‘end racism’. The looser the definitions the easier it is to cram public spending proposals through federal budgets. Who wants to vote for 'hate' anyway? I won’t give an exhaustive list of my beliefs here but I prefer a Christian based approach to charity and education. The YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) despite the religious name operates more like a progressive institution. I was a poor choice and recognized it right away.

 I played dumb. To the racism question I answered “Racism is bad and I will not tolerate it in the classroom”. To the institutional oppression question I answered that I would treat everyone the same regardless of their ability to learn. Both answers were so far off the mark they were borderline insulting. They wanted to hear ‘dog-whistles’ proving my devotion to the cause of ‘social justice’ and a blame America posture that ignores individual worth. In short they wanted me to prove that I had attended college.

 I couldn’t fault them for insisting on an ideologically pure teacher with a particular social bent. I wouldn’t expect a church interviewing a pastor not to ask relevant questions about his/her understanding of Christianity. For instance, does he/she believe in the death and resurrection of Christ and does it guide their choices in life? Teaching English to Mexican immigrants shouldn’t require the same litmus test as religious doctrine, sadly it does.

Had I used phrases like ‘social inequality’ or talked about the ‘marginalized classes’ the outcome would have been different. At some point during the interview and I had decided this job wasn’t for me and sabotaged the process by being evasive. I wasn’t disrespectful or nasty and they permitted my rambling with smiles. They were very sweet and even treated me like a toddler describing his first day at school, lots of “Really…then what?”

Was I wrong to be so misleading? I struggled with that question the minute I left the interview, still do. I never lied but I did deceive.  I took serious liberties with the questions despite their open ended nature. I couldn’t agree with the soft Marxist view on class and privilege. The other option was to stand on the table and recite opposing literature with the fervor of a street preacher. I can imagine holding up a copy of Atlas Shrugged in dramatic fashion, quoting something from John Galt’s exhaustive speech, pointing a finger at the horrified interviewer.

I took the fork in the road and like Yogi Berra played ignorant. I am a little wiser now about inner city non-profits and the views they hold on economics, class and race. Understanding ‘First Principles’ requires knowing which jobs to interview for and which ones to pass on. I’ll take my chances working with churches on inner city outreach; I understand their philosophy much better.