The outrage of second chances

I'm tired of hearing about Michael Vick. His reprehensible behavior is indefensible, but it's time to move on.

This is unscientific, mind you, but if Vick had not been a premier NFL quarterback, and had he, say, abused a child, there wouldn't be an uproar.

I say this based on more than three decades in the newspaper business. In that time I reported on or edited far too many stories of unspeakable abuse to children. And on each of those stories, only a handful of people were outraged enough to write a letter to the editor.

In that same time, I reported or edited stories on dog fighting, dog and cat abuse, and abuse to farm animals, and in each case, the public outcry was deafening.

I've always wondered why.

We claim that our children are out most valuable commodity, yet when it comes to protecting them and speaking out on their behalf, our public voice is muted.

Any kind of abuse - to children or animals - is wrong, but I wonder why there is such a difference in public reaction.

Is it because we've become a nation of strangers who decline to get involved when we suspect there may be abuse? We tend to look the other way, justifying that by telling ourselves it isn't our business.

About 20 years ago, I was involved in editing a story in which an abandoned house was being boarded up in early spring. As workers were nailing the last piece of plywood over an upstairs window, they heard a faint voice pleading not to be shut in.

That plea came from a 9-year-old girl who had been left by her mother, locked in an unheated room. No one knew how long she'd been there, but it was long enough that her frozen legs had to be amputated. The last I heard, that little girl had recovered (at least physically) from that atrocity and had made a life for herself. Only a handful of people spoke up about such inhumane treatment of a little girl.

Another time, I was involved in editing a story about a stable full of abused horses left to fend for themselves in a muddy, feces filled corral. The public outcry was instantaneous and overwhelming.

I've always wondered why there was such a difference. Both cases were horrible. But why was the one involving horses so much higher on the outrage meter than the one involving the 9-year-old girl?

Which brings me back to Vick. The adults responsible in abusing the 9-year-old girl and the horses - like Vick - were punished. As far as I know, after their punishment, they went about their lives and no one protested.

Vick has been punished by the legal system. His reputation is ruined and will never be restored. Yet protests about his signing by the Philadelphia Eagles continue. He seems to have been singled out only because he's an NFL quarterback.

Unfortunately, he's one of thousands of people in this country who have abused animals or children. Nearly all of them have been given a second chance.

If it makes you feel better, then don't buy Vick's jersey or support the Eagles. For me, though, the real outrage is that child abuse doesn't stir the public as it should.

Rick A. Richards is a former newspaper reporter and editor who is now a freelance writer.

The Impersonal Keyboard

The last time I was in the job market was just after college, and, well, let's just say that was a long time ago. Things are a lot different now.

As I recall, there was a lot of face-to-face contact back in the day. It could be nerve wracking, but it was personal. There was eye contact and you actually had a chance to sell yourself. Those doing the hiring noticed how you dressed, how you talked and how you presented yourself.

Not today. It's all done online and it's so impersonal. Everything is done via keyboard. No one knows what you look like or how you present yourself. Chances are you wouldn't show up for a face-to-face meeting dressed the way you are at the keyboard. Worse, you don't have a chance to elaborate. In other words, you don't have a chance to sell yourself.

Here's a personal example: Two days ago, I checked a job posting site like I regularly do, and found a new listing that seemed interesting. I jumped through all the hoops, I checked the right boxes, answered all the questions, affirmed I was legal to work in the United States, and under penalty of perjury, typed my name (in lieu of my signature) that I understood all of the questions and was answering correctly.

It took about 45 minutes. After I clicked the send icon, a few seconds later, I received confirmation that the human resources department had received my application. That's all pretty standard stuff for anyone in today's job market.

But just an hour later, I received another e-mail, this one informing me that after careful review of my application, the company was rejecting my application in favor of other, more suitable candidates. This is an e-mail with which I'm quite familiar. I receive all the time and I pretty much have it memorized. If the company doesn't think I'm a good fit, that's their decision.

But really now, how carefully can something like a job application be considered after just an hour? And without talking to the applicant in person? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one this has happened to, but that seems to be the nature of today's job market. It is, after all, a buyer's market. There are far more people selling goods and services - their skills - than there are buyers for those goods and services.

It has become a bit of a grind to wake up each day and get ready for work by merely walking upstairs and turning on the coffee pot. But I firmly believe that you go about your job of finding work one day at a time, looking for any possibility. That's what I'm doing. I've been at it for seven months - much longer than I anticipated - but I'm not giving up.

Still, that doesn't mean I haven't questioned myself or my abilities. I have. But I also know that as long as I keep trying, something positive is going to happen. It's like finding a needle in a haystack. You can dig around all you want and you'll never find it. What you have to do is sit down. There may be pain in trying to find that needle, but when you find it, you'll know it.

Rick A. Richards is a former newspaper reporter and editor who is now a freelance writer.