Posting Political Opinions In Social Media And Forums

When John Kenneth Galbraith was Ambassador to India, we learned that he was somehow linked to one American Communist named Harold Ware. When JKG was up for an administrative government job (post war reconstruction of Europe, under the Marshall plan) he had to undergo a background check. Even though he was linked to a communist*, his stature otherwise was impeccable. He got that job. Much later on, once again, because he was quite so famous as an Economist, that spurious "communist connection" did not cost him a disqualification to get to be Ambassador to our country.

In the very old days when the American FBI was finding communists in America hiding everywhere, people who are associated with anyone alleged to be a red, found it difficult to get a job, either in government or in many private companies. Long before computers, data bases, data mining and analytics.

The following cut&paste is from a book: "J.Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets"

 

I thought the OP was talking about any job that requires a background check of the potential employee: high security job, not high position (and security) job.

Like Ambhi SivaraamaKrishnan, a 3rd generation, native born Indian (not Iroquois, Navajo or Aanashanabi), passing the Foreign Service Exam, getting through the interviews, and getting assigned as an Assistant to the Deputy Vice Consul in Chennai or Hyderabad city.

Weirdly enough, high elected office in most countries does not require any security clearances!!
Only during the electoral campaign or after getting elected, horrible things are exposed, and the elected person goes through the usual reprobations as allowed by the country/culture.

 

Many first gen immigrants to America/Canada, especially in the years leading up to the Y2K problem, and afterwards, are downright brainiacs. And then they go and beget children, and put them through the local school, the local society, and have a life in some jugaad-less city/suburb. Albeit the gifted-DNA, most of the children turn out average, although they can spell any word thrown at them. For these children, (and their parents) such security-cleared secure jobs are a great boon.

That said, it ought to be Ok for the children to be engaged in social media, the way @Ouroboro does. After all, they are spelling bee champs in America. Because, if there is no digital foot print, it would be highly suspicious:

many a truth is spoken in jest... no?

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The first thing we do when we get job applicants is to look up their social media presence. Posting controversial opinions and topics can come back to haunt you as anything posted on the Internet lives forever. And who knows how anonymous the Internet forums really are? I have a FB page, but no Instagram etc and all you will see on my account is pictures of dogs, dogs and more dogs.

 

Most higher level government jobs and government contracting jobs require a security clearance commonly known as TS SCI with polygraph. It's a pain in the backside to go through the process but smooth sailing once you have it.

 

If that were true, I'd read the last pages, and let you know how it all turns out.

That old saw (about abstinence), " Be good; if you cannot be good, be careful" should be a reminder to anyone about to put in any vehement political statement on the internet forums.