5 ms·

I strongly disagree. Bad credit (sometimes even wrongly attributed) can block you from jobs, mobile plans, bank accounts, credit/debit cards, renting, etc. I'd

I strongly disagree. Bad credit (sometimes even wrongly attributed) can block you from jobs, mobile plans, bank accounts, credit/debit cards, renting, etc. I'd rather be blocked from Facebook than be told I can't rent an apartment or be disqualified from a job.

mkay581 6y ago
This is a symptom of society thinking that social media is a necessity and somehow equivalent to the real world. It's not.
- nl 6y ago
  This seems like it was a defensible statement in 2001 or maybe even 2011, but in 2021 I think it's hard to defend. Is it necessary? Well - for many people literally the only way they communicate with their friends is in group chats on social media platforms. Losing that leads to social isolation. Is it equivalent to the real world? Of course it isn't equivalent - as in "the same as" the real world. For many people it is much much more important since most of their life is lived via online mechanisms.
throwaway2037 6y ago
Each time I am offered a job, I go through extensive background checks, including my credit history. You wrote: "Bad credit (sometimes even wrongly attributed) can block you from jobs..." Is this really true? I have see this phrasing a few times on the Internet, but I have never once read a blog post about someone specifically being denied a job due to poor credit history. My point: They can "check" all they like. In many places, various personal background issues are protected by labour laws. Also, your post makes it sounds like being denied a rental apartment contract is unreasonable for someone with poor credit history. Would you rent to that person? Again: Some jurisdictions do not allow credit checks or do not allow /discrimination/ due to credit checks when renting.
- asciident 6y ago
  I know someone who was denied a job as a luggage handler at an airline due to a failed background check (though not a credit check). But I think the credit checks may matter more for people hired in positions of power, where being in debt is something you can be blackmailed for. If there's no use of the credit check, then why do companies pay money and impose extra process?
  - throwaway2037 5y ago
    Thank you to share your anecdata. If I might speculate... perhaps the person's background check showed a previous trust issue. Example: Recently (last 3-5 years) convicted of theft. Or dismissed from a job for theft. If the person was convicted of something unrelated to trust -- had a fight at a bar or drink driving -- it could be overlooked. (Or more charitably, if the trust issue [theft] was related to a drug addiction many years ago, and the person had received treatment, it could be overlooked.) I agree: Many items in the background check are ridiculous. Many years ago, I worked at a company where many of the Big Shots were regular, recreational cocaine users (confirmed by juniors who went bar hopping with them once a week). All new employees were required to pass drug tests. It was absurd. In that era, even marijuana was enough to have a job offer withdrawn.

mkay581 6y ago

This is a symptom of society thinking that social media is a necessity and somehow equivalent to the real world. It's not.

nl 6y ago
This seems like it was a defensible statement in 2001 or maybe even 2011, but in 2021 I think it's hard to defend. Is it necessary? Well - for many people literally the only way they communicate with their friends is in group chats on social media platforms. Losing that leads to social isolation. Is it equivalent to the real world? Of course it isn't equivalent - as in "the same as" the real world. For many people it is much much more important since most of their life is lived via online mechanisms.

throwaway2037 6y ago

Each time I am offered a job, I go through extensive background checks, including my credit history. You wrote: "Bad credit (sometimes even wrongly attributed) can block you from jobs..." Is this really true? I have see this phrasing a few times on the Internet, but I have never once read a blog post about someone specifically being denied a job due to poor credit history. My point: They can "check" all they like. In many places, various personal background issues are protected by labour laws. Also, your post makes it sounds like being denied a rental apartment contract is unreasonable for someone with poor credit history. Would you rent to that person? Again: Some jurisdictions do not allow credit checks or do not allow /discrimination/ due to credit checks when renting.

asciident 6y ago
I know someone who was denied a job as a luggage handler at an airline due to a failed background check (though not a credit check). But I think the credit checks may matter more for people hired in positions of power, where being in debt is something you can be blackmailed for. If there's no use of the credit check, then why do companies pay money and impose extra process?
- throwaway2037 5y ago
  Thank you to share your anecdata. If I might speculate... perhaps the person's background check showed a previous trust issue. Example: Recently (last 3-5 years) convicted of theft. Or dismissed from a job for theft. If the person was convicted of something unrelated to trust -- had a fight at a bar or drink driving -- it could be overlooked. (Or more charitably, if the trust issue [theft] was related to a drug addiction many years ago, and the person had received treatment, it could be overlooked.) I agree: Many items in the background check are ridiculous. Many years ago, I worked at a company where many of the Big Shots were regular, recreational cocaine users (confirmed by juniors who went bar hopping with them once a week). All new employees were required to pass drug tests. It was absurd. In that era, even marijuana was enough to have a job offer withdrawn.