When I was a young person, my mom used to lecture me about the “appearance of evil”. She was trying to tell me that if I was seen in a suspicious situation, people would jump to conclusions, even if I was innocent. (Like this guy, for example.)

The CBC has a story that would make my mom say, “Uh-huh … told you so.” A young woman from Montreal is out on disability from her job at IBM, suffering from depression. Her benefits have been cut off by her insurance company because they say she’s well enough to go back to work. The insurer based its decision, in part, on photos posted to the woman’s Facebook page showing her, for example, in a bikini on a beach. (There’s also a video attached to the story, in which the woman was interviewed about her plight. Ironically, the first time I viewed it, it was preceded by a 15-second IBM ad.)

Sounds suspicious, huh? She’s gaming the system, right?

I can’t say. But I’m sympathetic, especially since I got rear-ended by a distracted driver on Saturday. There was no damage to either car. But I woke up on Sunday with stiffness in my neck and shoulders and 2 days later it persists. Who would believe me if I tried to say I was suffering from whiplash?

Anyway, I *am* going to judge the young woman for one thing: she made it too easy for the insurance company. If you’re depending on disability payments in order to survive economically, then you have to look at everything you post on social networking sites — even if you’ve locked down your profile — and ask yourself, does this qualify as the “appearance of evil”?

My mom had another pity phrase: “If it’s doubtful, it’s dirty.”

Submitted by: Dan Giancaterino, Education Services Manager
on November 23, 2009 - 11:26 am

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