First off, a disclaimer: We may be unqualified to judge anyone's attire, as some people question our own fashion sense. (Many people actually.)
So originally, we weren't going to say anything about a Detroit Police Job Fair video (below) tweeted Saturday morning by WDIV reporter Shawn Ley. But after we posted two images from it on Facebook to show heavy interest, a handful of readers echoed what we thought.
"So who's the guy that wore shorts and a t-shirt to a job fair? Seriously," asks Lisa Blanton.
"He needs to call somebody to bring him a change of clothes.," adds Nancy Patterson of Detroit.
Others chime in:
- The fliers I've seen specifically said wear business attire. smh. -- ShaLeatha Faith
- Fliers or not, no one that old should need to be told to dress professionally for a job interview. No matter what kind of job you're applying for. -- Kelly Schaal
- Who wears a t-shirt and cargo shorts to get a job?! That just screams hire me. Not. -- Nikki Frazho
- At $14 an hour, you get what you pay for. -- P.M., Detroit police officer
- The one in the shorts will be the next deputy chief. -- Roman Bier
- He is the guy still looking for work. -- Tom Darr
- Not a smart move. -- Angelina Solórzano
- Lol, thought there was a dress code? Detroit Red Wings shirt def needs to represent the department. He's hired! -- Eric Campbell, Detroit Fire Department
- He's got the camo shorts. He's "tactical." Ready for special ops. -- Dan Katzman
- You would be amazed at what some wear to apply or interview for a position. -- Ray Weidmann, Comstock Park, Mich.
- I believe another applicant brought him along as an Emotional Support Bro.. -- Anthony Marek, Orchard Lake
@DeadlineDetroit @detroitpolice Everyone with enough sense to dress-up for the interview should get a chance. Those that didn't...well...
— Chris (@Won13Three) August 22, 2015
Everyone's a fashion critic, right? Well, we feel charitable (it'll pass) and figure one of these may be a legitimate sensible semi-plausible reason for Casual Dude's look:
- He wants an undercover job and is role-playing.
- He advocates life-work balance (in that order).
- Warm days won't last much longer in Michigan.
- The shorts and shirt are clean, so what's wrong?
- Disrespect me with $15.24 an hour to start and this is how I dress.
- Because Detroit.
Update: In fairness, as two readers suggest under our Facebook link to this, he may have been keeping a friend company and wasn't an applicant.
Thanks for that good-natured thought, Danielle Dillard of Detroit and Mike Mitchell.
If you have another explanation, please toss a comment below or on Facebook. We'll salute you (while wearing long pants and a collared shirt).
Here's what started this, not that the TV reporter intends to ridicule or shame anyone:
Who would want to be a police officer? Well, a lot of people want to be @detroitpolice officer. #hiring #Local4 pic.twitter.com/jlsSlYj9br
— Shawn Ley (@ShawnLeyLive) August 22, 2015