I was flattered that earlier this week the Eagle published a syndicated op-ed piece that seemed to be directed at our Politics On The Brazos blog. It dealt with the problems of anonymity in the blog world. Last week I exchanged a few rather long and, at his insisting, private emails with Robert Borden on the appropriateness of this blog.
The writer of the op-ed’s main point was that anonymous posters made blogs uncouth and unreliable. I don’t disagree with this point. This is a little like the arguments that the aristocracy had against democracy. When you let just anyone in, there goes the neighborhood.
People go to the polls and speak through their vote behind a curtain. Why shouldn’t they speak their mind under the same protections in a public discussion as well? Like others, I sometimes cringe at what is said from behind that veil of secrecy. In fact on this blog when someone tried to suggest that Mark Conlee might have a drinking problem or that the way he ran his private businesses was an issue, I spoke up in defense, not of him, but of civil treatment of all people. In democracies, it is through open discourse that we arrive at common values. The suppression of discourse, no matter how subtle, is an often-used means of subverting democratic will.
One way that discourse is suppressed is through intimidation of expression. Whether they speak from a pulpit or a soapbox, there will always be purveyors of guilt and shame making people afraid to speak their mind, reveal their lifestyle, or share their art.
There is no doubt that providing a media accessible to anonymous voices will result in some negative uncouth behavior. There is also no doubt that it is a check on behavior much more sinister. History is long in the advances of freedom of expression. America has a proud and prominent role in that history. History can also be written in the effort to suppress other voices by those who have a platform from which to speak. Sadly America also has a place in this history. It is not surprising that the newspaper would argue against the common voice being heard. But I ask you…
WHO’S TOWN IS THIS?
Thursday, May 17, 2007
The Eagle Speaks to Us
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1 comment:
I couldn't agree more with your unhappiness with the Eagle and Robert Borden. I still miss former editor, Bernard Hunt.
I also agree that anonymous comments usually are mean snipes from the depth of human nature. HOWEVER, we must remember that the letters to the editor we know call The Federalist Papers, were written anonymously by Publius. Also, pen names were popular in the nation's early years, such as Ben Franklin's, Silence Dogood. The blogosphere is the modern version of pamphleteering and broadsides during our early history. Technology has allowed the common citizen to bypass news outlets more intent on power than disseminating the facts of events.
This is my first visit to your site. Thank you for providing an alternative voice for our community.
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