Sorry for my long absence.
Recently I was made aware that an old friend, someone I’ve known and respected for years, is convinced that my wife and I have been anonymously posting criticisms of the Mayor on a locally hosted online community forum.
In my opinion, this is just a symptom of a greater illness that is currently afflicting our community. We seem to live in a time in our village in which the expression of differences of opinions and the questioning of authority is too often met with suspicion, intolerance and even vindictiveness. But isn’t it simply human nature, in any relationship, to express differing, and even drastically opposing, views? It’s the old “agree to disagree” concept once accepted as normal and honorable, even in the halls of government. Now, this viral paranoia spreading down from our elected officials results in the rise of other, less noble, examples of human nature.
So, is it wrong to criticize? Is questioning and the challenging of governmental authority to be readily subjected to derision, often delivered by “loyal supporters”? I’m not talking about genuine libel or outright fabrications, but fact-based criticisms, open questioning, and expressions of differences of opinions. Isn’t this one of the fundamental rights, if not duties, of citizens in our republic? Doesn’t that make us better citizens? Doesn’t that make for better government? Aren’t decision makers who are held accountable more likely to be careful to make better decisions and willingly listen to opposing views?
Is anonymity in criticism wrong? I have expressed more than a couple of specific criticisms and questions of the current administration, all openly under my own name. So have others. But some choose to do so under assumed names (their reasons for this are their own and I won’t presume to judge them for this decision). No one likes to be criticized. It’s uncomfortable, but if the criticism isn’t malicious or a lie, what’s wrong with anonymity?
Of course, anonymous criticism just makes it harder to attack the messenger, the critic, while deflecting attention away from the substance of the message. And that seems to be what’s going on here. The issues in question are all but ignored, while the identity of the anonymous critic is searched out, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, sometimes accurately, sometimes not. Then the critic is branded with the assumption of guilt without any consideration of presumed innocence, or any opportunity for verification of identity or of the facts. We who live in Seneca County recently experienced the damage this disease can cause. Let’s not go there again. Making a list of the naughty and nice and checking it twice should only happen at the North Pole.
By the way, I have never posted on the community forum in question. My wife and I gladly give the forum’s host permission to search the records for our names and email address to confirm this. We’ll cooperate fully. This blog, the news media, and the occasional comments at the podium during Village Board meetings have been the only public forums through which I have ever offered comments, questions, criticisms, or advice to the Village Board. I have never seen a need to hide my identity through disguise or pseudonym. I believe in accountability, and my old friend should remember this.
Recently I was made aware that an old friend, someone I’ve known and respected for years, is convinced that my wife and I have been anonymously posting criticisms of the Mayor on a locally hosted online community forum.
In my opinion, this is just a symptom of a greater illness that is currently afflicting our community. We seem to live in a time in our village in which the expression of differences of opinions and the questioning of authority is too often met with suspicion, intolerance and even vindictiveness. But isn’t it simply human nature, in any relationship, to express differing, and even drastically opposing, views? It’s the old “agree to disagree” concept once accepted as normal and honorable, even in the halls of government. Now, this viral paranoia spreading down from our elected officials results in the rise of other, less noble, examples of human nature.
So, is it wrong to criticize? Is questioning and the challenging of governmental authority to be readily subjected to derision, often delivered by “loyal supporters”? I’m not talking about genuine libel or outright fabrications, but fact-based criticisms, open questioning, and expressions of differences of opinions. Isn’t this one of the fundamental rights, if not duties, of citizens in our republic? Doesn’t that make us better citizens? Doesn’t that make for better government? Aren’t decision makers who are held accountable more likely to be careful to make better decisions and willingly listen to opposing views?
Is anonymity in criticism wrong? I have expressed more than a couple of specific criticisms and questions of the current administration, all openly under my own name. So have others. But some choose to do so under assumed names (their reasons for this are their own and I won’t presume to judge them for this decision). No one likes to be criticized. It’s uncomfortable, but if the criticism isn’t malicious or a lie, what’s wrong with anonymity?
Of course, anonymous criticism just makes it harder to attack the messenger, the critic, while deflecting attention away from the substance of the message. And that seems to be what’s going on here. The issues in question are all but ignored, while the identity of the anonymous critic is searched out, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, sometimes accurately, sometimes not. Then the critic is branded with the assumption of guilt without any consideration of presumed innocence, or any opportunity for verification of identity or of the facts. We who live in Seneca County recently experienced the damage this disease can cause. Let’s not go there again. Making a list of the naughty and nice and checking it twice should only happen at the North Pole.
By the way, I have never posted on the community forum in question. My wife and I gladly give the forum’s host permission to search the records for our names and email address to confirm this. We’ll cooperate fully. This blog, the news media, and the occasional comments at the podium during Village Board meetings have been the only public forums through which I have ever offered comments, questions, criticisms, or advice to the Village Board. I have never seen a need to hide my identity through disguise or pseudonym. I believe in accountability, and my old friend should remember this.
