Pansies ;-)

Salams,

How I wish this was the case, but I fear it is whistling in the wind. Too many people like the sheer power of accusation, smear, innuendo and insult without the accountability of saying who they are or where they are coming from. In an ideal world, people should take responsibility for what they say in public — it makes for a healthier culture of public debate generally. I don’t see that the blogosphere is encouraging that, rather too much incivility in public debate tends to shut reasonable people up and leave the floor to verbal bullies. It’s obviously partly to do with a macho hyper-masculinity, as nearly all the worst offenders are men.

In my view there are two legitimate reasons to blog anonymously:

1. As a whistleblower in the context that you are violating terms of employment or professional codes in the public interest.
2. As a whistleblower who faces potential retribution from violent or intolerant factions in society generallyor their own community. Ideally this second one should based on concrete assessment and not be founded on mere speculation.

Two other reasons commonly given and there are obviously more which I don’t think are legitimate are:

1. Avoidance of social disapproval. If you take an unpopular stance, you have to take the consequences of that. Are you really being free to say what you think when you are anonymous and have no social identity: it’s like a meaningless free pass.
2. Skiving at work. You know you really should be getting on with things, not pratting about on Comment is Free or wherever.

Wa s-salam, Yahya