Rabbi Student’s recent post (from Wednesday) though only tangentially related, has made me think about the issue of whether anonymous blogging is a good thing or a bad one. Is there benefit to anonymity? What is that benefit, if any? Or does it bring out only the worst in people? These questions apply to both bloggers and commenters.
I dealt with this issue in the past but I would like to just expand on it a bit.
On the one hand anonymity allows for complete honesty of thought to be expressed. On the other hand the civility which almost automatically takes place when an identity is known is often completely lost. All inhibitions are gone, and an anonymous blogger or commenter can say what he really believes and what he really feels without the usual repercussions. Anger goes untempered, emotions are allowed free reign and some of the thoughts expressed are really vile and sometimes hurtful.
Personally I prefer knowing the identity of the blogger or commenter. It gives essays and comments context and civility. It enables me to know where he or she is coming from. And it holds the blogger or commenter up to standards of truth that can be challenged. And any challenges will then require either a defense or admission or error. If one is anonymous, however, one can “get away with it”. No one really knows who that person is. One can even lie without consequence. If caught, again, there is no price to pay. This is especially true of a commenter. If caught in a lie, he or she can simply change to another pseudo name and no one will be the wiser.
But it has been my observation that most bloggers and commenters do not deliberately lie, the opposite is true. Their innermost thoughts are expressed. Anonymity allows that.
It takes courage to identify oneself but one should have the courage to stand by their words and his beliefs (or lack of them). But I understand that in the real world this isn’t always possible. And no where is this truer than in certain parts of the Charedi world. Unfortunately societal pressure to conform there is very great and the repercussions of non-conforming can be very severe. The consequences in the Charedi world of revealing one’s innermost questions if they contain heretical content, can be devastating including being ostracized and shunned.
So, I understand it
The upside of anonymity is that it frees up the truth. It allows people to ask questions and seek truth without fear of societal consequences. A member in good standing of any community, even an ultra-Orthodox one has the freedom to speak his or her mind. They can question some very basic tenets of faith, without fear of being labeled an Apikores.
It is far better for one to air their questions of faith and doubt than to keep them buried in the deep dark recesses of their mind. Seeking Emes should be the goal of everyone. Forbidding questions does little to help and can instead foster resentment and hostility in those who are stifled in their quest for truth… by societal pressures which discourage even asking a question. And that seems to be the trend in Ultra-Orthodox communities: Don’t ask, don’t tell. Don’t ask “such” questions. Don’t tell anyone about your doubts. But this attitude does not stop the mind from having questions. And seeking answers. Anonymous blogs have enabled many of these Charedim to open up and get some of those answers without having to face the unfair consequences imposed by an ever increasingly over-protective and isolated Charedi world.
And that’s a good thing.
But there is a down side. What happens all too often is a loss of civility. Common decency is all too often replaced by ridicule and insult. While it may be cathartic for an anonymous blogger or commenter to be able to “let it all hang out” (to use a popular phrase of the sixties), it never the less coarsens the conversation and valid points and criticisms get buried in the rhetoric and ridicule.
It’s not that I think an occasional sharp or rhetorical comment is always a bad idea. It isn’t. I do it myself. Sometimes a sharp comment or one made in a humorous way can make a point far better than one made in more respectful tones. What we need is balance. When one is an anonymous blogger or commentator, one should take care to be civil as much as possible without being boring. But an occasional sharp or rhetorical comment can be quite useful in making a point as long as isn’t overdone.
