Anonymity Argument
IRBeHEARD accepts anonymous comments to postings. And, as a result, some have leveled criticism our way.
When this blog was established over a year ago, there was an option of accepting or rejecting anonymous comments. I thought about it long and hard before deciding to allow any and all comments—regardless of whether or not an identity was assigned.
First and foremost in my mind when making this decision was what some have referred to as the “IRB Fear Factor.” More than a few citizens have expressed reticence to voice their true opinions about their city government, which is the primary reason I launched this blog in the first place. By granting asylum through anonymity, I intended to encourage those who would otherwise have just kept quiet to share their thoughts and concerns without fear of retribution or retaliation.
Secondly, I felt that our resident readers had enough brains in their heads to read comments and decide for themselves whether or not to put any stock in them. I expected some narrow-mindedness…but it has well exceeded my expectations.
Many of us—including yours truly—have taken a slam or two upside the head in the comments on this blog, on other blogs/Web sites, in mass e-mails and sometimes even in a public forum. I, for one, am constantly accused of being overly critical and never doing anything positive for the community. After spending two and half years volunteering my time working with a great group of people on the Indian Rocks: As It Was pictorial history book, serving on the board at the Historical Museum, and attending as many commission meetings as my schedule permits—that’s a little tough to take sometimes. But, I can’t change how others feel. And, being fair, I probably have been a little too critical at times.
I personally detest censorship in any way, shape or form, which admittedly crept into my thought process as well. What is objectionable to one person may well be palatable to another. I simply was not comfortable sitting “on high” and being the decider of what should or shouldn’t be read by our entire community.
A recently posted comment on IRBeHEARD alluded to our good friend Leo being pressured not to continue writing negatively about IRB. I certainly hope that isn’t the case. Leo has done more to bring this community together than most would ever give him credit for. He effectively flushed certain issues out in the open and encouraged people to talk about them. Perhaps we should be thanking him instead of kicking him in the butt at every turn. Am I in total agreement with everything Leo writes? Hell no. But I applaud his talent and would never poo-poo his work simply because I may not always buy into his content. Those not capable of reading "vintage Leo" and making their own decisions are, in reality, more afraid of themselves that they are of Mr. Coughlin.
The standard response to anyone who posts anything negative on IRBeHEARD meets with the same third-grade response: “Stop being part of the problem. We have enough of those here in town.” I couldn’t agree more with that statement...only I consider the problem to be those who make statements like that! If encouraging folks to listen to all sides of an issue and learn more about how their local government operates creates a problem, then I guess I am part of the problem.
When the subject of the IRBeHEARD blog comes up, I’ve heard some emphatically say “No, I don’t read the blog.” I can only conjecture that these blog haters never read anything they don’t agree with and don’t really care what their neighbors have to say—unless they are “total agreement clones” of themselves. In the barn I’ve been so arrogantly accused of being raised in, we call that ignorance.
Nancy Obarski
Beach Trail/IRB
IRBeHEARD accepts anonymous comments to postings. And, as a result, some have leveled criticism our way.
When this blog was established over a year ago, there was an option of accepting or rejecting anonymous comments. I thought about it long and hard before deciding to allow any and all comments—regardless of whether or not an identity was assigned.
First and foremost in my mind when making this decision was what some have referred to as the “IRB Fear Factor.” More than a few citizens have expressed reticence to voice their true opinions about their city government, which is the primary reason I launched this blog in the first place. By granting asylum through anonymity, I intended to encourage those who would otherwise have just kept quiet to share their thoughts and concerns without fear of retribution or retaliation.
Secondly, I felt that our resident readers had enough brains in their heads to read comments and decide for themselves whether or not to put any stock in them. I expected some narrow-mindedness…but it has well exceeded my expectations.
Many of us—including yours truly—have taken a slam or two upside the head in the comments on this blog, on other blogs/Web sites, in mass e-mails and sometimes even in a public forum. I, for one, am constantly accused of being overly critical and never doing anything positive for the community. After spending two and half years volunteering my time working with a great group of people on the Indian Rocks: As It Was pictorial history book, serving on the board at the Historical Museum, and attending as many commission meetings as my schedule permits—that’s a little tough to take sometimes. But, I can’t change how others feel. And, being fair, I probably have been a little too critical at times.
I personally detest censorship in any way, shape or form, which admittedly crept into my thought process as well. What is objectionable to one person may well be palatable to another. I simply was not comfortable sitting “on high” and being the decider of what should or shouldn’t be read by our entire community.
A recently posted comment on IRBeHEARD alluded to our good friend Leo being pressured not to continue writing negatively about IRB. I certainly hope that isn’t the case. Leo has done more to bring this community together than most would ever give him credit for. He effectively flushed certain issues out in the open and encouraged people to talk about them. Perhaps we should be thanking him instead of kicking him in the butt at every turn. Am I in total agreement with everything Leo writes? Hell no. But I applaud his talent and would never poo-poo his work simply because I may not always buy into his content. Those not capable of reading "vintage Leo" and making their own decisions are, in reality, more afraid of themselves that they are of Mr. Coughlin.
The standard response to anyone who posts anything negative on IRBeHEARD meets with the same third-grade response: “Stop being part of the problem. We have enough of those here in town.” I couldn’t agree more with that statement...only I consider the problem to be those who make statements like that! If encouraging folks to listen to all sides of an issue and learn more about how their local government operates creates a problem, then I guess I am part of the problem.
When the subject of the IRBeHEARD blog comes up, I’ve heard some emphatically say “No, I don’t read the blog.” I can only conjecture that these blog haters never read anything they don’t agree with and don’t really care what their neighbors have to say—unless they are “total agreement clones” of themselves. In the barn I’ve been so arrogantly accused of being raised in, we call that ignorance.
Nancy Obarski
Beach Trail/IRB
2 comments:
Thanks Nancy,
you hit it right on the head. Censorship is everywhere, I can tell you that both Leo and Jose did not print every letter or email sent to them. In fact on Jose's blog you could not even comment. Having the ability to remain anonymous will guarantee there will be no retaliation for those who disagree with ruling monarchy.
Why would anyone want thugs like Jose, Victor or Leo know that you might have different opinions than theirs. Anyone who has opposed them in the past has been subject to lies, fabricated events, harassment, and just plain nastiness. These three individuals have brought IRB to the brink of disaster. Jose is nothing but a Fidel loving gangster for Leo. Leo suffers from an acute case of yellow cowardizm. Victor is nuts. This expression of these individuals in not anonymous, as Jose has recently been wining about. Everyone in town feels this way. Everyone.
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