Two Views Of Anonymity

As our readers know, we at the Trojan Heron are great fans of anonymity. We care what people say, not who says it.  Anonymous writings, especially of a dissenting political nature, are as old as the republic. They are as American as apple pie.

For example, Benjamin Franklin used several aliases over his lifetime, including "Poor Richard" of Poor Richard Almanac's fame. Other aliases used by Franklin include the following:

• Silence Dogood
• Caelia Shortface
• Martha Careful
• Busy Body
• Anthony Afterwit
• Alice Addertongue
• Polly Baker
• Benevolous

Anonymous writing is an effective and societally beneficial form of dissent when a culture of fear pervades a society. At the Trojan Heron, we believe there is most definitely a culture of fear in San Juan County today ... fear of governmental and social retaliation for speaking one's mind. It is a repulsive aspect of life here. We believe wholeheartedly in government transparency while believing equally strongly in personal privacy. Often, however, our fellow citizens seem confused by the distinction and want the reverse -- government opacity and personal transparency.

No. We cannot agree.

Below are two views of anonymity drawn from the pages of our local press/blogs over the past few days. First we have the view of Rick Steinhardt of Orcas Island, the husband of Friends Board member Janet Alderton.

The trouble with Anonymous by Rick Steinhardt

To the editor,
We have experience with anonymous blogs in these islands. To some they seem harmless enough. However gossip is like a virus, it goes from the source from person to person. Distortions can occur with repetition and these distortions naturally increase with distance from the source. Soon the original comment which may have been tongue in cheek turns into new "facts" which can be quite harmful. 

When one makes an anonymous commentary one is disclaiming any responsibility for the consequences, which is both cowardly and irresponsible. This is specially true in our society where it is easy for unstable personalities to obtain guns.

Responsible editors do not print anonymous letters for very good reasons. If you know of someone putting out an anonymous blog, let them know they are being both cowardly and irresponsible.Together we can restore civil discourse and make real progress dealing with the important issues that face the San Juan Islands.

Sincerely,
Rick Steinhardt Deer Harbor

Next, we have the view of "Peter Smith," an alias used by a Lopezian speaking out against the Lopez school bond measure, which will be on the same ballot as the County Council election in April.  "Peter Smith's" posting on Lopezrocks was removed because of the use of an alias. The Trojan Heron feels this amounts to censorship, and nearly every other news or blogging outlet in San Juan County engages in similar censorship behavior. We fail to see how censorship protects our community.

First, Peter is not my name. I am a concerned parent who does not want to voice my opinion publicly because I fear how the administration will treat my kids at school. There has been a lot of talk about the district taking a firm hand when it comes to kids who are speaking out about things that differ from the administrations views. This same fear is shared by parents who speak out. This is not a new thing, and infact just happend, about a different subject completely, about a month ago around a group of students who were concerned about some use of alcohol by students attending a school dance. So, as a parent, the report that this happened to a student speaking out about the bond, does not even surprise me. As a parent this bond concernes me as well. I understand that there are real needs to fix issues with the building, but also feel, as do many other parents, that this has seriously overshot that need. I know that the administration will say, "well we had community outreach and you did not participate" and they would be correct. We did not participate because we were afraid for what that participation would mean to our children's experience at school. We have seen what happens to the kids of parents who speak out, and we did not want that to happen to ours. The concern that we have about the bond that there are so many importnat needs that should be addressed way before this one. Is it good to have a new school with all the modern upgrades and a new administration office and a private gym for the staff? SURE! But lets address more pressing issues first. I had to buy a math book this year for my middle student child because the school did not have enough to go around and she was being asked to share with another student. There are real needs from a teaching standpoint, from a bullying standpoint, and from countless other places that should take overwhelming precedence over building the perfect building. There are real concerns by school staff around the bond and about the focus its passing would take away from core issues that need so desperately to be addressed NONE OF WHICH THEY CAN VOICE PUBLICLY EITHER. I am writing this because the voters of Lopez need to know that a yes vote on this measure is not a yes supporting the students, it is a yes supporting the administration. Those who have a stake in the school, as parents, teachers, administrators, and students are clearly afraid of the repercussions of speaking out. It is sad, but it is true. PLEASE VOTE NO and support those who know that this is not about the needs of the students or a better education, or increasing college preparation or placement or providing real world life skills. This is about a dream list of what could we do to a school campus if we could do all we wanted to do. Lets keep the most important thing, the most important thing. If we as a community are going to support increasing taxes lets do it supporting a better education, not a better building.