Standing Behind What You Write (and Say)

Opinion columns, cable TV news pundits, talk radio, blogs, Facebook… we’ve become a society of voicing our opinions.

We’ve become a society of voicing our opinions no matter how right, wrong, or ignorant we are. At the same, no matter how disgusted I get at some of the comments and lack of civility, I’m reminded of what Voltaire once said:

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

But I think somewhere along the line we’ve lost civility in our discourse. We’ve become a society that will post things, even anonymously, without thinking through the full impact of what we say… which brings me to today.

My friend/co-worker came to me today, showing me what someone had commented on her blog. Her blog post was very light-hearted, casting light on corny church signs. The comment she received, while well written, lacked a certain level of civility and was written by "Anonymous".

The first thing I had to learn in philosophy is not to take debates personally, it’s not you they’re debating, but the ideas that you are presenting. However, it can be hard not to take something personally when someone anonymously critisizes something you write. It’s like a phantom, anyone around could’ve written it and not knowing who it is can be bothersome. Wanting to know the identity of the anonymous writer is not to deconstruct that person based on who they are, but to put a face to what has been written.

Writing is probably one of the few ways you can be anonymous, which is why the internet has become as popular as it is. When people hide behind a screen name or "Anonymous," it lacks a certain credibility to me. What are you going to say online that you can’t say in person?

Growing up with three brothers, I learned the rule of, "say it to my face." Which simply meant, if I was going to talk smack (for lack of a better term), I should be prepared to say it to their face and be ready for the consequences should they not like what I had to say.

Needless to say, after several beatings, I learned the fine art of civil discourse. If I chose not to follow my mom’s advice of "if you have nothing to nice to say, don’t say it all," I had to phrase things in such a way that would get my point across. Am I right all the time? Heck no! In fact, I’ve been caught with my foot in my mouth many times. In maintaining my integrity, I admit it when I’m wrong… it’s not always easy, but it’s the right thing to do.

When we come to the table with varying opinions we’re not going to be right all the time, nor will we always see eye-to-eye with other people. But in order to maintain integrity and credibility, it’s important to stand behind what we write and say. If we can’t stand behind what we say, perhaps the best option is to be silent.

"Every man has a right to utter what he thinks truth, and every other man has a right to knock him down for it. Martyrdom is the test." – Samuel Johnson