The Value in Anonymity

Saipan is a small place. A small place that has suddenly learned the excitement of expressing opinions in a venue where anonymity can be had. Opinions which were previously kept private, perhaps not even discussed with one's closest friends, for fear of both offending, and of retaliation.

Some Saipan bloggers have taken great offense at the practice of posting anonymously. They contend that it is a coward's way, and something that has only sprung up in the age of the internet.

Not so.

Benjamin Franklin posted anonymously, if you will, throughout his lifetime in many famous and worthwhile ways. His first well known nom de plume was Silence Dogood, penned to letters to the editor through his brother's newspaper in Boston. Posting as Silence, Franklin was able to call attention to the hypocrisies of the Mathers and their religious establishment, which had opressed the people of the city for generations. Had he posted such opinions under his own name, he would likely have been run out of town, to never become the man he did. America might still be an English colony!

Perhaps most famous was Franklin's pen name "Poor Richard". Here we see not only the continuation of Franklin's use of anonymity to allow himself to publish material that his contemporaries might not have approved of, but also anonymous personal attacks on rivals. At one point this even escalated into Franklin posting an obituary for the publisher of a rival almanac, to convince his readers that the man was no longer in business, so they would stop buying his product. Yes friends, one of our most famous founding fathers gave in to temptation occasionally!

Franklin continued the practice of publishing anonymous letters to newspapers and political pamphlets while in London as Pennsylvania's representative, for many years, as tensions grew and the revolution formed. Although ultimately unsuccessful, his anonymous letters served many valuable purposes, such as delaying certain actions by Parliament and educating the citizens of London as to the plight of the colonists.

During these troubled times, Franklin posted under many aliases. One of those was Benevolus.

I will never claim to be anything close to a Franklin, but I will unashamedly post my opinions and suggestions anonymously, with no intention of ever letting anyone know who I am. There may be a few people on Saipan who can claim they would never stoop to anonymous posting, and that they would never say anything they were afraid to sign their own name to. I say these people are therefore not posting truly honest opinions, at least not on every subject. I know some of these people who make such claims, and I know that while they may post such things in public, in truth they talk a different story in private, and complain about the very politicians they attempt to woo by defending their actions in their blogs and posted comments. Hypocrites all!

Saipan is a place, as we all know, where freedom of speech is still just a figure of speech. Until the day comes when the monopolies of government and the market are broken, such anonymity is the only way to truly have free discussion. Much as it was in Boston under the control of the Mathers and their church, or in London during the anti-American hysteria of the 1770s.

So I'm sorry, Bruce, but you're wrong. And now that you are working for the CNMI government, you will very likely learn what I mean.