A QUESTION OF ANONYMITY

Blogs should be bright and breezy.  Entertaining. Easy to read.  And serious ones, like medicine, should be honey coated to make them palatable.

 

Not this one.

A friend has been targeted by that all too frequently used weapon – the anonymous letter. My friend is not all sweetness and light.  She is no angel singing to tuneful accompaniment upon the harp.  And she knows that getting the job done does make enemies.  She takes that in her stride. But I do not. I am appalled by the cowardice that can accuse and allege but will not acknowledge ownership of such accusation.  I am even more appalled to discover that authority takes cognizance of such content. It is considered ‘feedback’. No smoke without a fire?

Not too long ago, I had the privilege of working with a very pragmatic boss.  If someone approached him with a grievance against a colleague or superior, he would bring accuser and accused together and ask for an open discussion where he served as mediator.  While this invariably sorted out matters, the method caused quite a bit of discomfort!  The anonymous letters commenced.  The boss made a very public announcement.  ‘I have received a number of complaints, all of them unsigned.  Since I am unable to acknowledge these directly, I am pleased to make a general announcement that all said complaints have been seriously, thoroughly and immediately addressed.  They have been consigned to the paper shredder.’  Now, that’s treating the anonymous letter with the contempt it deserves.

There is anonymity and anonymity.  And there is need to understand the difference.  There was a time when women authors would never have been published and so took on male pseudonyms; others did not want to be identified with their published work because of their public persona and used the pen name route, cloaking their own name with another.  Media knows all too well about sources that ‘do not wish to be quoted’.  A classic of its time – All the President’s Men – relied on ‘Deep Throat’ as informant.  But each lead was meticulously followed and checked.  Truth was the objective.  We have seen how courageous whistle blowers are dealt with, making the anonymous route even more desirable.  So, am I making a case for the anonymous complaint or not?

There is a fine line which divides the ethical from the dishonourable and we need to understand the difference. Anonymous letters are written by real people who presumably like to think that they have a conscience.  It would be well to remember that conscience and courage go hand in hand.

It would be a good thing, too, to call to mind yet another breed of people who prefer to remain unnamed: the numerous secret benefactors who do much to make this world better. 

The best time and place to be anonymous is when giving with a generous heart.