Why Speak Out?

                                                                                         Why Speak Out?

                                                                                       by Marco M. Pardi 

“Let us say what we feel , and feel what we say; let speech harmonize with life.” Seneca the Younger (5BCE? – 65CE) “On the Diseases of the Soul,” Moral Letters to Lucilius.

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All comments welcome.  To those readers who have been hesitant to comment or ask questions, please be assured you may do so freely. In recent days several new people have signed on as followers, enabling them to comment freely, and it is hoped they will. All previous posts are open for comment by clicking on “uncategorized”. Reader participation keeps this site vibrant. MMP

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Any first time visitor to this site can easily see I have written quite a few entries. And, a simple click on any given entry can display the comments appropriate to that piece. I have also done several YouTube presentations and Vimeo podcasts with Jamie Butler, available by searching Jamie Butler on Google.

This particular site you are reading enables me to see how many visits and readings have occurred each day, tallying those visits with the countries in which the reader resides.  Since starting this site I have had pieces read in as many as 120 countries, with comments coming in from several. Early on I did venture onto a universally known site but found that site is inhabited by “trolls” who seem to have nothing better to do than to hide behind cover names and post vicious and vile comments.  If those comments had had any merit I would have responded, respecting their right to speak out but suggesting – where needed – the discourse could be more civil. But I saw no merit and withdrew, closing that account.

For over a year we have seen numerous news reports, and even in-depth articles discussing the phenomenon of diminishing civility in the internet sphere.  One hypothesis after another has been put forward, though few, if any, tested so as to rise to the level of theory.  Each hypothesis seems to convey the bias of its proponent inasmuch as, without strenuous testing it merely reflects the a priori presumptions held by that person; if this, then that. And despite all the talk about the phenomenon it persists.  Readers who do examine the comments following my various pieces will see I respond to each of them, sometimes expanding further on what I had written because I felt welcomed to do so.

But I have had private communications with people, some of whom I’ve known for years, in which they express sincere regrets at not commenting and at having to yield to fears of troll response or even of simple internet presence attached to a controversial subject.  I can understand the reticence to engage with trolls; I think it takes a certain personality type to enjoy that. And, that there seems to be no lack of that personality type seems evident from the large audience share “Reality” shows and radio “talk shows” draw.

But the fear of openly expressing opinions on a public forum speaks to a much darker phenomenon in our society.  The events of 9/11 spawned a massive and intrusive intelligence collecting effort with broad – some say unchecked – powers to sweep up private communications.  Many said, “Why worry if you have nothing to hide?”  But as prices precipitously dropped for computers and other forms of electronic communication, making them ubiquitous, more people came to feel they did have something to hide.

Certainly, as the Bush administration attempted to institute Draconian measures such as the Patriot Act, including power to sweep up private phone conversations and even force public libraries to submit lists of who checked out which books the public looked for ways of going about life without leaving a “paper trail”.  When disclosures of NSA and other governmental agency powers to “read your email” dominated talk shows and mainstream publications the public looked for ways to cover the “digital trail”.

But how much of this capability, if real, is practicable? Even with super computers processing the billions of electronic communications daily, scanning for key words, how many people would it take to examine the collated and distilled data to identify sources, assess risk, and initiate responsive action?  For the record, I got a glimpse of this as early as 1968 when a university I worked for administered the Minnesota Multi-Phasic Personality Inventory, with hundreds of questions, to hundreds of incoming Freshmen and transfer students. My question of how these were to be evaluated was answered by the arrival of several boxes of computer print-outs complete with assessments and diagnoses of students and recommendations regarding the subject students. Tron had spoken.      

It is true that potential employers scan social media sites for postings by job applicants.  It is also true many people post some really stupid stuff.  And, some things appear unbidden.  Google Marco M. Pardi and you will see material I did not post myself, including articles I’ve written for on-line magazines, comments I’ve made on books and articles, scientific papers I had no idea would go on-line and even evaluations of my college teaching as posted by students. We are also connected to other people. Google Jamie Butler YouTube or Facebook and you will find videos I’ve done with Jamie.  You will also find self-styled Finder sites which claim to have personal information on me. I’ve looked at a few of them and found much of the information to be false though I’ve not yet found anything damaging.

What I find interesting is that high traffic sites often have a very low percentage of comments.  A recent YouTube release of Jamie and me discussing NDEs has, as of this morning, nearly 1,100 views; yet, it has only 20 comments, about half of which are my responses to submitted comments.    

Yet, I continue to write, sometimes on subjects some readers may find dangerously revealing. Having a decades long familiarity with the field, I doubt “the government” is spending much if any time on my ramblings. And, one virtue in being prolific is that it becomes daunting in and of itself. An old saying in the counter-intelligence community is, “When they’re looking for the needle, add more hay.”

I think my responses to comments demonstrate my sincerity in welcoming those comments.  A fairly small percentage of readers regularly provide comments, and these are almost always very valuable in themselves.  I highly value learning, and you can’t learn as long as you are the only one doing the speaking.