The many headed hydra called 'anonymity' !

Many of you must have heard of the arrest and incarceration of a young man in Chennai, who works for a well known dentist and oral surgeon. He was arrested for illegal use of cyber space under anonymity, to spread canards and lies about several honorable professionals. His employer, a famous dentist and accused number two in the FIR was given anticipatory bail after it was dismissed on a previous occasion. The long arm of the law has finally caught up with the cowardly crime of anonymous assault on the reputations of respected professionals. Having been the subject of these cowardly mails by anonymous persons, I am supposed to feel happy. Ironically, I feel no joy. Not even hate. There is however a pall of sadness that engulfs me. I feel sorry for people who could have used their publicity building abilities to do a great service for humanity. Instead they chose to use their resources to disseminate hate, lies, vulgarity and petty schisms in the hope of destroying the reputation of others. Letters under assumed names and anonymous blogs have been created to defame people. Technology has been twisted on its head to perpetuate hate and misdemeanor. Only a detailed investigation will bring out the whole conspiracy and the people involved. The authors of such venality may well find themselves wallowing in their own machinations. It is a lesson for all of us. The trail has not ended and many more are likely to feel the fall. I am also aware that my complaint to the authorities may make me vulnerable to retribution. These are politically powerful people- remember!

Dissent and righteousness are noble persuasions when one can stand up and be counted for his/her views. However fallacious rumour mongering and puerile lies under the veil of anonymity is a narrative of the deep seated evils that plague human personality. Half truths are disingenuous attempts to give life to a lie. Here I need to quote Criss Jami ( American philosopher and lyrical poet) who said “Just because something isn't a lie does not mean that it isn't deceptive. A liar knows that he is a liar, but one who speaks mere portions of truth in order to deceive is a craftsman of destruction.” I can believe that!

 For the last couple of years I have waited patiently to see the perpetrators of these lies, about me and several others, to be exposed. I even thought I would be happy to see the culprit being apprehended. But when it finally happened I feel remorse and revulsion. The remorse is for the people who trusted the person- his family, his friends and the professionals who work with him. The revulsion is reserved for the person himself and those who colluded with him in systematic character assassination. Choosing to defame and indulge in anonymous character assassination is a reflection of a particularly dark personality. The singular feature of such persons is cowardice. If folks do not have the courage to stand up and speak, they should remain silent. It is a much more virtuous option.

Most importantly, we must all learn to shun anonymity when we see it. Anonymous letters belong to the waste basket (in modern times to the trash folder). I have been surprised by friends of mine who actually sought my clarification about absurd allegations. If indeed there was any truth, why would anybody want to be anonymous in revealing the same?  We cannot ignore their crime. But we must learn to ignore their scurrilous message. I cannot help quoting Criss Jami again “The only thing more frustrating than slanderers is those foolish enough to listen to them.”

Peace!

George Paul