The Power of Anonymous

Being anonymous is a very powerful thing. When I was young I read a book of aphorisms and many of them were marked "Anon". I remember going to my father and telling him that this "Anon" (who I thought must be somehow related to the Biblical "Aron") was a very insightful man. It was then my father laughed and told me that Anon stood for "Anonymous".

I have always allowed people to communicate with me anonymously because I know that there are those who have difficulty revealing their identity when speaking. In many of my classes I tell people how they can send me anonymous email. It is important to hear from them, if only not to be carried away by self-serving biases. The world is divided into those who want to provide anonymous speech online and those who would like to do away with Anonymity. For example while one group of people try to shut down anonymous remailers and provide accountability for each piece of information through tracking IP addresses, etc. There is another group that tries to provide bloggers with tools on how to put up information anonymously!

Yet, whether it be in chat rooms, on bulletin boards like this there are rude people everywhere. Online I have met more than one person who refuses to talk to me because I am an Indian and because Indians are fast earning a reputation for making comments full of rudeness and hatred. On the other hand, many of my (Indian) friends have stopped using internet communications for the same reason. So maybe the vast majority of us are rather decent human beings even when we are anonymous. (For an interesting take on anonymity, see the movie "Hollow Man")

But there is no denying it hurts. Especially when someone decides to target you individually and specifically. I guess everyone has to put up with it, if you have a public mission. When the most recent salvo arrived, it stung as if I was slapped. When reading through the words like these, you see nothing but mockery and insult when there is no pulling the punches. This is the worst side of anonymous. Its hard to not wonder...is he/she a student of mine. Is Mr. Anonymous sitting in a class of mine, perhaps silent, but observing, judging?

Read comments by "Anonymous" on this linke scroll down for the discussion.

http://mathaifenn.blogspot.com/2005/10/gandhi-i-hate-and-love.html#112996836983799514

My answer to Mr. Anonymous is the following:

1. I am truly sorry if I have said something that is of a gaseous nature. Especially if its misleading. But the beauty of this medium is that you can choose to ignore it. Do you choose to come back again and again because of its gaseous nature? Or because I try honestly and sincerely to respond to your concerns?
2. Thanks for making that connection between me and Arindam Coudhary. That really made me stop and think. Given the current controversy over IIPM all over the blogspace, I wonder if he REALLY IS like me? Just an ordinary guy trying to do what he can given the life he has to live. Maybe we judge him too based on snippets rather than trying to understand what he is trying to say? Perhaps so many people who believe in him know something that you and I don't?
3. Yes, I admit that my post was more provocative than informative. I don't have all the answers. But I have first hand experienced the power of non-violence, in a fight I got into after 7 years of martial arts training. I am convinced it works. Not against "The noble britishers" but against punks on college campus where my "experiment with truth" happened. But then again, I am sorry you never heard about my experiences or wished to share them.
   

I knew that my post would draw some flack (btw your information, my class on Gandhi was followed by a discussion of Godse and his reasons). I am new to this game and I am only learning how to respond to arrows like this. I could have deleted the first message, I chose to respond. In this post I choose to respond to all my anonymous friends (brothers?) - if you have a point to make, please do so, but also bear in mind that there is a human being who reads this and who has feelings like everyone else. However, I dont wish to be drawn into a flame war, one on one. So if there is nothing substantially new, I will consider this my comprehensive answer to your statements and move on. Perhaps you should consider writing your own blog, too!

Thank you very much for writing to me.