Aug 18, 2012 - ST Forum
MR LESLIE Fong ("The rightful slaughter of
Three-Legged Chicken"; Monday) asserts that the high quality of
public discussions achieved by the ban on pseudonyms in The Straits
Times can be transferred to online forums by doing the
same.
However, the Internet is a different medium: It has a larger
user base and is uncensored; so undesirable remarks in online
forums are inevitable.
Such remarks exist in newspapers, but are not published due to
the editors' strict moderation.
I am certain that ST editors have seen many contributions
featuring offensive as well as nonsensical remarks; letters that
have rightly remained unpublished.
So it is unfair to solely attribute the use of derogatory and
biased remarks to the anonymity in online pseudonyms; instead,
blame it on the lack of tactful third-party moderation on the
Internet.
It is inequitable to remove the freedom that online anonymity
offers to users for the exclusive purpose of improving the quality
of online discussions.
Although offensive racial and religious remarks should not be
tolerated, forcing forum users and bloggers to bear the risk of
harsh online condemnation will undoubtedly diminish the vibrance of
online discussion platforms.
This is especially true for individuals with controversial
views. Such users, who are already assuming pseudonyms, must endure
the torrent of personal abuse directed towards them by dissatisfied
readers.
Stripping pseudonyms used by offensive commentators does little
to deter them.
For instance, the offensive remarks posted by 24-year-old
Chinese national Wang Peng Fei last year and pastor Rony Tan in
2010 were not done anonymously.
Instead, banning pseudonyms alienates those who possess critical
insight but are daunted by the prospect of baring their identities
to public scrutiny.
Having the moral courage to express one's views only reflects
one's moral courage per se, and does not equate to a learned and
sensible argument.
So slaughtering (the online) Three-Legged Chicken will only
result in the regression of the quality of comments and the
restriction of the freedom that the Internet has come to
symbolise.
Lim Wei-Qi
