continued

I use my real name here because (a) I am not interested in slagging while hiding behind anonymity (I think people who do this are outright bullies and cowards);

(b)I think the less the gap between our private and public thinking - the freer we are.

So it is my way little bit towards maintaining that freedom. (I think people who use non-de-plumes are fine if it is just for privacy and other genuine reasons - but my culture says if one speaks one must own it.)

However, I am no fighter (unless backed up) or martyr and just want to contribute my thoughts. Whereas some people on OLO are clearly looking for fight rather than a discussion. Of course they get the same thrill without the bruises. I do have feelings of regret when people on OLO try to get rid of those with other views by launching personal attacks and labelling because it kills off diversity and thus reduces individuality. Most people with an ounce of self esteem move on from verbal abuse.

It is paradoxical but I think whilst being PC can thwart free speech not being PC can also lead to a situation where fewer people or just the crackpots and interested parties speak up for fear of just being howled down with all sorts of character assignation (racists etc) which can lead to political debate stagnating and people - the real stakeholders “going along” . In other words we start down that road towards a culture where people’s private selves (opinions) is very different than their public selves (going along - silence) – a place where if you do say something that is offensive to the current orthodoxy they hunt you down and kill you. You lose this aspect of individuality- you lose all. OLO contributes to freedom by helping to keep that gap between public and private at a minimum.