Today, while I was looking up international news, I reflected on the murder of a Bangladeshi blogger, and the fact that it appears to have been motivated by his notoriously freethinking ideals in a society that is heavily influenced by Islam. To be sure, in looking at the man’s writings, there is much I would very vehemently disagree with, yet at the same time there was little that struck me as particularly threatening about his atheism. After all, in the West we are used to dealing with the arguments of “new atheists,” and it is quite a simple and straightforward matter for skilled and even mediocre apologists to successfully deal with the arguments advanced for atheism [1]. A free press often allows those whose worldviews are deficient to serve as foils that help us hone and develop our own ability to rest on a firmer foundation and to defend a more coherent and more accurate worldview. It is when deficient worldviews seek to defend themselves from the free marketplace of ideas by seeking to delegitimize their opposition, through the courts or political process in particular, when we have reason to be concerned about the fate of our nation. In such a situation, one who speaks out can easily seem to be a great threat, even if they are only a blogger.

Only a few days ago, another man was assassinated, this time a Russian reformist politician who found himself to be an opponent of Russian President Putin. As it happens, the murdered man had long found himself to be a minority voice, leading small but persistent political parties in favor of genuine democratic freedoms rather than the corrupt managed democracy that Russia now has. By coincidence, he happened to be from the area of Sochi, where his opposition to Putin’s attempt at a Potemkin Olympic village may have led to his ultimately fatal difficulties. Again, the fact that the deceased Russian was a well-known and well-regarded man, and the fact that his political endeavors since the late 1990’s had been unsuccessful would seem to indicate that his murder was not due to any sort of rational threat calculation, but rather the belief that as a well-known and continual critic of the Putin regime, his existence was deemed to be intolerable, even if it meant the manner of his death has created a martyr to freedom, which hardly seems like a wise decision to make. Those who are insecure are not often wise, though.

As a blogger of a particularly critical variety, I tend to view the fate of my fellow tribe members around the world with a significant degree of concern. As a contemporary survivor of the phenomenon of printed pamphlets and broadsides, bloggers are a genuine, if highly diffuse, element of grassroots opinion. Although blogging is often a somewhat chaotic endeavor, those who are compelled to write and to be honest and forthcoming about their worldviews and beliefs and thoughts and feelings and art can end up finding some degree of influence as a result of being willing to speak out publicly. This is especially true where people write under their own names and work in collaboration with others of like mind and belief systems, and not only desire to speak for themselves but also to build up communities where speech can be both kind and true, free and fair, to the best of our limited capabilities. Often, these communities can be seen as a critique of existing elites and existing institutions, because when someone is compelled to express themselves, it is generally a sign that something is amiss in the larger society.

What is the social benefit of promoting free expression? To be sure, bloggers can say things that are irritating sometimes, perhaps a bit too harsh, or writing that hits a bit too close to home. The fact that bloggers often disrupt ordinary channels of communication and authority can be somewhat irksome as well, as bloggers are often somewhat anti-authoritarian in nature, since those who are more inclined towards a career in official propaganda will seek more formal media institutions rather than the blogosphere. Yet this release of tension can be good not only for bloggers themselves, but also for larger societies, as it demonstrates the fact that others are strong enough to handle what someone has to say. Yet it is dangerous that political elites in nations as diverse as Russia and Bangladesh do not feel strong enough to take the words of critics. Is it because those words sting, or is it because their position is so insecure that to allow strong dissent is to threaten the fragile foundations of one’s all-important hold on power? This suggests a grave danger to those who speak too openly about unpopular truths and opinions.

After all, being a blogger is not about seeking power. Often it is about survival and thriving, the thriving of a free and open society that is capable of self-correction and the survival of the individual as a being of integrity and creativity and intellect. Yet when the fruits of that creativity and integrity and intellect threaten powerful people and interests, what is intended to be a means of internal harmony and release can all too often threaten physical survival by making oneself a target. Sometimes one can receive a surprise visit from a member of the state police. Sometimes it is a more anarchic vigilante squad of goons that threatens mayhem and murder, and sometimes it is the more insidious process of threats and pressure that make life difficult for someone who makes themselves just a little bit too noticed to be comfortable. With such crosscurrents as exist, sometimes we simply have to choose to speak and act as graciously and openly and honestly as we can do it, and to accept the risks and repercussions that follow, trusting in our heavenly judge to balance the accounts when He wills.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/book-review-gods-not-dead/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/01/09/book-review-no-one-sees-god/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/05/07/book-review-afraid-to-believe-in-free-will/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/03/01/book-review-true-reason/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/book-review-reasons-for-belief/