Latest update January 28th, 2025 12:59 AM
Jan 07, 2013 Letters
Dear Editor,
No one can quite understand Freddie’s obsession with wanting to know people’s profession, educational background, lifestyle, place of work, etc. – everything under the sun about their identity (KN Jan 6). A person pens a commentary and if it is not libelous, the editor chooses to publish it. Responses are allowed under the media principle of “right to a response”. If Freddie, or anyone, has anything to add or seeks clarification or wishes to rebut what a person writes, he can pen a related piece as so many letter writers do. Freddie is not special to be provided information on a person’s identity. That falls under a person’s privacy which is not the public’s business.
M. Maxwell and Sultan Mohammed are excellent contributors to the letter pages. Few analyze, certainly not Freddie, as well as them with deep insights, objectivity, professionalism, and intellectual rigor that Freddie lacks. Readers praise the two writers for their contributions and are very critical of Freddie for his assaults on peoples’ personality. Contrary to what Freddie pens, these men don’t attack peoples’ personality. They have never written anything libelous or could even be considered as attacks. They gave readers sound analyses.
For some inexplicable reason, he wants to know the person’s identity – education, occupation, jobsite, existence, etc. What do those requirements have to do with publishing a letter, the contents of what is written, etc.? A name and an address is all that should be required for a letter – that is the requirement everywhere. The editor or publisher doesn’t go and check on the person’s existence.
The real problem with Freddie is he simply can’t compete in intellect with Maxwell, Mohammed, Annan Boodram, Emile Mervin, Devanand Bhagwan, Ravi Dev etc. – all outstanding writers who don’t manufacture evidence to support their arguments and who don’t misstate social concepts to mislead readers (unlike Freddie). So he questions their identity and derogates them because of their honesty and truthfulness. Freddie has had this tactic of questioning peoples’ existence as a way to discredit their superior skills and intellect to his. It wasn’t too long ago he also questioned whether I was a real person and wants to know where I was educated and employed.
Freddie complains that Maxwell has not responded to his invitation for a meeting. Hasn’t it dawned on him that Maxwell and others don’t want anything to do with him for obvious reasons. They recognize his flawed analysis and personality driven writings and don’t wish to mingle with such an individual.
Editor, readers don’t need to know the lifestyle of any contributor. Freddie or the public knowing the identity of the writer won’t change the content. The truth is the truth and the analysis would be the same as long as it is logically substantiated. Readers can determine when an argument is logically sound. Readers can evaluate the intellectual ability of a writer based on his or her writing.
Their existence, profession, lifestyle, etc. are their personal business that readers don’t need. Only Freddie needs the information to discredit the person. That is why he contacted by job for information about me.
People may write under anonymous names because they may be a whistleblower or don’t wish to put their job or family on the line or some other justifiable reason. During my political studies, we learn about Mr. X, the US diplomat posted to Moscow and Deep Throat, the source for the Washington Post investigative report on Watergate, and so many others who used pen names or hid their true identities. It is the content of their stories that really matter, not their identity
Vishnu Bisram
Jan 28, 2025
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