Openness as a weapon…

“The best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy,
but the best weapon of a democracy
should be the weapon of openness.”
—Niels Bohr

I have been responsible for a lot of Internet Groups. I was often advised to deal with any conflicts in private. I generally refused. There were many reasons for this – one was the fact that openness was the best assurance that any abuse that might occur was witnessed. Another was that when things are done in private people have a tendency to erupt into rumors and innuendos about what is really going on, which in the end result in disruptions worse than the original conflict.

True democracy is based on openness. Both between individuals and between the individual and the State. Openness is empowering. We need openness. Or we are no better than the worst dictator.