Refutation
Every generation on this beautiful planet of ours has had to undergo various kinds of turmoil where the moment of confusion seem to be never ending. The world around every individual seem to be getting smaller and smaller such that the hurricane of problems which seemed like a global issue is standing right on our door step. During such moments of anxiety we tend to lean upon the leaders for guidance, and every generation inevitably seems to get one, creates one. This year started with the world fighting against an unknown enemy who seems adamant on attacking the weakness in each one of us. No longer the world decided to cope with the pandemic and settle into a new normal, an issue as old as the time resurfaced and as is the human resolve during adversity, the affected people decided to tackle the problem head on. Again, no matter the problem we all look for some kind of guidance which evidently comes from a leader or many leaders.
A leader is the one who is in command, who walks the walk and talks the talk which stirs the masses in the right direction eventually reaching a conclusion that is fair and acceptable, leading to a victory against enemy known and unknown. Someone who may lead by action and/or by words. The latter in this digital age may have lost some of its sheen but arguably is the most important tool in any revolution of eras gone by and present. Every uprising or protest is marked with words of famous philosophers, poets and of course the past revolutionary leaders. There are lots of avenues of news in todays world, variety of mediums, preferably I indulge in the written medium, irrespective of whether it is paper or screen. As I was sat there reading, one of the pocket books which I received from a book club termed as The Mouse Book Club, whom I mentioned in my last post. The one I picked up to read -
The Gorgias - Plato
I am not a literary buff by any stretch of my imagination and nor do I intend to be, but as I decided to jump head on into this little excerpt of famous philosophers conversing about something that seemed like vaguely familiar yet not so much. Here, Plato introduces us to Rhetoric from Socrates point of view where the latter is at his best while conversing with Gorgias about different aspects in which rhetoric can be used for the purposes of the good and the bad. The argument that a master rhetoric easily trumps over the experts of any specific field as the art of persuasion holds more weight than the logic of an expert, when we are dealing with people. I do not use that word ‘Trumps’ lightly here. Flattery always rules the minds without any regards to expertise. Socrates’ warning against sophists and sophistry is more valid now than ever as we deal with words which are easily broadcasted over digital medium, accessed and consumed by millions if not each and everyone. A free bird singing a delightful song albeit the words are not its own but someone who sits behind a desk, controlling the bird. No matter how attractive is the bird and how beautiful is the sound of its singing, if the information is false, it needs to be corrected. The world now woken up from its slumber realizes that being a gadfly to get answers is far better than singing a false note in someone else’s tune. The authorities never figured out a way to deal with those who interfere with the status quo by posting uncomfortable questions. They usually put a label to discredit them - Vigilante.
Digital Vigilantism - The use of domesticated technologies for the purpose of fighting alleged injustice against non-internet related behavior.
The term vigilante is always coined by the authority against the masses, for someone who questions the blind authority, deemed as an outcast even if those questions are valid. The argument that the purpose of one such is to only cause anarchy and by means of destructions.
As Socrates concludes in his conversation with Polus that only witness against injustice is the truth and its only the truth that must have privilege, for certainly we all can agree that to do is a greater evil than to suffer injustice: and not to be punished than to be punished. It is upto us to give truth a fighting chance by using the tools at our disposal. The digital platform has got a bad reputation and rightly so, but if we can minimize the noise and pull ourselves away from the above mentioned sophists and their slippery rhetoric, this same platform is a great way to voice our opinion. The opportunity that anyone, everyone and no-one can participate just by being an anonymous voice which you know when bundled with million other similar voices, is going to create enough noise for a visible and audible change. In the times when we are forced to wear a mask for our own safety, it is upto us to give that mask a meaningful purpose, paint it with red smile or make it whole like V to make sure that it does not go down as just another form of anarchy.
