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Julian Assange, Power & Freedom of Speech
Wherever you stand on the political spectrum -and I'm far from the left-, we should probably all spare a thought on how power relates to personal freedoms today.
I must make an important preface here: I am NOT familiar with WikiLeaks and the politics and power games around WikiLeaks and Assange.
But my position is based on this simple idea:
Anyone with a strong, confident voice speaking from a position of honesty and fairness shouldn't be too afraid of dissident voices.
Anyone with a strong, confident voice speaking from a position of honesty and fairness shouldn't be too afraid of dissident voices.
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Enlightened Power Shouldn't Be Hell Bent On Silencing
When those who wield power go to great lengths to punish, silence and tarnish the reputation of the dissident voices, they act in a repressive, possibly oppressive manner.
And it should raise our suspicion.
Enlightened power also means granting dissidents the freedom of disagreeing.
Time will tell, but so far we have not seen much enlightenment in Julian Assange prosecution.
A Realpolitik Look At WikiLeaks
ThePowerMoves is not about pie in the sky ideology.
It's possible and, I believe, likely, that WikiLeaks has been used as a tool for aggression, manipulation, and personal gains.
Of course, it has: WikiLeaks is about people leaking documents.
And people can be both as low as a worm or as high eagles (it's up to us to become eagles).
Free Expression Is Often Good
But WikiLeaks has also been a tool for freely expressing those aspects of humanity.
Free from the coercive and social coercion that the powers that be naturally exert.
From a social perspective, there is only one scenario in which WikiLeaks is damaging.
WikiLeaks is only damaging when those in power are better, more honest and more intelligent than those who are not in power (and leak documents).
Whether you believe that is the case, is up to you.
From a Power Moves perspective, those in power seldom are the cream of the crop.
And even if they were, power can also be corruptive to otherwise good people.
Listen to what George Bush says:
Transcript:
I consider media to be indispensable to democracy.
Power can be very addictive. Power can be corrosive.And it's important for the media to call into account people who abuse their power.
I consider media to be indispensable to democracy.
Power can be very addictive. Power can be corrosive.
And it's important for the media to call into account people who abuse their power.
From this point of view, which I believe it's hard to disagree with, WikiLeaks has been a tool for freedom, grass-roots opposition, and discord that work as a positive counterweight to the established power.
WikiLeaks is the new digital age no-holds-barred freedom of speech.
Sure, it's not all good and great.
That freedom of speech has been abused and targeted by manipulators.
But it's also been liberating and empowering.
And it's probably been a strong counterweight to the lies and manipulations from those who are already in power. And those who are already in power usually have more power to manipulate information as they please.
And for this tool of free speech and for this tool of power-renegotiation, we have to thank Julian Assange.
Julian Assange: An Old Manipulator?
Of course, many commentators couldn't resist commenting on Assange looking old.
I won't make any comments on how superficial that is.
But if Assange "looked old" or like a master Jedi, is up to each one of us.
And how Assange really is, I don't know.
Someone said he is a narcissist.
He might be.
Yet, on the other hand, it's so easy calling anyone who's on the media spotlight a narcissist, isn't it?
The Ecuador prime minister, who's not just received a multi-billion dollar loan from the IMF (coincidence?) accused him of soiling the embassy of excrement.
Sure it's possible, yet it does sound a bit of an odd-ball behavior from a guest who's dependent on the Ecuador embassy, doesn't it?
Atika Shubert called him a manipulator.
He might be.
But I also must wonder if Assange walking out on Shubert a few years earlier might not be connected to her harsh judgment (and to her position as a mainstream journalist, of course).
Bottom line: I don't know about Julian Assange's personality.
And you don't know either.
Indeed, as far as we know, Julian Assange might be a lunatic.
But even if that were the case, we must differentiate between the person and the impact.
And I think Julian Assange has been an empowering lunatic.
In the picture: Don Quixote
No US Or Government Bashing
Finally, this is not a bashing of the US, of governments or an appeal for anarchy.
The US has done a wonderful job since WWII on keeping commerce and shipping line open and (largely) free.
And that has benefited (almost) the whole world.
And governments around the world largely do a great job in keeping our society safer than it would be if it were to descend into anarchy.
This post is a thought on Julian Assage.
A man who has taken freedom of speech to a new level in this digital age.
And it's a reflection on power and freedom of speech.
And I believe that more freedom of speech and easier whistleblowing against power abuse can make our society even better.
