The Internet is one world where anything goes and sometimes if you do not understand the rules, you might end up messing up or embarrassing yourself. At a blog site like KSB where there is possibility to pass comment on issues, the use of handles to post anonymously is almost the norm. You can have a consistent handle or you can keep changing it if you are not interested in stamping out your profile.
There are moderated comment sites and un-moderated ones. KSB is moderated and it is up to the admin to decide which comments are approved, are edited or dumped in the bin. KSB is moderated because in Law, and as per the agreement of WordPress that houses KSB, commentators are not personally responsible for their comments. I cannot therefore allow material that could put KSB in legal problems to be published.
As the admin of KSB, I tend to edit comments to remove names mentioned adversely while leaving the content regardless of what the content says. This is in line with freedom of Expression/Speech. In cases where content is edited, the commentator may have used extremely foul language that is unacceptable within the context of a story or got angry with me and threw expletives in my direction. Sometimes, a lengthy potion of a comment written in a language other than English could also be expunged although Swahili can be tolerated to promote it as Kenya’s national language.
While I accept criticism in a debate on the basis of issues, I don’t provide a platform at KSB for my enemies to abuse me with expletives and I am sure many people will do the same. Removing names of people who have been accused without evidence shields KSB from possible prosecution. This is standard practice and is perfectly normal. That brings us to my second point.
Flaming
In the process of passing comment, there is something called “flaming”. Roughly put, a flame is a process where commentators begin to abuse one another or use dirty language to try and outdo one another during an argument about an issue. Of late, there has been a lot of flaming at KSB and an original story about an inherited wife has turned into a flame between one Adongo Opiacha on the one hand and a hoard of commentators on the other.
Although Adongo had some very valid points to opponents in the debate, he/she veered off the mark and opened a wide attack on communities, children and their parents. This has earned him/her a lot of flame and I notice that he/she has, naturally, been silenced.
One known tactic of flaming is to pretend to know the opponent then manufacture dirty facts to fire him/her. Since many commentators are using handles, it is almost impossible that one commentator can know the personal details of an opponent and attack him/her using personal and malicious information. In some exceptional cases, an opponent can read the real life signature of a fellow opponent in the text through mode of expression, factual presentations, style of writing, approach to issues, use of vocabulary and other features to identify the opponent then go on attack using real life facts.
What has happened to Adongo is that his/her good points have been invalidated by his/her blanket condemnation of groups of people/parents who have, in turn, opened a flame against him/her. Another problem with Adongo is that he/she tried to put himself/herself at a “higher pedestal” to gain advantage in the debate while at the same time “hitting below the belt”.
The ensuing contradiction in his/her approach appears to have been fuelling attacks against him/her. You cannot tell someone to stop adultery then in the next moment you are yourself adulterating!
In her support for the woman, Adongo could have argued her points soberly and factually but his/her weakness is that she mixed his/her points with bitter vitriol which was quickly isolated by his/her opponents who, in turn, appear to be feeding him/her a different variety of vitriol in a moment of revenge.
Adongo is now disadvantaged because since he/she attacked many people through generalizations (the Luo ethnic group for example), she has created more enemies who have united against him/her to teach him/her a lesson or two.
The main issues of the original story have been forgotten as Adongo became the center of attention. In a flame such as this, if Adongo does not respond with fresh insults, the matter will, most probably, end there. However, if she responds with new attacks, the flame will, most likely, continue and it will be up to the admin to close down the discussion by switching off the comment facility on this particular story especially if the situation turns nasty.
Okoth Osewe
About the Author
To all readers of KSB,
It is so questionalble,that when the one who has opened up space for topical issues to be debated,what happenS ,no one dares to be counted.
It IS a trend that is very disturbing in the community of what is known as “Kenya”.Like has been preached ,lets rise over pettiness.What happens to the communal resposibility is it stifles ,muzzles creative development based thinking.We have been played a wrong card for the past 40 something years.I will always stand up snd crow that am fom my community the “O” people ,however it does not make me a tribalist . Making unwarranted assumptions over those we have never met .The energy and capacity that each one us has and is capable of should and must be utilised to help all Kenyans speak as a whole unit.Lets use our selves and make progress not shouting and no progress.
As has been said by the committed community developer who opened up this space,respect is all we need.Civility has been in our communities since eons.It is my conviction that we should know more about each other,,l am from the Luo community .It does make me a tribalist.Infact we need to accept our diferences ,build what we have been played as “Kenya”Reversing the redrawing of our continent will take more that vitriol spewed in cyber space .Brothers and sisters it is time we turn the page of missplaced vengeance.Thats all for the moment.
Ean Wuod Luo