Last month the NSA’s surveillance
programs got a lot of press attention. A common refrain was that Americans deserved criticism for their lack of concern about privacy. A political
cartoonist that I really respect, Mike Lukovich of the Atlanta Constitution, portrayed
two Americans as flashers exposing themselves to Uncle Sam. This is a typical
attitude.
But it occurred to me that,
throughout history, many of the personal problems that people suffered
from were directly linked to secrecy; to the need to hide anything that wasn’t
socially acceptable at the time.
Homosexuality is an example.
Just a couple of generations ago, how many men and women suffered for their
entire lives because they had to hide the fact that they were homosexual? Now you
can post photos on Facebook of yourself cavorting on a beach with your same-sex
lovers, and your friends, of all sexual orientations, will cheer.
The “It Gets Better” campaign, begun in 2010
by columnist Dan
Savage in the wake of a number of LGBT youth taking their own lives after
being harassed, has inspired tens of thousands of people to share their own
personal story through video. These videos reveal private information, and that’s the entire
point. The openness is what provides encouragement and hope to others in
difficult situations.
