Dobbing
The Herald Sun Saturday, June 21, 2008
Dear Editor,
I think we have made a mistake in promoting the reporting of citizen by citizen in the 1800 LITTER campaign. Phone the authorities to report where a pile of litter is, certainly. But actively encouraging people to identify their neighbour and have them punished is a bad idea.
The recent history of Eastern Europe (before the wall fell) shows us clearly what happens when a government actively encourages people to dob each other in. You end up with a society where nobody trusts anybody. A terrible price to pay for a slightly tidier town.
Clean environment is a good cause, supported by everybody. We have come a long way purely through education and public discussion. There is no need for the dobbing regime. We must not let our enthusiasm for one good cause destroy other important social values.
If citizens are sufficiently stirred by an evil they see, they will contact the authorities without having to be prodded. But if encouraged, people will dob for all sorts of motives other than the public good. And if we start a dobbing campaign for this cause, we will soon extend it to another.
We know from others’ mistakes that to promote dobbing will damage what makes Australia a great country to live in – our level of mutual trust and our tradition to live and let live.
Philip O’Carroll