Fear of 'sensitivity'

In a poor mountainous province in the North, I met a young commune chairman. He went to that remote mountainous area under the government's project to bring intellectuals to become commune leaders.

He appeared enthusiastic, sympathetic to the lives of his fellow countrymen, and had a relatively modern way of thinking. But in our conversation, despite our attempts to be open, we could not avoid the shadow of a dialogue between a reporter and a village official.

I asked him for information about a corruption case in the area. The cows that were meant to support the people of a poor hamlet “lost” and ended up in the house of a district official. The government gave ten cows, but the hamlet had seven left, the people living in the mountains told me in broken Vietnamese.

The case has been tried. The district official has been prosecuted and must remedy the consequences. But the commune chairman, during the conversation, remained cautious: he could not tell because of something he described as “sensitive”, because of a vague sense of some kind of uncertainty.

I have never had such a difficult time finding information about a case that had been concluded by the government, something that I thought was as clear as day. I could not find out the details. The people were not informed about the case. Officials answered hesitantly and evasively because it was a “sensitive issue”.

That young man, young and somewhat daring to venture into remote areas, quickly caught up with the common practice, which I temporarily call "self-censorship".

Self-censorship itself is not bad, and in many cases is even necessary. Self-censorship is to avoid issues that violate the law, ethical standards; avoid harming vulnerable groups... That is, self-censorship is truly meaningful if it is directed towards the interests of the community, the progress and democracy of society.

But in our country, the concept of self-censorship is mentioned when people refuse to mention an issue for the reason of "sensitivity". As for what is "sensitive", no one has defined it, it is just that people feel they should avoid issues that can create conflicts, to avoid trouble for themselves, to please their superiors and to avoid harming their interests - interests that are sometimes called "nation".

“Sensitivity” becomes an indestructible shield. Even if it is sometimes just a feeling, a speculation tinged with fear.

The village chairman could have told me about the case frankly and clearly, because it was a matter of black and white. He even had the responsibility to provide both information and opinions.

Many people have the opportunity to do so. Many issues need to be transparent. But they choose not to, because the issue is “sensitive”. They censor themselves out of fear of the unknown.

Many years ago, a journalist, before interviewing former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, asked his assistant if there were any “sensitive” issues that should be avoided from asking the Prime Minister. The answer was no. During the interview, recalling that story, Mr. Kiet told the journalist that “sensitive” is just a way of calling the fear of those who do not dare to do things and do not dare to take responsibility for their actions. Self-censorship is, in fact, self-fear.

Self-censorship is so contagious that the infected person doesn’t even realize it. Because when self-censoring, people choose to do nothing. Doing nothing seems harmless, and is always easier than choosing to act and then facing the risks of trouble, even conflict that may arise.

This kind of self-censorship can be found even in the most ordinary people. People do not want to exercise their rights of supervision and criticism, which are provided by law, because of vague fears. This habit of self-censorship goes hand in hand with a precarious state of existence: people do not live according to principles, but act and speak based on “anticipation”.

But doing nothing of course does not mean harmless, it even becomes an obstacle to progress. Society is regulated based on laws, not based on emotions and emotional speculation.

Have you ever decided that you won't voice a constructive opinion, whether at work or just on the Internet, because of this vague fear called "sensitivity"?

According to VNE