The Moral Dilenma Of Speaking Up

Seeing this prompt about whistle blowing took my mind back to a few weeks ago while I was on TikTok. I saw a video a girl made trying to warn another girl about a danger ahead. Apparently, the boyfriend of the girl being warned was planning something dangerous, and the girl who made the video was coincidentally within earshot when she heard the conversation. She didn’t know the girl personally and had no direct access to her, so she made a video instead, hoping it would reach her in time.

Normally, I see videos like this all the time. People coming out to call someone out, expose wrongdoing, or report a crime they witnessed. But what really caught my attention wasn’t the video itself, it was the comment section. Almost every comment was about her safety. “You shouldn’t have said this here.” “You should have covered your face.” “You’re not safe saying things like this without being anonymous.” People weren’t debating whether she did the right thing, they were worried about what might happen to her next.

That got me thinking. Should a total stranger involve themselves in matters that don’t concern them directly, especially when it puts their own safety at risk? Is whistle blowing really worth it? Or have we reached a point where doing the right thing feels more dangerous than staying silent?

Morally, whistle blowing sounds like the right thing to do. You see something wrong, you say something. That something might be what is needed to make things right again. But in the real world, it’s not that simple. Especially in systems where people who speak up are not guaranteed safety. Most times, the regrets that follow the action outweigh what could have been the benefit. In the end, justice rarely gets done. The people who come out to report are dragged, threatened, or even lose face. So people tend to stay quiet these days, not because they don’t know what’s right, but because self-preservation becomes more important than the truth.

One has to attain a certain level of courage and boldness to speak up. Society often praises people who possess these qualities. Everyone sees it as admirable until it’s their turn to be that brave. Suddenly, silence feels safer. And honestly, not everyone is built for that kind of bravery. Personally, I know myself well enough to admit that I can’t set up a camera and start talking about this and that with hopes of it going viral and justice being served. With the current state of things, knowing fully well that I have no backup whatsoever, I would rather stay alive. We already have some influencers doing this kind of work and it's fine if they chose it do it.

Maybe it’s not the act of whistle blowing itself that is the problem. If there were proper systems that actually worked for the protection of people who speak up, legal backing, and real government-curated safety measures, then more people might consider stepping forward.

Another issue is credibility. How do we know when whistle blowers are being honest? How does the government make sure they aren’t being paid behind the scenes to fabricate stories? These are real concerns. It’s easy for someone to wake up one day and say something that could leave lasting scars for generations. Whistle blowing isn’t just about speaking up, it’s about ensuring that what is said is verified and not misleading. Evidence must be examined carefully so conclusions reached are just, actions taken are fair, the whistle blower is protected, and innocent parties are not subjected to unnecessary harm.

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