Between Justice, Loyalty, and Safety — My Honest Thoughts on Whistleblowing
Whistleblowing is a good thing because it helps curb the rate of crime in society. However, I don’t think I would want to do it myself because it’s a very risky role.
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I once spoke with a guy on the Hive platform who shared the threats and harassment he received from people in his own country, people living close to him, just because he exposed them for plagiarism. It got so bad that he had to leave his home for a while until things calmed down.
This is one of the reasons I don’t think I could ever become a whistleblower. I hate putting myself at great risk. Not to mention risking the safety of my family. For what? To expose people, and in the end, those responsible for arresting the criminals might not even protect my loved ones.
In my country, many youths are involved in cyber fraud and other illegal activities. In the area where I currently live, out of the three neighbors in my compound, one is into cyber fraud, another sells weed and other hard drugs, and the third, I honestly don’t even know what he does, and I mind my business.
The one selling hard drugs was noticed by my wife; she has seen him several times selling to guys in our estate, and they even talk about it openly, like it’s normal. But if I report him to the police, I automatically become his enemy. And for what gain?
He has a wife and a child. That illegal business is clearly his source of income. Yes, what he’s doing is wrong, but at the same time, I don’t feel it’s my place to judge him completely. I’m not in his shoes, and I don’t know the struggles that pushed him into that line of work.
I once had a close street brother. From 2011 to 2018, we lived in the same compound, and our bond grew strong over the years. After he finished school around 2016, he worked a few jobs, but the income wasn’t enough to cover his bills. Eventually, he got involved in cyber fraud.
If I were truly a whistleblower, he would have been one of the first people I would have reported. Reporting him would mean betraying someone close to me, yet staying silent would mean more victims falling prey to his actions. In the end, I did nothing. I couldn’t report him, and I also didn’t support what he was doing.
There are some crimes I cannot ignore, especially those that involve taking human lives. If I discovered that a kidnapper was operating in my area, I would report it. Staying silent in that kind of situation would also put my life and my family at risk. And for me, family always comes first.
In the end, people usually find ways to justify their actions — and while that may be understandable from their perspective, I don’t see it as my responsibility to expose everyone. I believe it’s the duty of the proper authorities to investigate and handle such matters. Everyone has a role, and that one is not mine.
Just call me Burl.
I am a professional gamer, motivational speaker and a crypto enthusiast
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