Can you be accused of terrorism for using Steemit?

The short answer is yes. We all have to worry about terrorism even if we don't really have to worry about terrorists, at least not in the way we are lead to think.

There I was, just going off about this Jewish mafia I kept hearing about, speaking about how their ills seem to survive the generations and even suggesting some solutions that would most definitely make it into the history books. My mother looks at me as she smiles and tells me that I really shouldn't be saying what I was saying since I had Jewish ancestry. I didn't believe her at the time and just brushed it of as wishful thinking from her part, since she's a Christian and surely being chosen by her god would be something desirable to her. But then my second puberty came about and somehow I ended up looking like I belong on a biblical movie or a 9-11 documentary...

Before visiting Panama, in central America, I had never been mistaken for an Israeli, I had only ever been taken for Arab prior to that trip. But there I was, at the Summit of the Americas representing a country (while not fully convinced countries are a good thing) which my face apparently was having a hard time representing. In 3 days I must have been asked whether I was from Israel about four times. Being asked where I am from or people assuming I was born in a place I wasn't is not rare for me, ever since I started taking hormones I've been called every other variation of terrorist because of the Middle Eastern air I have going on and my refusal to shave. But since I had never lived in North America, the mentions of my appearance would not really be charged with resentment but rather humor.

For a while now, being aware of how easily I could be mistaken for a conflictive person, some of my views on the world, on humanity, have changed. That, and coming in contact with people who have suffered due to a broken judicial system have pushed me to take a more vocal stance on matters that before I wouldn't had touched with a ten foot stick. You see...when you look like what people think a terrorist looks like, even if you are are not a terrorist, you don't have the luxury to not look into the possible dangers of being seen as a terrorist.

I went from being innocent until proven guilty to being guilty until proven innocent:

Being perceived as someone dangerous didn't necessarily originate with my Semitic looks, I didn't discover what being feared felt like until I was was seen as male, not Arab or Jewish, not even as transgender do people fear me more than the do by the mere fact that they think I have a penis. But this is another story for future posts, I am sure you just came here to find out how exactly you can be accused of terrorism by posting a few comments on Steemit.

The first time I became truly afraid of the war on terror was the day the war on terror decided to hit a gay night club. I never have been a fan of nightclubs, I can't even dance and don't drink alcohol anymore. But one morning I wake up to my girlfriend telling me that there was a terrorist attack on the state we were living in, the first thing I ask is how many, how many people died in order to assess the gravity of the situation. When I heard about the numbers I knew I would have a tough couple of months, by this point I didn't even know this had happened at a gay club.

I realized that someone could want to hurt me because they think I want to hurt gay people, this just ticked me off in more ways I think I could describe. I had just spent my first million (and all my money) on activism to help the gender and sexual diversities, I rallied so hard during the last few years for the rights of these people that my health had been compromised as result. I wasn't strong enough, nor physically or financially to be able to defend myself if someone were to attempt against me. I was named King of Pride, my picture was available in connection to gay activism, on top of that the EU had even financed a movie about my work for trans people. I knew there was a chance my picture could be placed next to مطلوب (wanted) and no one would know whether I was wanted for being gay or hating gays, I am neither gay nor do I hate them; I am not even religious, I just kept growing in frustration wondering how these people had managed to get me involved in what to me are delusions.

But I was involved, and I was involved big time. The reason I was involved is because I had identified some of my interests collectively at some point. Does this sound familiar, Steemians?

In the case of Steemit, as is the case with any other collective effort that can be branded, the risk of identity theft is ever present. And I don't mean someone stealing your password and posting for you, but since steemit works like an engine in some ways, every one of its components could be considered to be as valuable to its success, even if your wallet is not named after any sea creature. We build Steemit together, but what are we really building? And most importantly, what will people think we are building?

To give you a little perspective, going back to the gay theme, what would happen if an unstable person, not even a government or any organization, would go up to a mosque and set off a bomb leaving behind a rainbow flag? Isn't there enough of a precedent for people to believe a gay person could had been so radicalized as to take some justice for themselves? Worse, will there not be those who think this person was sanctioned by a larger volume of diversity activists? The aggressor was carrying the gay flag after all... What if it wasn't a mosque but a catholic church?

People believe what they want to believe

What if someone were to write and publish on Steemit speaking about increasing visibility for the network using uncommon tactics? This doesn't sound bad at all, they may even be able to lay out a good enough article to resonate with you and grant your approval, your vote. What if this person collects a 1,000 dollars thanks in part to your vote? All fine still? What if that same person goes out there and commits a crime with the money collected? Everything okay there? What if this crime was called a terrorist act? Does that not mean that you funded a terrorist? Are you not a part of a terrorist organization by then?

Nobody wants to be associated to negative things, specially if being associated can have negative repercussions. How long before all your financial assets are frozen because you are being investigated over possible terrorism? Do you think you would ever come back from an accusation like that even if proven innocent? Do you not know you can be thrown inside a dark hole indefinably and your family wouldn't even know about it, all legal under the Patriot Act?

By now you are probably thinking I am paranoid, and maybe I am, I really hope that you are right, I couldn't possible hope more strongly.

What pushed me to write this piece was my recent realization of how easy it is for people to accept whatever they see on TV, specially if it comes from who they consider to be an authority or protector. People will refuse to call someone the way they want to be called because the name is not culturally masculine or feminine enough against their sex, but the Islamic State has like 5 names and every one of them is as serious as the last.

And now, a warning for anonymity seekers: Those who are seeking anonymity using blockchain technology will feel what persecution is like next.

Questions about why someone would want to remain anonymous will be raised to a greater degree once the 2016 elections have passed. You can see signs of some governments preparing to paint cyberactivists as terrorists. It is important to actively address the issue of identities vs anonimity before accredited organizations which don't necessary hold humanity's best intentions at heart create the official story.

Before I wrap up this article I wish to extend a special warning to Dash -Digital Cash enthusiasts. Seeing how some media outlets continue to push for the implementation of the word Daesh, apparently pronounced the same as Dash, to refer to the same terrorist organization they already have six other names for.