Klarinet Archive - Posting 000063.txt from 2003/07

From: "Kevin Fay" <kevinfay.home@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Anons
Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2003 00:43:54 -0400

David Blumberg posted:

<<<Anonymity is for folks who don't have the guts to post their name -
therefore their opinion holds no value at all.>>>

Not necessarily. People might have many reasons for not posting their =
name -
you're projecting if you think timidity is the only one. Not posting =
your
name to an internet list is much like having an unlisted phone number =
(or
using only one's first initial, a common practice for females living =
alone).
Putting even a mildly unusual name into a search engine can bring up all
kinds of information; it's very possible that folks would rather not =
share
that trail. Students may have teachers known to read the list, for =
example.

Posting an *idea* anonymously has a pernicious side effect - you're =
forced
to evaluate the idea on its own, without context or baggage.
Posting/publishing anonymously also allows one to proffer ideas that may =
be
unpopular. =20

In this country (USA), there's a long history of anonymous political
discourse. Most of the pamphlets from the American Revolution were first
published anonymously - in no small part out of fear of retribution, no
doubt. Most of the Federalist Papers were first published anonymously =
as
well, however, when there could be no personal backlash, under the =
theory
that the ideas should stand by themselves. The difference between an
anonymous opinion and that of a person who offers a name unknown to me =
is
negligible.

I don't post anonymously, as it's just too much work for me to bother.
Others may have reasons to that I don't, however, so I reserve judgment =
and
value each post by content, not author.

Kjf

(That's for "Kevin Fay" - the name in my email address.)
=20

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