Mr. Chicken: He comments, and blogs, but doesn’t use his real name. Some day he’ll become a person, who’ll put his real name behind his public thoughts. In the meantime, ignore him.
The marketplace of ideas is not well served by “no-name” writers and thinkers. And if you think about it, anonymous commenters have chosen to be in a lower caste. In a society where by law, or cultural folkways, we are not permitted to discriminate, here’s your chance to break the rules for solid reasons. And do some good, too.
Exclude them. Insist on real names–or just block the comment. Exceptions to the requirement of identifying one’s self in the blogosphere should be extremely rare.
The Problem: Nameless Bloggers and Commenters. “Hi, I’m Nothing. And No One. Here’s what I really think? Very valuable. My opinions are very strong. Want to hear them?” No, sir, I really don’t. Who with any character or intelligence would? So why do so many frequent and regular commenters–to this blog and others, in both North America and Europe, legal and non-legal–lack the courage and self-respect to use their real names?
And why do so many bloggers themselves put up with it? For example, see the very fine and enduring Above the Law. There, and at this blog (far less traffic, far fewer comments), the best comments seem to be by actual people who give their actual names. But there are too few of them.
Comments from identified humans are easier to swallow because they have more credibility. A reputation–of a real person, who has taken a risk–backs the comment.
1. At many blogs, the comments are routinely anonymous. Oddly, to me, they appear to be, and often claim to be, from males. “Men”. Some no-name comments are wonderful. Some are funny; a few ABL comments are classics, and can be wickedly witty and biting. Some are dumb. Or absurd (that’s okay). Some are cries for help. Some are based on horribly unfair innuendo and/or defamatory. Some are vicious.
2. I can be pretty mean and opinionated, too. Even vicious. Sometimes I get paid for that. But I’ll sign my name to my ideas–and thereby to all my shortcomings.
3. People who have no spine: an industrial accident, maybe? A war injury? Tell me about that. WAC? is all ears, and we have a big heart.
4. So you don’t give your real name. You’re dressing it up–the condition of having no-sand–as a “privacy” protection? That it?
5. Are no-name commenters just Slaves and Peasants–leading lives of quiet desperation? Are they constantly in fear about losing their jobs? My humble opinion: they hate themselves, or have very little confidence in what they are thinking and saying. But under no circumstances are they worthy of your time–or even your thoughts.
6. I am fascinated by this. How did this all start? Our New Age digital spine deficiency. How can we end it? You know, become real people again. People with courage and character. All those old verities. How brave do you have to be in the blogosphere? Just a bit? Brave enough to use your own name?
7. Can we fine tune the Internet, and blogosphere? The Internet is still very new–and still very much an American phenom. Yanks built it, and will continue to control it, likely for decades. But play time is over. Can we now lead a little? We can make it more valuable, and more useful.
And more responsible and credible. We can make the Internet’s dialogue more attractive to the entire world–respected by everyone as a fine and promising experiment in the trade, flow and use of great ideas.
Ari Gold (likely based on one of the Emanuel brothers and played by Jeremey Piven): You might not like him–he’s funny but abusive, dismissive and rude, right? But WAC? bets that the real Ari has the sand to use his own name on the Net. (HBO)