Mr. Chicken: Ignore him.
Note: Below is a June 8, 2009 post we like, to be honest, for its louder volume and stronger tone. “Anonymity abuse” is not just about lawyers. With some important exceptions–e.g., you are writing about civil liberties from Cuba, Iran or mainland China, you’re a battered housewife, you’re in the witness protection program and hiding from contract killers–anonymity (including pseudonyms) on the World Wide Web is unbecoming, unpersuasive, wimpy, sad and, frankly, classless.
The Internet’s Accountability Problem: Big Mouths. No Names.
Behold the New Peasant Culture for our New Digital World. What on earth are they afraid of? Everything? Everyone?
Man up, y’all. The Net is growing up. It’s time for people who use it to do the same. “Hiding” behind bogus names, stylized cowardice, and non-accountability are not clever, awesome, slick or cool.
Just sad and lame. So let’s all start a new fashion. Our advice, until we arrive at a new etiquette or regime on this issue? Block, ignore and discourage nameless commenters. Actively diss and make fun of them.
They aren’t worth it; even they think that.
Anonymity rarely merits your time, thoughts and efforts.
Got sand? A bit of self-respect? Some class, maybe? 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. Anonymity does not “work” for legal blogging/commenting–or any other serious discussion in Western civilization.
Nameless Bloggers and Commenters. 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.