Anonymity

The local paper has struck again insisting that it is absolutely necessary to reveal your name for anything you say to be credible. But what does that really mean? What does your name add to the opinions or news articles you link to? Does it affect the accuracy of what you are reporting? In the case of the agri-businessman, yeah he probably wouldn't have tried plugging his own company. But if you are reporting on some news or expressing an opinion, I cannot see how your name adds anything to your view of politics, religion, baking, shoe repair, photography, whatever. In the case of the more heated topics bloggers talk about, there is one thing I can see which is of value to the reader when revealing your name. Your personal life. Where do you live? Where do you work? Who's your spouse? Where do they work? Do they have any kids? Who are your friends? Who are your enemies?

Revealing your name allows people to find the answers to these questions. Furthermore, where can the answers to the questions lead someone who doesn't like your particular brand of politics or religion? How can I shut him/her up? I'm not particularly religious, but there is some truth to the phrase, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." The implication is that none of us are without sin and have perfect pasts. None of us. Some bloggers are not rich and do not have extraordinary lawyers to protect them. In addition to that, some bloggers don't have the ability to hire a body guard or get background checks run on those that send hate mail intending violence. A name allows people access to your personal life in order to find a chink in your armor where your ideas can be undermined.

I write to express my ideas on many things. I know not everyone agrees with me and so far I've been lucky that people don't send hate mail (not that its really that hard to figure out who I am, with access to friends, my town, info about where I went to school and such). But I would rather people evaluate my ideas and have the backbone to argue my ideas, and not my past or my bad choices. My ideas stand regardless of my own failures. Have the guts to argue about the ideas instead of personal information.

-Rage