Re: Reflections from Coe: Looking In The Mirror Again...

Brian Tung wrote:
Greg Crinklaw wrote:
With respect to Willie's post, I've seen him post, recently, lots of
good on-topic material, which was why I was surprised by the one that
started this thread. So I guess that's my point: Understandably, you're
pretty hurt by that characterization. But unless you've been paying
close attention, you might not have noticed that he had been using a
pseudonym. So the question is, are you more bothered by the hurtful
nature of the posting, or by the fact that he posted under a pseudonym? As the target of that post, you might feel differently, but it seems to
me that for most people, it would be the former that would be the
problem.

I am not at all "hurt" by his post. I would describe my feeling more as disappointment. Disappointment that someone would post something like that, either because they are hurtful, stupid, or mistakenly think they are funny (take your pick). Regardless such a response deserves little respect and since this person hides behind a pseudonym in what I feel is a cowardly manner it just makes it all that much easier to place his pseudonym in the old kill file.

As an aside, if I could sum up how I feel about SAA, "disappointment" would fit pretty well. I am constantly disappointed in the way people behave here (and sometimes disappointed in myself.)

I also think that Starlord is a meaningful exception, and not just one
that proves the rule, as the old saying goes. He is an exception
precisely *because* he posts consistently. I think if other folks
tried to forge a posting from him, without having read his posts here on
SAA over the years, they would probably fail; we'd spot them a mile
away. We've come to know what general kind of posts to expect from him.

I think it's more what I said--that he doesn't hide. Hiding is the key (at least for me). Starlord hides nothing (and has even posted his real name on occasion). So as far as I'm concerned, when it comes to what counts (what I call hiding) Starlord may not be an exception at all. The thing is, it's more difficult to "hide" using your real name.

All that being said, I do agree that people are somewhat less likely to
act unreasonably when they sign their real name to a post, but I think
it is not a requirement to do so. Suppose my name were in fact
something different (that isn't actually true, except for the fact that
"Brian" is a nickname I use everywhere, simply for convenience), and
suppose I were to divulge that suddenly. I don't think that would
invalidate the Usenet persona of "Brian Tung" that has accumulated over
a period of more than a decade. It's possible that some folks might
think less of me as a result, but personally, I think that would say
less about me than it would about them--not negative, necessarily, but
not someone I would want to know well.

The way I look at it is this: you don't use a pseudonym because you are here on SAA for serious respectful discussion. The two are indeed linked, if not directly. Let's face it, the majority of people who are not here for serious respectful discussion use pseudonyms...

Clear skies,
Greg

--
Greg Crinklaw
Astronomical Software Developer
Cloudcroft, New Mexico, USA (33N, 106W, 2700m)

SkyTools: http://www.skyhound.com/cs.html
Observing: http://www.skyhound.com/sh/skyhound.html
Comets: http://www.skyhound.com/sh/comets.html

To reply take out your eye
.