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Let’s Use Real Names at Redstate

By: AndrewHyman (Diary)  |  December 27th, 2009 at 01:11 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

I’m curious why this site encourages people to write under an alias.  Seems to me it would be preferable to use real names.  People would feel more responsible for what they write, and so the quality of the site would increase.

Wikipedia also allows people to write anonymously, and I long ago stopped contributing to Wikipedia because it’s become a left-wing propaganda site.  People gang up on each other, attack competent editors to demand content they like, and then administrators pretend to be neutral.  This is all facilitated by the ability to hide behind fictitious names.  Of course, it’s not nearly as bad at this site, which overall is a great site.  But, I think using real names woulod make this a better site still.

Writing anonymously has a long and proud history.  For example, many American commentators in the 1780s did so (e.g. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton).  But the practice has pretty much died out in newspapers, and overall that change was for the better, I think.  Using real names increases the writers’ sense of responsibility.

COMMENTS

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  • http://www.dcworksforus.com Kenny Solomon

    Real name here.

    My signature has a location where anybody can find me and a way to contact me – and even say hi in person.

    I don’t hide from my words or anything else – been there, done that, got too many t-shirts.

    I also work in “one of those” environments – public schools – no, I’m not a teacher. I help protect kids…..and help protect the teachers from the students.

    Anybody has a problem, c’mon down and we’ll talk.

    I said “we’ll talk”. Didn’t say yell, scream or anything in the ‘other’ category.

    Someone has a different agenda and there could be…….. ‘Difficulties’.

    Cheers !

  • Common_Cents
  • http://www.veronicaestrada.com/ Veronica Estrada

    I use my real name because I have nothing to lose.

    I’m home with the kids and we’ve lived on the brink for years as a middle-class family (awaiting the dreaded Pink Slip), if Daddy ever got fired, we’re just one step this side of “safe.” Short of them taking our lives, we’ll be okay.

    Confidence in God, me thinks.

    Truly .. I’m tired of being among the silent majority, and I intend to lead by example.

    Either someone with credence and a proper name will shut me up and correct me (be they conservative) or my kids will see the value of speaking the Truth.

    If I will try to speak the Truth, then I will have my name behind behind it.

    I do it on principle .. for me.

    I have the full support of my husband as well, because he’s my other half and I could not be vocal without his blessing.

    Pseudonames are cool, too, tho.

    To each, his own.

    • http://www.dcworksforus.com Kenny Solomon

      Dat wuz teh awesum, Veronica.

      Same for me, ‘ceptin’ I ain’t a lady, I ain’t marriaged and my lawyerin’ dude keeps tellin’ me I ain’t got no lil’ one’s anywhere ta come a-callin’ all unannounced-like,

      ;)

      My comment is up top a bit…… I’m not tired of hidin’, I just never did it in the first place.

  • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

    Though I know some on the right consider activism and winning elections to be icky things to be avoided if it means descending from the ivory tower.

  • Third Street

    My father was a frustrated streetcar conductor.

  • http://www.havearoach.com Lee Hempfling

    Have used my real name on this site for quite a long time. Even under the older version. Sometimes people don’t want what they say to be tied to who said it. On the other hand, there are those, like me, who don’t care what people see and would rather have attributes when deserved and attacks whenever necessary. Its fun.

  • Streiff

    Writing anonymously has a long and proud history. For example, many American commentators in the 1780s did so (e.g. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton).

    This doesn’t make a great case against pseudonyms.

    Have you ever seen the way the left goes after people with whom they disagree? And you can’t understand why people who work in, say for instance, places that are overwhelmingly Democrat, might not want crazies calling their workplace.

  • Swamp_Yankee

    You should walk a mile in my shoes. I’m Boston based. Whether working asan attorney or as a bartender, a conservative must epsouse his views and promote conservatism, shall I say, tactfully. I cna barely find work as it is. Last thing I need is a human resource guru to google my name and have it linked to some redstate post calling Ted Kennedy a drunken murderer.

  • http://impudent.blognation.us/blog kyle8

    I would prefer that you have to work a little bit for it. My job environment is very politically correct. I don’t need that kind of headache.

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    Having my mom discover that I had people declaring that wishing me well in my marriage was the same as supporting torture put a small but noticeable damper on her enjoyment of my wedding.

  • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine
  • Achance

    stuff I write, take it out of context, or excerpt it so as to change meaning and then post it all over Hellngone or send it to people.

  • AndrewHyman

    Moe, regarding your Mom, if she’s going to terrorize anyone at their workplace, I hope she terrorizes those folks who were wishing you well, rather than terrorizing YOU. :-)

    Seriously, Moe, even if you have regrets about it, I think it’s admirable that you still use your real name.

  • Tbone

    LOL. How’s your sister Lois getting along?

    snigger.

  • AndrewHyman

    No offense, Streiff, but most of the people at this website are not comparable to Hamilton and Madison.

    Anyway, if I understand you correctly, you’re saying that if people at this site used their real names, then they might face retribution from Democrats who might call their workplace to make trouble. Has that actually happened? I agree that it would be really bad if the nastiness on the internet starts popping up more in real life.

    At Wikipedia, I started out using my real name, but then switched to an alias after I encountered some of the maniacal fools who edit that “encyclopedia.” But they were all using aliases, which made it easier for them to run wild. I think if EVERYONE had to use real names, then that would eliminate a lot of the problem, and be an overall improvement.

    There are a lot of web sites where the bloggers use real names. Volokh Conspiracy, for example. I haven’t heard of any problems that those bloggers have encountered. It’s true that many of the commenters there can (and do) use aliases, but I don’t see why commenters would face any more harassment at work than bloggers.

    Here are some reasons not to blog under a pseudonym.

    The comments following news stories are typically full of venom, and I think anonymity brings out that out; it takes off the filters of normal politeness.

    P.S. I guess I’ll use the “Reply to This” button, though I find chronological comments preferable.

  • AndrewHyman

    I’m from Boston, so I know what you’re talking about. Connecticut (where I am now) isn’t much better.

    BUT, your last sentence is telling: “Last thing I need is a human resource guru to google my name and have it linked to some redstate post calling Ted Kennedy a drunken murderer.”

    What if you toned it down? For example: “Source X suggests that Ted Kennedy was likely intoxicated at Chappaquiddick, and in any event a normal citizen in his position would have faced manslaughter charges.” Same message, less inflammatory, more likely to persuade, IMHO.

  • penguin2

    get started in writing and in the exchange of ideas. Remember this is a grassroots site, the majority of us are just everyday folk, not big names or big shots. There really isn’t any “hiding behind” going on here as much as awareness of the big and sometimes bad, world of the internet. Also, this allows for protection for spouses and family.

    Besides, I like penguin, without the alter ego, I would never say a word out here. :)

  • mbecker908

    are a leftist HR person. Especially in Boston.

  • haystack

    It is telling, AndrewHyman, that you suggest we could be less honest or forthcoming with a comment or an opinion in exchange for using our real names. The whole freedom of speech idea is that we have a right to speak..not necessarily a right to be heard…but we also have a right to our livelihoods and a right to keep our families safe from raving lunatics looking to make a name for themselves, or destroy a person’s life just for the fun of it.

    FTR, most of us have long ago published our real names and have stayed with the pseudonyms because they’ve “grown on us”.

    Honestly, focus on the work and not the byline…we are about what we see and believe, not about what our names are and whether we want lunatics trying to destroy our lives because they disagree with us.

  • Swamp_Yankee

    Read and educate yourself before you jump to conclusions:

    http://www.redstate.com/swamp_yankee/2009/07/17/forty-years-ago-on-chappaquiddick-island/

    If, and thats a big if, all of your bosses for pretty much all of life life hated Republican, if you lived in Boston, like you wrote, you would realize that the tone doesn’t matter.

    This is a blog. Some conversation are more in-depth. but being a blog, there is much content that is quick and to the point and you may be engaged in a conversation that is harsh.

    HR gurus wont care if the person above you or below you in th comment section said something offensive, they will know where you stand and that is all that matters.

  • Beasley Beesmeal

    people better not start calling me for stuff….

  • Scope

    I’m trying to figure out, who here, would give themselves such a name. ROFLMAO

  • Scope

    I wanted to change my name to GovernmentWatchList, or RadicalRightWingExtremist, or HereYouGoHaveAtMe, but the site wouldn’t allow me to change my posting name.

  • http://www.dcworksforus.com Kenny Solomon

    Go to your profile and check it out.

  • Beasley Beesmeal

    NO…you can’t change your nickname…don’t even try…

  • Streiff

    You want to ask Erick what it is like having his law office picketed and the office phones shut down because of his Red State writing?

    Where I, and a lot of people here, work, I’d be afraid of retribution for posting here regardless of “venom” and I have no intention of sacrificing either my career prospects or my right of association because someone who obviously hasn’t done this very long think being harassed at home is just peachy keen.

    By the way, your link from that silly blog is fine if you’re 25 years old and living at home. If you’re in a senior position in an organization a lot of visibility for your partisan blogging isn’t a great move.

  • JadedByPolitics

    I going to go out on the limb and say you are too young or too stupid or BOTH to NOT recognize the VIOLENCE that permeates the “progressives” and they will stop at NOTHING to destroy you and because WE are smart enough to know that WE will continue to keep our online names and meet up and become KNOWN to those who are our FRIENDS and KINDRED SPIRITS!

  • bs

    It has nothing to do with “responsibility”. It has everything to do with how the Left retaliates against those with whom they disagree. And it doesn’t even have to be an antagonistic disagreement. Let’s just say that I’m a salesperson and one of my customers is a radical left-winger. I don’t need them to have their decision on my products affected by their opinion of my politics.

    I can assure you that the pseudonyms will stay – both here and elsewhere. Go find another windmill to tilt at.

  • bs
  • aesthete
  • penguin2

    I just googled Beasley Beesmeal, got 1-10 of 10 results all leading to different diaries here….So is this Neil who can do internet magic? Second guess is Aaron or TNJim…Or bring it back to Moe….penguin wants to know.

  • rbdwiggins
  • BooBooKitty

    NT

  • penguin2

    Actually, I meant to put that one in, because I saw his name with all of the entries. You have to be specific explaining to a penguin. :)

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    Because it wasn’t.

  • makemyday

    Looking at your profile I can get Andre Whyman out of it. Are you really French?

  • GovernmentWatchList

    n/t

  • rbdwiggins

    scroll mouse over user name…
    view results in status bar

  • GovernmentWatchList

    If you chose to accept this mission, the agency will deny any knowledge of it, this tape will self-destruct in five seconds.

  • penguin2

    that we are less responsible in our writing because we use pseudonyms, and that using real names would make it a “better site”- Hogwash. Quite a few use their real names, and pull no punches. So that doesn’t fly. Really, the fact that the poster wants to {out us} concerns me. Maybe Andrew did not think this out, but as I noted in my other comment, my family does not need to be penalized for what I do.

    And one other thing, in this day and age with the Leftists in charge, I have no confidence that even being a registered Republican and giving to Republican candidates does me or mine any favors.

    Mr Hyman, you need to think about how they have labeled us all, the VRWC.

  • penguin2

    name, from working with the profile. I can’t figure out how googling Beasley Beesmeal yields 1-10 of 10 results and leads back to different diaries here, where beesmeal then, does not appear.

    And who is Beasley Beesmeal?

  • penguin2

    LOL, I was scrolling mouse on the screen but not on name, and did not have a clue. Being tech challenged and all….And I Should have guessed it was $peciallist, he is tech extraordinaire and mischievous as well, you hear, $peciallist?

    Thank you, rbdwiggins.

  • AndrewHyman

    Lots of other online sites have discussed the advantages and disadvantages of anonymity. For example, here at the Economist and here at NPR. NPR says: “The preference is that people use their real names; we think this practice promotes a tone of civility and responsibility. That said, NPR cannot outright ban someone who doesn’t use their real name simply because there is no way to enforce it.”

    I definitely would oppose any Redstate policy that bars people from using pseudonyms. At the same time, it would seem appropriate for a site like Redstate to simply request (without enforcement) that people try to use real names unless you have a serious concern that it could cause harm.

    Now let’s see what all you friendly pseudonymous commenters have to say about someone who mentions NPR without simultaneously and vociferously condemning NPR. :-)

  • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

    Your comment is a worthy nominee for a Dorwin Award.

  • bs

    and they have posted on this thread… that’s highly unlikely to happen.

  • Scope

    stupid, as this person is for everything entitlement. The young are so against entitlements, because they are stuck paying for the entitlements of the old folks. This guy wants as much as he can possibly get from the government, which, makes him less than conservative, and, even Republican.

    My reply to this is not working again.

  • Vladimir

    I haven’t tried to make it a military secret who I am, but like kyle8, I prefer if someone has to work for the information.

    My profile is all the disclosure you need. Even though my opinions are more informed and less likely to benefit me personally than are Al Gore’s, just my job description is enough for leftists to totally discount my opinion on matters concerning energy & the environment.

    My company is regulated by the Dept of the Interior, the EPA, the Coast Guard, et al, so I’d rather keep a clear separation between my views and my company’s business.

  • Beasley Beesmeal

    Vassar Bushmills……got it covered

    yes, we have very cool names and we have decided to use them.

  • Menlo

    Maybe it’s subconscious, but I just don’t feel comfortable with my full name being anywhere on the internet. I really have no particular fear in terms of my safety or employment.

    I picked up Menlo from an episode of the 80′s TV show “Mama’s Family” and decided to go with it.

  • proudmarinemom

    if you want your tires slashed or worse.

    Having been called a Nazi, a racist, a selfish Capitalist (gasp) and the mother of a baby-killing, plundering, raping, brain-washed, war-mongering invader who will pose a threat to society on his return from the front, I’d just as soon keep a little anonymity, thanks. Janet Napolitano probably already has people following my minivan around the Beltway.

    Cheers.

  • mom2oneson

    When I’ve emailed mods or members I’ve always signed my name but I don’t want some lurking loser scary man sending me weirdo scary emails or something that isn’t a participant on here that has bad intentions to scare me instead of real dialouge. I love everyone here and wished we all lived closer by to get togehter once in a while. I’m going to make it to Atlanta one of these years.

  • Richard Mullins

    I understand the reason for laying low in Suburban DC, Conservatives are never welcomed there. I know to well of course, I’ve lived that close since I was almost 8 yrs old.

  • bs

    If someone wanted to try hard enough (and it wouldn’t take much effort), they could ID me, or at least make a good guess. I just don’t want it glaring out in the open for casual observers.