>>>>SI would be a much nicer place if anonymity weren't permitted at all. I'm not saying addresses or phone numbers should be available, but people expect (and do) way too much because they think they can get away with anything.<<<<<
Dale, I couldn't agree with you more. I grew up in Texas where a man's word used to be his bond. Million dollar deals were completed with just a handshake. A person would sooner lose his fortune than lose someone's trust or their “good name”. Trust took years to create and seconds to erase. It was something that was hard-earned, garnered and coveted . Once it was gone, decades, if not a lifetime, would pass before those lofty heights could ever be resurrected. In the meantime, alienation, scorn and derision were all that was left as that person's closest companions. People in America used to have “the courage of their convictions” and proudly always signed with real names. Electronic communications has given us much, but at what price? Now we have people routinely hiding behind the cloak of anonymity. When accountability is tossed from the mix, we are left to wade through the present murk of innuendo, touting, manipulation and an overall lack of cordiality. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against harsh words being spoken. I enjoy frank discussions as much as the next guy. But use THAT weapon wisely and prodigiously AND attach a real name to your statements so people may forever judge you on your credibility and accuracy. Imagine if the Declaration of Independence had been signed by “DownBigAgain”, “HaveHunchBuyLunch”, etc. instead of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin et al. Somehow the awesome courage and inspiration of that document would have been forever tarnished.
I do realize that the issue is not black and white. I do understand why otherwise honest, responsible and proud people are hesitant to give up the cloak of anonymity in this age of lawlessness where criminal justice, short of most high profile murder prosecutions, is often a charade. Trials often just re-persecute the victim thanks to a desertion of common sense from the courts. Harassment, stalking or worse are simply back-burner issues. And outrage has been officially deleted from the dictionary. But courage has never been easy and trust has never been negotiable.
Compared to Yahoo (where getting caught lying just means that it is time to change your alias), SI is a haven of truth. But anonymity degrades the intrinsic value and accountability of these boards and it all just frankly sickens me.
They say sunlight is the best disinfectant. Too many people here and elsewhere choose to live in the shadows where pride and honor never pay a visit. They may laugh on the way to the bank but the walk home can be mighty lonesome.
Ronald Ashkenazy
With deep respects to:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott, Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton, Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry, Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton, Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark, William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris, William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn, Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross, Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery, Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton, George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, and Carter Braxton. None of them ever hid behind an alias.
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