Having a fictitious name or writing under a nom de guerre can be fun, and it can be completely honest. And then, I wonder. Can doing so also provide cover for saying things we might not otherwise say in tones that are offensive?


As I often do, I wrote a provocative post that started as an e-mail from Cam followed by my response. As it was the week of July 4, I thought sharing those private thoughts would provoke thinking, disagreement, and emotions. It is my belief that we can often learn more from those who disagree with us than from those who agree. So with Cam's permission, I ran the post. It stayed up for three days, and then I took it down. (You can read why here.)
It may be coincidence but one of the comments took disagreement to a level I have never experienced and attacked me personally. Keep in mind that I am a former columnist with whom readers often disagreed, vehemently. But no one before has ever personally attacked me and my upbringing. The writer comments under a fictitious name. That may mean nothing at all. Or it could mean everything.
Conversation has reached a level of anonymity never before experienced. Social Media allows us to say things that we might not otherwise say in face-to-face conversations. I think that is mostly a good thing. Courage sometimes comes from anonymity, and if that courage allows someone normally to shy to share, bravo! I want all voices to be heard, especially when I publish publicly. I cherish all ideas, whether or not they agree with mine.
What I have are questions of conduct. And here are a few of them:
1. Did I break an unwritten rule by removing the post and its comments? Does that tarnish my credibility?
2. Should anonymous comments and bloggers be given the same trust as those who offer up their real names?
3. If we are offended by a comment on one of our posts, do we have the right to remove it? Should we remove it?
4. When conversation turns uncivil, what should be our response?
You may have other questions, and I invite you to raise them. Most important, however, are your reactions to what I have said here. We need more sharing about having conversations in a public place. This new medium, and mediums not yet invented, demand that we do.
A final thought: None of my questions has anything to do with censorship. I have made my living for the better part of 35 years writing and speaking my mind and defending the rights of others to do the same. My point here is: Say anything you want on your blog. But when we are guests at another's blog, how should we behave?
I am a huge advocate of free speech. Everywhere I publish, I want to hear all views and positions. It is healthy for growth and for a free press. That said, should we expect conversations to be civil always or do I live on Candy Cane Lane?