[aishah]

i agree with what bulldog posted, for the most part.

i can see a need for anonymity for reasons of safety (i have at different points in my life used pseudonyms and other ways of keeping myself anonymous to talk about things that it wasn't safe to talk about). but for the most part, i don't understand the purpose of participating in a discussion unless i'm being honest about myself. that doesn't necessarily have to mean revealing every detail of my life or giving people my address, but i've worked really hard to make a life where i can be who i am authentically. not wanting to give that up makes it difficult for me to understand why some people are so invested in remaining anonymous. it also makes it difficult to have an ongoing sense of dialogue or community with someone, when there is not much continuity in how they present themselves.

and i do think that it leads to a lack of authenticity and community accountability, sometimes. it seems like online spaces rife with anonymity tend to just be full of people blowing off steam (like 4chan, which is a place i've never really understood, to be honest).

maybe part of it for me is that i'm not interested in abstract, intellectual discussion for the sake of discussion. i want to talk about things that are rooted in and relevant to people's experiences in the world.