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  • 20
    Posted by Zenphamy 8 years, 9 months ago
    Personally, I'm glad to share my identification with certain individuals on a selective basis, but not just anyone on a public Posting/Commenting site.

    Being an Objectivist in today's world is not necessarily a popular stance, and to be honest my privacy, or loss of it, is a right that I protect as much as I can. There's far too little of it left today.
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    • Posted by mccannon01 8 years, 9 months ago
      Well said, Zenphamy, and I'm in agreement. I'm sure if someone really really really wanted to find me, they wouldn't have too much trouble. However, I do use a pseudonym on most sites, including this one, because my opinions and comments can get strong from time to time and I have no desire for a brick through my window or any other shenanigans. Now, I may be wrong in THAT opinion, but for now I'll stick with it. [Side note: I'm not at the point where I can call myself a pure Objectivist, but I've been a long time fan of Ayn Rand and lean in that direction.]
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      • Posted by lrshultis 8 years, 9 months ago
        Probably should stay away from that pure (religious) Objectivism. My main complaint about objectivists is the incessant need to judge every little part of the lives of others (of course that excludes those on this site) trying to remain pure.
        I am mainly interested in objectivist metaphysics and epistemology as related to formulations from various mathematicians and physicists. I am not an academic and have only met in person about a dozen people in my life (76 years old) who have even heard of Rand and only one or two who took her seriously.
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        • Posted by ewv 8 years, 9 months ago
          People have different personalities and interests and not everyone who likes Atlas Shrugged is necessarily someone you want to be your friend, and vice versa. It's a shame that in all that time you have only met a few people interested in Ayn Rand's ideas or who have heard of her.

          There is no such thing as a "pure religious Objectivism" and there is no "incessant need to judge every little part of the lives of others trying to remain pure." Whatever you think you have encountered, it isn't Objectivism. People come to this site intrigued by what they have seen of Ayn Rand and looking for more information. Please don't spread malicious gossip undermining that.

          The ethics, political philosophy and aesthetics of Ayn Rand are very important, but so are the metaphysics and epistemology you are interested in. Perhaps you could start a thread on your particular interests.
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          • Posted by lrshultis 8 years, 8 months ago
            I did not mean "pure religious Objectivism", I meant that pure Objectivism would be a closed philosophical system and thus be taken as a religion. I did not intend to be malicious.
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    • Posted by $ Suzanne43 8 years, 9 months ago
      Especially with the Obama and his attorney general in power. All Dr. Carson did was attend a prayer breakfast and mildly rebuke Obama. Within fifteen minutes, he was under an audit by the IRS. Don't ever think that our government doesn't look at this discussion group.
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  • 10
    Posted by 8 years, 9 months ago
    My reason for not using my real name is, I think, justifiable. Thirty years ago I was publicly identified as a vital technical expert for strategic warning systems, and shortly thereafter was the target of an attempt on my life (obviously unsuccessful) by the KGB. I remained in the field of space based sensors, contributing to missile defense and intelligence communities, and was advised to keep a low profile.

    It's been a long time, and the Soviet Union is no more, but I've occasionally had repeated incidents that would indicate I've been remembered. You can chalk it up to paranoia, but I remain cautious.

    I assume some here just don't care about what others think; some just use whatever name they were assigned by some entity like AOL, with no significant reason. I was just curious, and would also be interested in why a nom de plume is so disturbing to those who've mentioned it.
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    • Posted by khalling 8 years, 9 months ago
      I think you may be asking me, as at least one who has mentioned it. I think there could be legit reasons for it. For those who are super privacy hawks and then for the unusual circumstance you shared about your own life. However, if you are not super threatened in the world, it is often used as a way to throw bombs without standing behind them. In a war, it's one thing-but in an intellectual debate, it smacks as someone who wants to hide from what they are saying. It raises questions of honesty and credibility
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      • Posted by 8 years, 9 months ago
        Like you, I too often witness the "bomb throwers" hiding behind false names. If that somehow gives them the delusion that inflammatory responses aren't named at them, but at their phony persona, they're welcome to that fantasy.
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        • Posted by khalling 8 years, 9 months ago
          yes, but it takes someone longer to determine their authenticity. On this board, I'm probably in here more than most. If you do not share your real name, it takes longer for people to get a feel for you. think invited guest to a living room vs trick or treaters. In here, we basically invite trick or treaters to dinner. If they are stealing the soaps and silverware, it takes us awhile to pick up on that. probably not the best analogy, but close. :)
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          • Posted by 8 years, 9 months ago
            I will say that the Gulch is the best managed forum I've been party to, and with a higher caliber of credible intellectual exchange. Your efforts are appreciated.
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            • Posted by khalling 8 years, 9 months ago
              as are yours. someday I want to hear that story....
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              • Posted by 8 years, 9 months ago
                I suppose after 30 years it's safe to disclose that the incident involved cut brake lines and a steep mountain road. I was lucky to make it to a garage, where I discovered the lines had been purposely severed. However, the KGB connection wasn't disclosed until a government investigating agency informed me that was the source of the attempted "accident." I was under strict orders not to disclose that near miss to anyone, including my wife, as they were continuing to watch the suspects. I finally decided to tell my spouse about it 20 years later. Not as dramatic as some KGB kills, and I always felt it was a demonstration of how the USSR was in collapse.
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    • Posted by Herb7734 8 years, 9 months ago
      Dr. Z.
      You certainly have a more than valid reason for anonymity.
      I wonder if un-credited works count. On one occasion A friend needed some "creepy" music for background in a play he wrote and produced. I am particularly good at "creepy."
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      • Posted by ewv 8 years, 9 months ago
        The vast majority of people posting comments on the internet don't publicly reveal their names for a variety of reasons. The "financial model" of the internet has become surveillance and you are the product. Murder by the remnants of the KGB is only one possible outcome. If I were you I would be more careful about revealing your last name, 7734.
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  • Posted by Technocracy 8 years, 9 months ago
    Oddly using a nick or handle rather than your real name doesn't bother me. There are valid reasons to do so, safety reasons as well as others. In the case of someone that has been spending time on forums and BBSs as long as I have, it is far more normal than using your own name.

    For me when trying to judge whether an inflammatory post is just a tossed bomb or a sincere disagreement other factors come into play.

    Age of account - trolls and pure bomb throwers tend to be new accounts, they go away on their own or get shown the door pretty quick here. Thank you for that, moderators.
    Prior contributions - are their other contributions normally inflammatory? Or is this a hot issue for them
    My prior interactions with them - Good, Bad, None?

    The internet is a great facilitator of communication. At the same time it also compromises communication in the sense that virtually none of the emotion or attitude is apparent. That lack makes it easy to misconstrue intent and meaning.

    And also, there are some people we just cannot get along with in any group, for whatever reason.

    Bottom line, I give people a certain amount of benefit of the doubt.

    This nick I've been using for 20+ years, for what its worth
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  • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years, 9 months ago
    One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given was by my fifth grade English teacher. After intercepting a note passed between two girls, she posted it on the bulletin board -- to their embarrassment. She said, "Don't put anything in writing you don't want posted on the bulletin board".

    I've taken that advice to heart. In the digital age, there is really no such thing as anonymity and so to keep in mind that what I write is being posted on the bulletin board I always use my own name.

    Of course since my son is named after me I tell him that it's so that he gets the blame.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 8 years, 9 months ago
    My name is Herbert David Shapiro and I was named after my mom's grandpa. The name in Hebrew is "Chaim Dovid" which means "Life Beloved." I was born in 1934 the year of the lowest birthrate in the 20th century, which makes both me and Ralph Nader and my wife rare people. And I don't care who knows it. I have been putting my name in front of lost and punishing causes for over 50 years, so what the hell. I became an Objectivist 56 years ago and it's been a bumpy but satisfying ride. And so, who are you and what is your relationship to Flash Gordon?
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    • Posted by ewv 8 years, 9 months ago
      "which makes both me and Ralph Nader and my wife rare people"

      Which one of you is Ralph Nader?
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      • Posted by Herb7734 8 years, 9 months ago
        He's the guy who wants to protect you from auto manufacturers.
        So...what IS your relation to Flash?
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        • Posted by ewv 8 years, 9 months ago
          You said "both" and then listed three. That makes one of you a redundancy. So which of you is Nader?

          Who's Flash? You mean Trash? That was The Herb Plan for can 7734.
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          • Posted by Herb7734 8 years, 8 months ago
            Dr. Zarkov is the name of a character in the Flash Gordon series of comic strips, serial movies and a major film with Queen providing the background music. He was Flash's scientific, brainy but somewhat ditzy friend.
            I should have indicated three or left out one.
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  • Posted by freedomforall 8 years, 9 months ago
    I may not agree with all of your postings, but I completely agree with your reasoning for a pseudonym, DrZ.
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    • Posted by 8 years, 9 months ago
      I don't take differences of opinion as personal insults against my character, and enjoy an exchange of ideas. Often I find that an oppositional, well reasoned thought makes me reexamine my own position - exercising the "little grey cells," as Hercule Poirot would say. Thanks for your understanding, and please keep throwing punches.
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  • Posted by ProfChuck 8 years, 9 months ago
    My screen name is "ProfChuck". I chose that because that name is also used on my other social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter. My real name is Charles Ivie. I am a retired scientist and educator. I worked for NASA for over 35 years and taught astronomy, physics and mathematics at several universities and colleges. I am not ashamed to be a strong supporter of objectivism and Ayn Rand's principals. As a scientist they make more sense to me than most political and economic philosophies.
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  • Posted by $ Mimi 8 years, 9 months ago
    I am Mimi to my family. :)
    But, I have used different usernames for different sites. Sometimes for security reasons, sometimes just to be whimsical. Depends on the purpose of the site.
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  • Posted by RobertFl 8 years, 9 months ago
    Now-a-days, employers can demand to check you social media posts. As much as I don't have a problem with my posts, they might.
    Further, if you use your real name, the can just search for your posts without your permission.
    Where I work there is a push for us to add "social media sweeps" for physicians by insurance companies. Not always their post, but patients posts/comment on physicians.
    There are a few of us resisting that.
    We are fast becoming a society of "socially anti-social" people.
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  • Posted by $ SarahMontalbano 8 years, 9 months ago
    I don't have an issue with revealing my real name, especially because I do not post a lot, I'm polite when I do, and I have nothing to hide, besides. That is just my opinion and I don't blame anyone for not sharing their true identities.
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  • Posted by Zero 8 years, 9 months ago
    I've used Zero throughout my life.
    For several years I introduced myself as such but these days it's just a screen name and pseudonym.
    Imparted by one of my first Great Mentors, I am very fond of my "other" name.

    But, of course, there is also privacy.
    We are stripping away all vestiges of boundary and personal space in this age of social media. I resent it and I resist it.
    I have every right to keep my private-life private. Including (especially) my political views.
    I am not quiet with my beliefs but I choose the venue.

    Sure the scoundrel hides his face during a cowardly attack, but the honest man has reason for prudence as well.

    And, just to have it asked - how in the hell does this violate some OBJ principle?
    I consider myself educated on the subject but there is always more to learn - so educate me.
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  • Posted by johnpe1 8 years, 9 months ago
    my best male friend -- currently living here with us --
    dreams of being a "naught" like the characters in the
    old tv show "max headroom." . the reason is twofold:::
    first, the stuff which is put on the internet is effectively
    eternal -- it can come back to bite you. . and second,
    the more you are exposed to the world, the more
    you may be at risk, 'cuz the bad guys look for marks,
    here.

    if I just mention that tomorrow is "land taxes" day,
    or that we have a tree farm, it reveals that we can
    afford to pay land taxes, and if you add that to the
    other stuff which I have revealed, you can track us down
    and, well, you know the rest.

    thus, anonymity is a value. . even to objectivists. -- j
    .
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  • Posted by TheRealBill 8 years, 9 months ago
    There are many objective reasons why one would use a pseudonym here. Ranging from physical threats to overzealous would-be employers, to basic preference for privacy and making it more difficult for crawlers to tie one's posts in disparate arenas together to identify you for example. Some people have a mental block to ideas if they know some of your unrelated opinions and thoughts. By operating under a pseudonym you can preserve the purity of context it sometimes takes to get through to people. How many times have solid, objective, and reasonable commentary been dismissed based on unrelated factors such as the author's skin color, background, or other demographic?

    Curiously, in a sense Galt turned his own name into an effective pseudonym as illustrated by the phrase "Who is John Galt?" and how it became somewhat mythologized and genericized. This produced the heavier impact when he revealed himself. We've seen similar occurrences in actual American history. Sometimes the content is more important than the author or their identity.

    That is my two cents worth anyway. For my handle here, it is a bit of branding and a pointer right at my real name - which people normally assume incorrectly. ;)
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  • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 8 years, 9 months ago
    Never gave it a thought...too many with my name so I am forced not to...kinda like the olduglycarl, it's honest and no one else would be willing to admit they got ugly with age.
    My name is Carl by the way and I use my full name in publication of my book.

    Never would of thought anyone might consider a screen name not objective...where's that coming from?
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  • Posted by Rex_Little 8 years, 9 months ago
    I've always used this alias for everything I do online, from blog comments to games to Facebook. No particular reason, it's just something I do. Whether anyone thinks it makes me less an Objectivist I care not a fig.
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  • Posted by Lucky 8 years, 9 months ago
    A real name is one that a person chooses, this may be different from a name chosen by parents.
    A name used by a bank or tax or welfare dept. for such business purposes may not be a real name for other purposes.

    "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"
    "Call me anything but call me in time for dinner".
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  • Posted by $ sjatkins 8 years, 9 months ago
    Use of pseudonym has a long history of reasonable use. So the question is to me rather baseless. I use my own name but I would have no qualms at all if I felt I had good reason not to do so.
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  • Posted by $ FredTheViking 8 years, 8 months ago
    The name I use here is one have used before and can be easily trace to me. I don't think at the moment I have much too fear in using my real name but I have grow fond of this handle. I don't think using our real names is important since objectivism as an idea is more important than putting our names to it.
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  • Posted by $ Abaco 8 years, 8 months ago
    About a year ago I was somewhat involved in fighting a law here in California. Thousands of us were trading facts and research via facebook. IMMEDIATELY after the net neutrality act was signed (may have been a coincidence) we noticed that websites we were referencing that had data that supported our cause literally started disappearing from the web. It happened about a dozen times over about ten days. Then, somebody pointed out information on the websites for St. Jude and John's Hopkins. I commented on a Friday that they can't get rid of those because people would really notice (huge sites). By noon they next day they were both heavily edited (altering the info we had referenced). I share this here as an example of just how frail our privacy is and how frail this source of into (the web) is. My only regret is that facebook uses your name. It all caused me to really evaluate...

    Adding...this is why I am very open about my desire to never conflict with our government. I'm all about going Galt. I'll make Ghandi look like Mike Tyson.
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  • Posted by iroseland 8 years, 8 months ago
    There are a lot of very real reasons to use pseudonyms here. With the way things are these days if someone were to say something here that pissed off some regressive social justice warrior, and they were to act on it that would be a problem. The sad fact is we now live in a world where the media and in plenty of cases the law would protect them. So, when evil is being practiced in the open it is the good who need to go underground. We are the philosophical pirates. As for me, I use my real name. Accurately finding me past that is just hard enough to prevent most folks from actually knowing where to throw the brick.
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  • Posted by $ jdg 8 years, 8 months ago
    Oddly enough, I use my real name on most sites. But I'm starting to move away from the practice because it's dangerous. Here it's initials-only because spelling it out would likely convince a few, very loud, people that I'm here to troll, which I'm not.

    The admins know.
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