A quick question about the Proposition E issue. Because eCoronado just doesn’t have enough content on Prop E yet.
In reading through the various passionate arguments for and against this upcoming proposition, I notice that there are several “people” who oppose this proposition, but who don’t appear to actually exist.
There are several advantages that the blogosphere offers us all. Chief among them is how quickly we can connect with facts & opinions about what matters to us. But there are several, somewhat more subtle, disadvantages.
Prior to the worldwide web, this kind of conversation about Prop E would have been handled very differently (and much more inefficiently) during our day-to-day lives in Coronado. You might meet someone at the Concert in the Park who disagrees with your position on it; you might overhear people talking about it in line at Albertsons; or you might write a letter to the Eagle Journal which states your position.
Now though, both sides of the issue are able to post their opinions, questions, critiques here; as well as other places (no offense, eCoronado). But what we’ve lost is the connection between the opinions and the humans. Specifically, there are many, many posts, comments, replies being written by anonymous users. It gives me pause, especially for an important issue like this one.
There are several reasons for this kind of anonymity. The primary one is caution. When I created my profile on eCoronado, for instance, I was worried about people I didn’t know who might gather information about me from here, associate it with information from other sources, and … somehow use it for their own personal (or professional) gain. Obviously, the fact that I can’t tell you how that could harm me doesn’t prove that there IS no potential harm.
I made the decision to become “Mike Casey” online, just as I am in the real world, after being called out on it about a year ago. You are totally within your rights (under the policies of a site like eCoronado) to be “Nado Dad”, or “Surfer Babe”, or whatever. However, you lose – at least, in my opinion – a significant amount of credibility when you ask me to agree with your opinion – heck, to even READ your opinion – when you won’t even tell me who you are. It’s the logical opposite of the conversations I mention above. When some make-believe person writes a post about Prop E, I can’t come to my own conclusions about the veracity of their facts, the validity of their argument, even the nature of their relationship to Coronado. This uncertainty makes me profoundly uninterested in what this person, or people, or software, or whatever, is saying.
In particular, it appears that most of these “virtual people” are on one side of the issue. Why is that? Opinions by several “people” in opposition to Prop E (and I am, in fact, a supporter – the most reluctant one, I’d bet) would get a lot more attention – from me, at least – if I knew who was doing the opining.
So – the question: If you’re posting under a pseudonym, why is that? What would it take for you to identify yourself, so that people in what internet types call “meat space” (the real world) can buy you a cup of Cafe 1134’s best and get to understand your position better? Is it a fear of retribution? Is it a fear of ostracism? I have to admit, for my part, I don’t really care what side my friends & neighbors are on. Why should I care about your position, other than to try to discuss it?
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