This blog's long-time nemesis, Chris Trotter, has finally entered the anarchistic world of blogging. Out here on the unedited, uncensored fringe of the media, things do not work the same as Chris is used to.
For instance, consider the long-standing honourable tradition of the pseudonym. Many of us spend years cultivating our secret identity to the point where we would never dream of masquerading as another. With a bit of time and patience, newbies can easily discover who is who and what they think far and beyond what that person might reveal under a real name in real-life.
A pseudonym is not something to be afraid of. It doesn't really hide the individual any more than meeting someone down at the pub who is introduced by the name of "Joe" is hidden by the lack of a last name. If someone met me in person and I never told them my last name, the only thing it would stop would be tracking down my phone number afterwards. No one needs my phone number, they know where to find me via this blog.
A pseudonym can also act as an introduction to the person who blogs. You can't see what the person is wearing, what type of haircut they have, how they smile or not - but their name can give you an idea as to who they are. What image they are trying to portray. What issues are likely to be important to them.
So to ban Redbaiter because of his pseudonym is to display a type of cowardice and arrogance I continue to expect from commies such as Trotter. He recognises the message of the name, knows the power of the symbol, and will not engage with the substance of the comments. Quite disappointing, really.
UPDATE: Here is what Redbaiter actually said:
Related Links:
DPF introduces Trotter
Trotter's 2nd post
For instance, consider the long-standing honourable tradition of the pseudonym. Many of us spend years cultivating our secret identity to the point where we would never dream of masquerading as another. With a bit of time and patience, newbies can easily discover who is who and what they think far and beyond what that person might reveal under a real name in real-life.
A pseudonym is not something to be afraid of. It doesn't really hide the individual any more than meeting someone down at the pub who is introduced by the name of "Joe" is hidden by the lack of a last name. If someone met me in person and I never told them my last name, the only thing it would stop would be tracking down my phone number afterwards. No one needs my phone number, they know where to find me via this blog.
A pseudonym can also act as an introduction to the person who blogs. You can't see what the person is wearing, what type of haircut they have, how they smile or not - but their name can give you an idea as to who they are. What image they are trying to portray. What issues are likely to be important to them.
So to ban Redbaiter because of his pseudonym is to display a type of cowardice and arrogance I continue to expect from commies such as Trotter. He recognises the message of the name, knows the power of the symbol, and will not engage with the substance of the comments. Quite disappointing, really.
UPDATE: Here is what Redbaiter actually said:
“The voters are concerned about climate change and peak oil. ”For that, he got this reaction:
No they are not. The mainstream media might be concerned, and might be trying hard to stimulate concern among the public, but in most surveys I have read, these matters aren’t high priority. Your belief that they are Mr. Trotter is an example of the enormous political gulf that exists between NZ’s working middle class and the elitist leftists who predominate in media. We want to put petrol in our cars, not send money to Russian gangsters.
All future posts from this pseudonym will be placed into permanent moderation.Now, the contention in the comments from Psycho Milt that Redbaiter's comment was abusive he just happened to be told off for his pseudonym at the same time is ridiculous. Trotter even says further down that Redbaiter can come back under a different name and try again.
Bryan Spondre
Blog Producer
Related Links:
DPF introduces Trotter
Trotter's 2nd post
For sure- The pen-name is a very old institution.
ReplyDeleteI have been using mine for the last seven years. Having a rather ordinary sort of name, I wanted something a bit more- shall we say- unique.
A whole different ball-game to the trolling twit who changes their handle every other day...
Is anyone really surprised? Leftists. they're the same all over the blogosphere and they're the same all over the globe. Throughout history, from Joe Stalin to Chavez, they've only progressed their anti-human ideas by means of silencing the opposition. They know nothing else.
ReplyDeleteOh, I dunno Oswald--Aloysius Murgatroyd isn't that ordinary a name!
ReplyDeleteWhat Redbaiter said. Spot-on.
Lucyna: pseudonyms aren't really what it was about. Have a look at the comments thread now and you'll find pseudonyms all through it.
ReplyDeleteThen have a look at Trotter's first post, which outlines his aims for the blog, including its comments threads:
So, if your idea of political debate is simply to heap abuse upon the heads of your political enemies, and if your idea of political analysis is simply to string together your most cherished prejudices, then this blog is not for you.
It's a clear enough statement, and Redbaiter should have recognised immediately that he wouldn't be welcome there. Trotter just took the opportunity to tell him off about his pseudonym at the same time, is all.
So, if your idea of political debate is simply to heap abuse upon the heads of your political enemies,
ReplyDeleteTrotter makes "comment of the week". I didn't realise he did satire. Is he banning himself from his own blog? Does he just write there, even if it's not for him?
If I had time to waste, it would be amusing to come up with a quotable list of Trotterisms where he has heaped abuse on his political enemies.
PM, I did notice there were heaps of pseudonyms in there after RB was banned for his. And I did notice that RB was banned because his pseudonym indicated his purpose was to bait reds, which Trotter found offensive.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I was curious as to whether or not everyone else that came onboard with a pseudonym would also be banned, but it seems they were not.
I bet Trotter hovered over that ban button for those and then realised that the prevalence of pseudonyms would have made it unrealistic to ban all those who used one.
This "preference" for real names is something that only those new to the blogosphere seem to insist on. Eventually they realise that a real-looking name may not actually be one and some of those with pseudonyms are far easier to identify consistently.
But this is my real name. Just ask Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteIts really nothing to do with the pseudonym. This is a typical leftist smokescreen. The type they always use. (ask Milt) Its our ideas they do not like, and they do not want them articualted. They are communists, and they do not approve of freedom of expression. Where it challenges their ideology, they will suppress it. They do it in the classrooms, in the media, in any "public" forum anywhere. They do it all over the globe and have done so for decades. End of story.
ReplyDeleteIts really nothing to do with the pseudonym. This is a typical leftist smokescreen. The type they always use. (ask Milt) Its our ideas they do not like, and they do not want them articualted. They are communists, and they do not approve of freedom of expression. Where it challenges their ideology, they will suppress it. They do it in the classrooms, in the media, in any "public" forum anywhere. They do it all over the globe and have done so for decades. End of story.
ReplyDelete