>Perhaps I'm just getting old, but it seems to me that if one uses
>the net with other adults to discuss issues of public importance,
>be it technical or political or social, then one should be willing
>to put one's name on the opinion. Apologies in advance to anyone
>who feels this comment to be aside the list's purpose.
>-dave phillips, owner of biosph-l, plearn-l, nasirn-l, grdemp-l
 
I don't think it's a matter of whether one is willing to put one's name to
an opinion.  I think it *is* very much a matter of what use others may make
of the knowledge that one has that opinion.
 
Not too long ago, for example, someone mentioned on a list, as a legimimate
follow-up to a thread of conversation, that she was quite disturbed by the
fact that she could not afford to hold hands in public with her (female)
friend.  Immediate result: she got hate mail from gay-bashers.
 
On a less sensitive matter: only today, a posting sent by a graduate
student at the dissertating stage to a purely academic list was prefaced by
a not-quite-facetious "this may cost me any future jobs, but" note before
he took a potentially unpopular position.  Someone questioned the likelyhood
that his future prospects on the field might be jeopardized by postings to
the list; someone else pointed out that the fear is real -- the professors
on the list are potential employers, and an unpopular posting, no matter
how legitimate the point of view, may well count against an applicant
later.
 
Lacking the possibility of anonymity, in other words, many people feel they
have legitimate reasons for not posting at all, no matter how great or
small the real likelyhood of unpleasant side-effects.  Why take the risk?  I
agree, if one is using the net with other adults, there should *be* no
risk.  Can you absolutely guarantee that every "adult" is going to *behave*
like an adult?
 
The comment is not altogether aside this list's purpose, I think:
listowners do end up occasionally dealing with distraught listmembers who
receive hate-mail as a result of postings, after all.
 
Mario Rups, co-owner of arcana