Sunday, August 06, 2006

Hiding behind anonymity

Ok, I try to keep my real name distant from the drivel that happens in this blog, but it can be found (curses to Google and their "cache".) However, am not very important in the scheme of things, so am not too fussed.

Am supposed to be a "normal", "law abiding" polite "good citizen" in day to day life and general transactions with the "normal" people that I deal with on a day to day basis, and who are my "customers" and help to pay the rent.


That's fine. Am also trusted, and given keys to gates, to work and wander about in their backyards, and peer into their windows. I know a lot about my customers. Mostly, of a daytime, they are away. Sometimes I have the chance to talk with them. Discuss things. Would I ever put their details on this blog? Nup.

I could, of course, use their stories as a basis for future writings, but am unable to write in such a way as to indicate specifics.

Am going to direct this post as a general comment, but also towards Deirdre and especially people like R H.

Firstly, I have to say that I appreciate what, and how, Deirdre writes ... BUT am unable to comment at 'her' site. This, of course, is an interesting ploy. I am forced to "comment" on my own site. Does she consider herself "beyond criticism"? Does she "put herself on her own inviolable pedestal"? Curious.

However, such is the nature and depth of what she writes about .. especially in relation to communication .. am unable to address it directly, as it is a long and complicated subject.


As to R H, have no idea why people just hide behind "Blogger - user stats", to comment on other peoples blogs, but have no apparent voice of their own.

No, I do not "encourage" comments on this site, as i do not have the time, nor inclination to become involved in lengthy and detailed "discussion"; especially about some of the more "controversial" topics ... BUT, the comments field is open. .. even to "anonymous" - but that choice is DEFINITELY discouraged.

On the other hand, and at the end of writing this post .. mebbe am just a tad curious as to why I don't get very much in the way of comments. Those that do, reveal themselves far more than their blogs.

Perhaps i have answered my own question.

13 comments:

JahTeh said...

I remain anonymous so my relatives can't find me. I shouldn't worry half of them can't read. As for comments, it's the only time I get to answer back without getting a black eye.

Davoh said...

Heh Heh. (shessh, nice to have relatives as distinct from absolutes, heh.. bugger.)

Link said...

Interesting concept, relatives instead of absolutes. I like that.

Deirdre used to have comments lots of them. Don't know what happened. She writes thought provoking posts and sometimes downright harrowing, they inspire commenting, and certainly used to, but alas. . .

Link said...

As for RH. How does he do that?

Davoh said...

r_h? Dunno Link, the intricate myriad machinations of the internet are beyond my miniscule comprehension. However, who was it that said, "Time wounds all heels"?

Anonymous said...

Davo,
Most of the people doing lots of blogging are retired, or perhaps disabled, home alone, with more time on their hands than you (or I) have. Many of them are apartment dwellers with little yard work or other work to do. Others still are doing this blogging during their lunch hour at the office, and quite a few are actually doing it on company time. So don't feel so bad that you can't join in the fray to the level that others do.
Hence my own anonymous standing here: no need for an identity of my own. I just read. Until an occasional post like yours compels me to respond.
Good luck with all that you do away from the keyboard. In my anonymous and humble opinion, that stuff is much more valuable to society.
Best to you.

Davoh said...

Hi Anon, well said, or rather, well written. Am not quite sure why i wrote this post. Perhaps it is an expression of frustration by my own inability to write fluently and at length, so am not 'proud' enough to put my name to it. Perhaps I am just afraid of some of the thoughts that might escape into this space. And yes, other people have their own reasons.

There are quite a few things that anger and frustrate me (and quite a few that give me great joy), it would be nice to have the ability to address it all in detail.

GreenSmile said...

Odd thing. I got some enjoyment reading Deirdre and swapped a few comments with her way back when. When she cut off the commenting I tried ways around it for a while. No comments means no comments.
I quit reading because to me reading is an interaction. Hell, if someone convinces me a particular book is worth reading, I have to go BUY my own copy because darned if I won't scribble all over the margins, questions, praises and cursing.

I give some thought to what I reveal about myself on such an open channel...you can't be interesting if you don't write about real people and things they particularly say and do to you and to each other...but name a few names or put up an identifieable picture and you can be tracked.
I steal most of the time I spend on blogging. I work a full time job and have a family and a high maintenance dwelling to care for. I'd almost be relived to lose the current job for having used company resources 'cause its soul numbing work. There are many reasons to not be anybody while you are on the web, but the biggest for me is the freedom to speak, for my own satisfaction, exactly as I feel and think: to be more myself than friends can stand or convention allows.

Davoh said...

Greensmile, I still have difficulty trying to figure out who you ARE. Am not referring to names, times, places or distances. Have been reading your writings for some time now, but there is such depth and diversity that it's difficult to put you ïn a "pigeon-hole".

I hope you take that as a compliment.

D said...

I've only just found this link through Technorati, Davo - sorry for being so slow. Ignore this if the whole thing is now too long ago, but I'm not sure what you were saying anyway. If what you meant was that I should allow comments because you want to make them, then with all due respect, get stuffed, sir. It's my blog, I'll do what I want with it. Turning comments off wasn't a "ploy" of any sort, I just didn't want to have to make conversation for a while, and I think that's my prerogative. If you've got a problem with that, write a blog post about it. (Fair post, in other words. I don't agree with what you said, but that's all right.)

Davoh said...

Nah, not "too long ago" (it sends me an email), though yes, a bit slow. I did write a blog post about it (see above), but can't now remember why I was miffed enough to write it (probably because I wanted to alert you to "Funtwo's" name). Apologies if my "style" is incomprehensible :-).

Deirdre, Am sure that I will be "stuffed" - most probably without respect - at some point down the track, but thank you for taking the time to comment here, and I will continue to enjoy reading your writings. Cheers.

D said...

Thanks, and yes, I know you wrote a blog post about it, which is why I said "fair post" - meaning, what you wrote in it was fair enough, even though I didn't agree with it. So apologies for my own incomprehensibility. I think most of us have a problem with expressing ourselves. Well, I know I do. We're probably all stuffed, damn it :)

Anyway, thanks for replying. And the fact I can comment on one of your old posts shows that anybody could have done the same at my blog (comments were only turned off on the new posts). I don't know what the fuss was about, frankly.

Davoh said...

Deirdre, methinks that the point that self was trying to make, however inadequately, was that some us idiots try to recognise each other..whatever that means in the wider scale of how this universe operates.