"I am Rubber and You are Glue" OR "I Know You Are But Who Am I?"

I am disabling the ability to leave an anonymous comment on my posts. The only reason I have had that option on there is to save people without an online identity the hassle of jumping through hoops to post a comment. In which case, they would be able to post a comment and sign it at the bottom. This is the same reason I don’t have word verification enabled . . . I hate jumping through hoops.

However . . .

There are a few reasons why you will see a change on Vertizontal in regard to anonymous comments.

#1 Spam. Hate it. Anonymous comments come in with the “click here” hyperlink in order to try and sell me something. Dumb. Doesn’t happen too often but . . . dumb.

#2 Cowards, bullies, and idiots. Some people, hiding behind anonymity feel the freedom to post things they would never say to my face. Most of their comments hold no weight, cause a stir, and amount to them blowing off steam. Most of the really bad ones are very “authoritative” sounding so . . . we not back them up with some credentials?

#3 I don’t accept anonymous written comments at church because of the undo stress and general non-helpful anxiety they cause. Why would I do it here? I am breaking my own rule.

Some of them are hilarious and make me laugh though. I will admit some anonymous comments have brightened my day. Some are so far out and hateful that I laugh and pity the poor person’s life and the fact they have never had a girlfriend.

Is anonymity a bad thing? Not always. Throughout history it has been used to bring down crooks and liars. It has exposed governments. Challenged unfair leaders. Surfaced truth. Cleared records. Freed prisoners. Provided helpful commentary.

But, the kind of anonymity that has changed history and/or impacted culture in monumental ways was usually handled quite differently than blog assassinations and rude comments made in passing—they were thought out with a lot of homework, a lot of sweat, a desire to make a change, evidence to support claims, and usually done in an anonymous manner to keep one from losing their job or bringing shame upon their family or winding up dead.

Some anonymous pieces of literature have surfaced throughout history because of the writings being counter-cultural.

Still other works have been published as anonymous for reasons we can only speculate—perhaps because of the controversial nature of the subject or the art. This may be the case with writings such as Sweeney Todd—the Barber of Fleet Street wherein unsuspecting restaurant customers are fed pies made of human flesh.

Often times writings are submitted to publishers as anonymous because of the raw, suggestive, and even pornographic nature of the literature. In such cases, I can only assume the author is either ashamed or afraid.

Some anonymous writings could be the result of an author creating a mystique surrounding their writings to attract readers in a way they may not if their name were attached. This may be the case with the book, “Go Ask Alice” (about a teen’s drug abuse).

But, this is my blog. If someone has a problem with what I write they have the freedom to send me a signed comment. And, I have the freedom to mock them if they don’t. Those are my rules.

Some have told me there is always a bit of wisdom and “something” we can learn from negative comments. I disagree. At least to the “always” part.

So far, I can count the intelligent anonymous comments I have received over the years on one hand.

Speaking of . . . kudos to the recent individual (who will remain anonymous) who fessed up to an anonymous comment they made yesterday. The interaction has been great. To read the thread, see the comments on my Naked Mary post. Thanks for your follow-up and confession Tim. Oops.

I am tempted to leave the option open for this post only because I know there would be a ton of witty comments from all my friends as they posted anonymous things. But, nah. I’m done.

Sorry you will all have to do that word verification nonsense in order to comment.

I appreciate all the wonderful and helpful interaction.