a desperate please

[Arthur Chandler <arthurc@crl.com>]

  Can't we be a little nicer, and talk about the ISSUES instead of the 
posters? 
  Let's agree that spoofing/anonymity is no good if (1) you post as 
William Gibson and you're NOT William Gibson, or (2) you post as LD, TM, 
AC, EH, or anyone else on this list if you are not that person. (1) and 
(2) aren't instances of spoofing: they're instances of impersonation and 
fraud.
   Anyone got a problem with all that?
   OK, on to the next issue:
   Why would you want to build up a pseudonymous reputation?  
   I ask this question not in a contentious manner, but out of a real 
desire to turn the discussion into a thread where encryption, privacy, 
alternate identities, etc. can be talked about in a lively, but not 
angry fashion.
   (Hmmm, that sounded kinda pompous; but bear with me!)
   Isn't it tough enough to build up a rep under our real names? What is 
the point to using a pseudonym? I can think of some bad reasons; but I 
can't come up with any good ones, except for "fun" and "just to see what 
it feels like to put out opinions not my own."  I'm sure I'm missing the 
point; so, before you jump on me as a Clueless Newbie, can you run by 
the reasons why you want to have alternate personas on the NET?
   A story to lighten up the atmosphere:
   On MediaMOO, I have a virtual puppet. I've coded the puppet -- named 
Apprentice Dragon -- to follow me around; and I can speak or emote through 
him too. Regulars on MediaMOO know he's my puppet; newbies are amazed at 
first, but soon learn to identify the puppet with its owner. Now, a 
couple of weeks ago I was in the middle of a heavy Real Time discussion 
at MediaMOO. I offered an opinion; then, just for the heck of it, I had 
the Apprentice Dragon contradict me. And danged if everyone didn't agree 
with the dragon! 
   Maybe this is a lesson I should apply to pseudonymous identities.
   Or maybe not.
   So why try for a pseudonymous rep? All replies cheerfully considered.