Re: If you can't take the heat... (Was Re: Keep the pressure!)

[tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)]

At 8:54 PM 3/20/96, Jim McCoy wrote:

>It seems that cypherpunks can dish it out when other newsgroups and
>mailing lists suffer such problems ("well, the remailers do nothing

I think that using the language "it seems that cypherpunks..." is too
all-inclusive. Not many of us have complained, fortunately, about the
anonymous posts, and I know of no votes or other opinion polls.

A better wording might be "It seems that some cypherpunks..." Even better,
"some members of the list...."

There are something like 1000 list subscribers. A handful of vocal folks
are critical of uses of anonymity. Not surprising, given our diversity.

And since the "traitor list" is so childish, regardless of being written
anonymously or not, it is unlikely that many people will jump up and claim
to be impressed. Thus, it is unsurprising that the comments that _have_
been heard tend to be about one of the few things that can be immediately
recognized: the anonymous (and to some, "cowardly") nature of the charges.

And I think the anonymity issue is interesting. In the past, Detweiler
railed against the uses of anonymity while himself being the single most
prolific user of anonymous insults and the like, so it's an interesting
pathology to study.

While I personally trash the "traitor list" posts from Mr. Anonymous, I
also trash similar rants from non-anonymous persons.


>that telneting to port 25 cannot do..." or "internet identity is such
>a fiction anyway, get used to it"  seem to be common responses), but
>when the cypherpunks lists is the victim of unpleasant anonymous messages
>we fall back to the tired refrain of "if you have nothing to hide why
>are you posting anonymously."  How sad.

"We" fall back on this tired refrain? Again, only a handful (no more than
5) have denounced this use of anonymity, which leaves hundreds of others
who have said nothing of the kind.


--Tim May

Boycott "Big Brother Inside" software!
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed.
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^756839 - 1  | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."