As if Osama and Your Mama Were Reading...

I want to follow up my last post on the Ed Whelan/John Blevins controversy.

Two friends, Wordsmith and Serr8d, took exception in the comments (here and here) to my claim that using a blogging pseudonym is "kind of cowardly ..."

So let me clarify: It is my personal belief that someone, especially an academic, should stand up for what they have to say. It's a matter of integrity and reputation. Would you make more vociferous attacks on others when enjoying the cloak pseudonymity? Would you make demonic attacks? Even if your answer is no, can you deny that your comfort level would not tempt you? It's a difficult situation. James Joyner said something this morning that was just about right for me. He notes:

I’ve blogged here under my real name for over six years and prefer to read and link bloggers who do likewise. Signing my name to what I write makes me think twice and the active realization that others whose arguments I’m engaging are real people also tends to make me more reflective.

And to remind folks:, I don't approve of what Ed Whelan has done. On the other hand, I question why "Publius" needs to remain protected by pseudonymity. Ann Althouse has been a long-time inspiration for me, and she's written quite a bit on using the "cloak." See quotes herself in a post today on Publius' predicament, offering a little cost/benefit analysis on academic blogging:

I would never insult or demean or deliberately hurt the feelings of students. I wouldn't casually knock my law school (though there are some considered criticisms I would be willing to make). I wouldn't hurt my family or acquaintances or even reveal much of anything about them (without permission). So there aren't really any significant ways using my own name limits me ... I care immensely about freedom as I do this blogging. But I also want to be aware of myself as an identifiable person, responsible for what I say (which is true whether you use a pseudonym or not). And I don't mind getting personal credit for anything good I might happen to say. Also, I kind of like being a public persona.

I especially like that last part about the "public persona." That's precisely how I feel about my blogging identity. But I also like Ann's honesty and integrity. She wants to blog responsibly. But I don't think academics who blog using a pseudonym are going to worry about responsibility when they're able to write whatever they want, cost-free. That, to me, is what's "cowardly."

Having clarified that, I think Greyhawk at Mudville Gazette makes the most compelling case on the need to blog under the cloak of pseudonymity, "Who the f%^& are you?":

I staggered back to the Underground
And the breeze blew back my hair
I remembered throwin' punches around
And preachin' from my chair
<...>
Well, who are you / Who are you... who who, who, who...
Oh, who are you / Who are you... who who, who, who...
Come on, tell me, who are you / Who are you...
Oh, who the f%^& are you / Who are you...

- The Who, "Who are You?" ...

Wanna be linked by everyone in the blogosphere? Try exposing an pseudonymous blogger. It works, and as a double bonus your subject's identity will be known far beyond the readership of your site.

Bad form, says I - though so is hiding behind a pseudonym in order to be an obnoxious twit (note I'm not accusing anyone of that motive here). I maintained a pseudonymous blog here for many years and many reasons - at the outset primarily because as a milblogger I practiced more strict OPSEC than what's officially required; for example, someone who knew who I was could determine where I was, from that many other bad things could potentially follow. Bear in mind that was the calculation of a guy who was one of the first milbloggers, entering into an unknown world (and an unknown future at war) - and the handful that preceded me were all pseudonymous, a tradition that continues with the vast majority starting out today.

I'm fine with that - I'd encourage it, even. But beyond potential OPSEC considerations, I tried to write everything I posted as though I were using my real name (as if Osama and your mama were reading is advice I follow and give freely). Part of the reason for that was anticipating I wouldn't be pseudonymous forever - that either by my choice or otherwise (as in the example above) I would one day be known ...

Read the rest here.

Wordsmith and Serr8d have their own reasons for blogging under a pseudonym, and I really don't begrudge them for it. These guys are right-on, straight-up, and solid. They're not messing around, attacking their enemies with the most vicious slanders and vulgarities - and if they were, they wouldn't be my friends.

If you're up for more, Ed Whelan has now responded to the whole uproar he instigated. He crossed a line, and he's diminished for it. And that's all I have to say about that ...