As an experiment, I've switched on the Screen Anonymous Comments option of this diary. <\/p>\n
This was rather a difficult decision for me, as I firmly believe in free speech, anti-censorship, and not cutting the sound off when someone in the Big Brother house says anything vaguely interesting. <\/p>\n
So I came up with a personal rule: I'll only censor completely anonymous comments that are unkind to my own readers. That doesn't happen very often, I know, but I want to ensure it doesn't happen at all. Everything else will go straight through, including any unkind comments on myself. Anonymous comments that sign off with a name will always be allowed, and are encouraged. <\/p>\n
As this diary is a performance on the world stage, I'll lap up the hecklers, but am uneasy about meta-Altamonts. Throw milk cartons at me if you must, but leave my readers out of it, please. Goodness, that's the butchest thing I've said in my life. Badge-wearing Dickon Edwards Readers should be rewarded for their excellent taste and extreme physical beauty, and it's the least I can do for them. So that's why I've done it. <\/p>\n
It's not so much <i>what<\/i> anonymous whelks of no woman born say. It's their anonymity per se. Anonymity is a waste of life, and has no place in the world of Dickonism, where identity is all. If you have something to say, why don't you put your name or even a nickname to it? Oh dear, I sound like John Leslie. <\/p>\n
The only thing worse than anonymity is anonymous impersonation. I find "amusing" fake web diaries extremely unfunny, bordering on the devastatingly tragic. And that's coming from <i>me!<\/i> We can smell our own. <\/p>\n
I'm referring to people pretending to be Michael Winner, or Alan Partridge, or <a href="http:\/\/www.livejournal.com\/userinfo.bml?user=dave_rowntree">Dave From Blur<\/a>. Do these people <i>really<\/i> require impersonation anyway?<\/p>\n
I'm mindful of that admittedly rather useful (and probably American) popular catchphrase for defining one's existence. The one with connotations of meeting St Peter at the Pearly Gates:<\/p>\n
"So what do YOU bring to the party?"<\/p>\n
The Impersonator: "Er… (looks at feet) someone else…"<\/p>\n
"I see. Well, better luck with your next life. Next time, try and be yourself more. And David Dickinson less. It was quite funny at first. On second thoughts, no it wasn't."<\/p>\n
I'm always intrigued as to which diaries on the Web come in for the most angry comments from strangers. Today, I came across a diary entry that's attracted all kinds of reactions: extreme abuse, extreme laughter, extreme revulsion, extreme sympathy, extreme suspicion of the author's veracity. Quite a feat. Warning: do not read if you are an easily-offended animal-lover, or a squeamish vegetarian:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.livejournal.com\/users\/siamang\/43717.html<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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