A group of people with the best of intentions have decided that the path to a more compassionate community begins with the unmasking of those who hide behind anonymous. I have been sent the petition quite a few times now, but I will not sign it.

The very worst case example for maintaining the guise of anonymous is the revolutionaries who were imprisoned, tortured and killed for writing their thoughts and ideas for all the world to see. The gray zone that I don’t want to argue about is wikileaks. The simplest example is a corporate whistleblower.

As someone who uses her real name on anything and everything that she does, I still understand the reason for anonymous. I am the same person online that I am in real life. For personal or professional reasons, some people need masks to hide or reveal who they truly are.

This is my domain and I do not tolerate people coming here to fling mud on my walls. What I allow to remain posted is my responsibility and my privilege. The media sites that are the target of the petition against anonymous have a choice to be or not be breeding grounds for hate. Banning anonymous will not make the conversations more or less civil. Anonymous might not make that insightful comment or reveal that unspoken truth. Anonymous might simply wear new masks. Banning anonymous is not a shortcut to the difficult and thankless task of moderating discussions.