From: mpd@netcom.com (Mike Duvos)
Date: Thu, 26 May 94 14:56:58 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Unicorn vs....
Message-ID: <199405262156.OAA29868@netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Jim Sewell writes:

 > Granted, tmp is not responsible for so called moral
 > failures on the part of European business associates of
 > Uni's BUT tmp IS responsible for damaging Uni's reputation
 > by making it look as if he said things that tmp couldn't
 > prove he had said.  If Uni lost a 7 figure business deal
 > because tmp attributed a comment to Uni that Uni didn't
 > make then tmp is definitely guilty of damaging Uni's
 > character and SHOULD be sued...

But tmp is only responsible for damaging the reputation of the
pseudonym "Black Unicorn".  This is not the same as damaging an
actual person by name.

If I am in a frivilous mood someday and post a tongue-in-cheek
article on alt.hamsters.duct-tape under the pseudonym "Rodent
Ravisher", I have little cause to complain that my real-life
reputation has been ruined if someone misrepresents my views.

If I am dense enough to publicly associate myself with the post,
then perhaps I shouldn't complain when the Good Christians begin
avoiding me and perhaps even hiding their hamsters when they see
me passing by.  In any case, it is certainly not the fault of the
other flamers if my career goes down the tubes.

 > The bottom line is that when you play on the net and flame
 > each other that is one thing, but when your games cause
 > someone's business and real-life character to be damaged
 > then you are playing in the real world and the name of the
 > game there is SUE, RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS, and TAKE
 > THE CONSEQUENCES FOR YOUR ACTIONS.

But flaming an anonymous identity is not the same as flaming a
real-life person.  Anonymous identities allow one a little
vacation from having to be deadly serious all the time.  And an
opportunity to play Devil's Advocate with ideas that may not
necessarily be ones own.

Let's lighten up a little here.

 > I suppose we all could use this as an opportunity to see
 > how well our anarchist, freedom of speech, privacy,
 > encryption ideas mesh with the 'real world'.

This IS the 'real world'.

-- 
     Mike Duvos         $    PGP 2.6 Public Key available     $
     mpd@netcom.com     $    via Finger.                      $