From: Sandy Sandfort <sandfort@crl.com>
Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1996 05:53:57 +0800
To: Cypherpunks <cypherpunks@toad.com>
Subject: POLL RESULTS
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.960930075945.10636B-100000@crl9.crl.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          SANDY SANDFORT
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

C'punks,

Last week I offered an informal poll as to the reputational 
effect of "John Anonymous MacDonald" and other apparent nyms.

I received responses from 31 of you.  All were signed by known
Cypherpunks; none were anonymous.  I was not surprised to find 
absolutely zero respect for "Anonymous."  In addition, there were
no negative comments about Tim and in most cases, high marks for
his restraint and dignity under the circumstances.  Perhaps not
so surprisingly, a significant number of you expressed the belief 
that the "Anonymous" posts come from Demetri Vulis.  Following, 
are a few samples of what respondents had to say.  (They are
reproduced without atribution because I had not asked permission
to do so in my origninal poll request.)


 S a n d y

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clearly, John Anonymous MacDonald is losing points. Tim's reputation
is unaffected.

... 

I'd be suprised if anyone regarded Anonymous with any degree of respect 
anymore.  As for Tim May, he already had a good rep in my book to start 
with, and by not responding in a similar matter (at least not publicly)  
to these people, his reputation is enhanced even more.

...

Who is John Anonymous MacDonald...We can only surmise that his 
real joy is playing with himself in public.

...

Anonymous is a total moron who'd be annoying me greatly
if I hadn't managed a decent killfile.

...

The posts are idiotic and childish, and reflect quite badly on the
sender (presumably Dmitri Vulis KOTM).  If anything, they provide a
reason to pay *more* attention to tcmay.

...

As with any public display of poor taste, anonymous shows themselves lackjing in
judgement. I credit Tim for not responding.

...

I personally think that these anonymous attacks are pointless.  They are
just stupid insults, and they don't do anything negative to Tim's
reputation except show that someone likes abusing remailers.  Perhaps
Tim's reputation may get enhanced by the fact that someone has to go this
low to debase him.

...

It seems to me that anyone who is unwilling to allow the abused party to 
respond personally is undeserving of anyone's respect. To feel the need 
to do it in a public forum with however many thousands of people are on 
these lists is a sign of insecurity and weakness...

...

Tarnished - John Anonymous MacDonald
Enhanced - Tim May (due to his restraint!)

...

Tim's reputation is definately being enhanced, if it's fair to judge a 
man by the ememies he keeps.  ;)

...

...Since these annoying posts started a week or so ago, I have
(for the first time ever) begun killfiling people and messages
on the cp list.  Right now I am killing all messages from 
John Anonymous MacDonald, Dmitri Vulis, and any message
in the "daily ... regarding TCM" thread(s).  I hope this madness
can end, so we can get back to more normal traffic levels on the
list.

...

Dimitri 'Anonymous' Vulis' reputation has gone
way out on the negative side.

(He's been an obvious nutcase from the start...)
TC May's positive reputation has increased from
his handling of these attacks.

...

This kind of post shows Anonymous to be at the social level of a grade
school child.  If s/he grows up, I may change my mind.

It does nothing to effect my opinion of Tim May...

Anonymous is making a public mockery of him/herself.

...

The anono-twits lose by a mile....

...It's not much different from graffiti - some people put up
interesting posters on walls and telephone poles, and
write interesting stuff on bathroom walls; others scrawl
empty vulgarity...

...

Anonymous's reputation went instantly from 0 to negative infinity.

Tim May's reputation is unaffected.

...

It certainly does nothing to harm Tim's reputation, from where I
stand.  Thank God for procmail!

...

Well, as Tim has managed to sit back and take it, and I've killfiled the 
main perpetrators.  I'd say it makes a public mockery of Anonymous.

...

...it seems evident that some non-anonymous posters aka KTOM seem to 
understand how to *abuse*  our American freedom's but don't understand about
*responsible*  use.

Is this a deliberate attempt to damage this list or is it that some folk
just can't handle freedom?

...

...I killfile Foolish Voolish and most of the others, just
because of these ridiculous ad hominem attacks on Tim.

...

Anonymous' claims make him look stupid simply because they have no technical or
political message - just dirty words...Tim May's reputation is enhanced, I think, by the fact that *other people* come
in and dispute Anonymous' claims, over and over again.