Real names on a message board

[MorganGrayson]

Originally Posted by rhetorical

Or sometimes the use of real names is an attempt to intimidate. Like in the case of Evil Chris or Jeff Miller or Jon Allaby using my name. There is no other reason. Evil seems to have been strangely silent on this one.

OK, I admit. I left out that possibility. I live in my own rather unique little world at times.

I don't want to think that's what Chris did. I like him a lot, have for years. Longer than we'd both rather think about, probably. I'd much prefer to believe it was an error.

Also, if analyzed logically, it was a poor attempt at intimidation, if you elect to put that interpretation on it. I don't know you (I don't believe, I have a miserable memory at times) but from what I've gathered from your posts, it would take a great deal more than that to intimidate you. Irritate you, perhaps, but certainly not intimidate you.

We work in a fragile world with an ineffective method of communication. Grown people click on "smilies" to make sure they're not misunderstood. We are victims of our own realities, too. A bad day in the "real world" can create havoc in our virtual existence where we can take out our frustrations or pain on a made up name, forgetting completely that behind this made up name is a very real person. I can't tell you the number of times the fact that my physical pain was amping its way up the 10 scale and I took personally something I should have just ignored - and would have just ignored if I wasn't typing under the influence of Vicodin.