Re: How many people actually look at the DECK?
Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 7:43 am
Before I get out my detention pad and start assigning some of you to clean the erasers after school, there's a question that perhaps some of our attorney friends could answer...
I learned back in a pre-law class (never did become an attorney though) that the reasonable expectation of privacy normally enjoyed by private citizens tends to diminish if they become "public persons".
For example, being a school teacher, I had to be more careful than the average person on the street regarding the expression of my personal opinions in a classroom.
In retrospect, that was probably not a bad idea.
I wonder at what point, in this internet age, a citizen surrenders a right to at least some privacy, if they decide to become a "public person" in a chat room? That's a question that we should all think about.
Now regarding the use of initials in names here....While I fully agree that in a perfect world, ALL people on the 'Deck should be required to use their full names, this world is sadly not perfect. Let's say a person would have a good reason for not doing so, like perhaps not wanting to disclose their gender, for reasons ranging from a desire to be treated fairly by all, or perhaps in order to avoid former partners or harassers from finding them on the 'net. These people should be able to post here without fear, as much as any other people who do not happen to share the same issue.
I trust the Observer to have vetted those "initial people" before allowing them to post. They have their reasons, and I would simply leave it at that.
Then too, initials usages are not for everyone....
Look, as a banjo player, I'm not sure that my initials would reflect my personality anyway...
GRR
Back to the banjo...
I learned back in a pre-law class (never did become an attorney though) that the reasonable expectation of privacy normally enjoyed by private citizens tends to diminish if they become "public persons".
For example, being a school teacher, I had to be more careful than the average person on the street regarding the expression of my personal opinions in a classroom.
In retrospect, that was probably not a bad idea.
I wonder at what point, in this internet age, a citizen surrenders a right to at least some privacy, if they decide to become a "public person" in a chat room? That's a question that we should all think about.
Now regarding the use of initials in names here....While I fully agree that in a perfect world, ALL people on the 'Deck should be required to use their full names, this world is sadly not perfect. Let's say a person would have a good reason for not doing so, like perhaps not wanting to disclose their gender, for reasons ranging from a desire to be treated fairly by all, or perhaps in order to avoid former partners or harassers from finding them on the 'net. These people should be able to post here without fear, as much as any other people who do not happen to share the same issue.
I trust the Observer to have vetted those "initial people" before allowing them to post. They have their reasons, and I would simply leave it at that.
Then too, initials usages are not for everyone....
Look, as a banjo player, I'm not sure that my initials would reflect my personality anyway...
GRR
Back to the banjo...