31-08-2009, 06:24 AM
I appreciate both sides of this question. Anonymity has its obvious benefits, and using one's name has its obvious drawbacks. But there is something to be said for authenticity, for standing up for what you believe in, or standing out for what you stand against.
Earlier today I ran across these tidbits, from Philip Zimbardo's "Situationist Perspective on the Psychology of Evil: Understanding How Good People Are transformed Into Perpetrators":
Environmental Anonymity Breeds Vandalism.
It is possible for certain environments to convey a sense of anonymity on those who live or behave in their midst. Where that happens, the people living there do not have a sense of community. Vandalism and graffiti may be interpreted as an individual's attempt for public notoriety in a society that deindividuates them. ...…
[E]nvironmental, societal conditions [may] contribute to making some members of society feel that they are anonymous, that no one knows who they are, that no one recognizes their individuality and thus their humanity, makes them …."
“Please consider this Zimbardo homily that captures the essence of the difference between dispositional and situational orientations: “While a few bad apples might spoil the barrel (filled with good fruit/people), a vinegar barrel will always transform sweet cucumbers into sour pickles -- regardless of the best intentions, resilience, and genetic nature of those cucumbers.” So does it make more sense to spend resources to identify, isolate and destroy bad apples or to understand how vinegar works, and teach cucumbers how to avoid undesirable vinegar barrels?”
Earlier today I ran across these tidbits, from Philip Zimbardo's "Situationist Perspective on the Psychology of Evil: Understanding How Good People Are transformed Into Perpetrators":
Environmental Anonymity Breeds Vandalism.
It is possible for certain environments to convey a sense of anonymity on those who live or behave in their midst. Where that happens, the people living there do not have a sense of community. Vandalism and graffiti may be interpreted as an individual's attempt for public notoriety in a society that deindividuates them. ...…
[E]nvironmental, societal conditions [may] contribute to making some members of society feel that they are anonymous, that no one knows who they are, that no one recognizes their individuality and thus their humanity, makes them …."
“Please consider this Zimbardo homily that captures the essence of the difference between dispositional and situational orientations: “While a few bad apples might spoil the barrel (filled with good fruit/people), a vinegar barrel will always transform sweet cucumbers into sour pickles -- regardless of the best intentions, resilience, and genetic nature of those cucumbers.” So does it make more sense to spend resources to identify, isolate and destroy bad apples or to understand how vinegar works, and teach cucumbers how to avoid undesirable vinegar barrels?”
"Where is the intersection between the world's deep hunger and your deep gladness?"