5 Feet of Fury

‘Crazy Little Thing Called Hate’

Guy Somerset writes — and I disagree:

Now comes word that the Huffington Post, one of the most prominent Web portals, will demand that commenters use actual names. A more disastrous development concerning honest dialogue can scarcely be imagined. Those who have argued that people speak greater truths when identified have a timeline of humanity to refute them.

America, which did more than any other country to advance freedom of thought and freedom of speech, was spurred by the writings of political pamphleteers forced to conceal their personhood. This was because they knew the penalty of unpopularity.