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Comment by NickBusey | Hacker News Reader

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NickBusey·

"Driving a wildly painted car is like using my real name on the internet.

Is it uncomfortable?

Yeah. Sometimes it is. Honesty and transparency can be searing. But it’s also real."

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I would disagree that using your real name is more real than using a pseudonym, because it heavily pressures you to use the same filter you have in real life. On the other hand, when you're using a pseudonym there are fewer consequences for revealing what you really think.

'We’re born naked and the rest is drag' - RuPaul

So you think I dare not to disagree with you because I use my real name? Plus that I filter what I say? Bold statement. I always speak my mind but that might also be because of my Dutch upbringing. I am direct and brutally honest offline and online.

Put yourself in the situation where your views go against what society may deem as acceptable, and given that it is tied to your real name there can be very real consequences (harassment/government action).

Would you speak out the same if you knew that your community would feel very strongly against you for it?

using my real name on hacker news has helped me be less ideological and more loving / selfless in my communications, more authentic and less egotistic

I don't know if that's necessarily true. Look at Facebook - people say mean and vulgar things under their real name all the time, often complete with a picture of their own face. Anonymity can be a factor in the way we treat each other, but it doesn't tell us the whole story.

It seems like another one or those things where nobody actually cares

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