DougR--LOL I do think it would be politically incorrect to refer to someone suffering from DID as "nuttier than a Baby Ruth."

Phantom Lurker--I do believe now that your initial question was sincere and I retract my accusation that you had no real interest in hearing others' opinions on this topic. I don't think I agree with you that taking on whatever persona strikes your fancy at the moment is always a harmless undertaking, however.

If Phantom Lurker-A, B or C states a particular (pseudo) opinion which is then replied to by someone who believes the sentiment behind it is real, that person has obviously has taken the time to put genuine feelings and thought into the reply. Given the fact that Phantom Lurker's opinion was never truly felt in the first place, Phantom Lurker has now, by eliciting a genuine response to a non-genuine post, trampled upon the honesty or trust (if you want to call it that) that can and I think, should, exist in a forum like Mudcat.

What I mean is, if I read a posting here, I automatically assume it is sincere and if I have a strong enough reaction to it, I'll reply. If the post is not sincere, however, and someone was just "role playing" for the sake of mucking around, I have wasted my time and effort on something that was in essence, a joke in the first place. And the joke is on me.

Granted, I'll probably never find this out--so you say, what's the harm? The harm may come not to me, because like I said, I'll probably never know it was a bogus post. But if I were on this forum doing what you seem to be doing, I would feel a sizeable pang of conscience, knowing that I had deceived someone. BUT--if you have a strong antisocial bent with little empathy or conscience, you will not feel this twinge of guilt...