It seems fairly clear that in America keeping a modicum of secrecy is seen as necessary for a lot of people. Fortunately it doesn't seem to work that way back here, so far anyway, not for most people. "The right to bear names" still seems to hold, most of the time.

But in any case, pseudonyms, noms-de-plume etc aren't in any way complained about by anyone, so far as I can see, and they shouldn't, because it can be fun. The made-up name can represent the person more clearly sometimes than the "real" name.

But I still can't see the point of signing in as GUEST without an added handle of some kind, except when it's a way of being unfriendly. Most of the time it's done by people who are clearly pretty hostile, and I can see the point there - it's a way of adding insult to injury.

It's the difference between someone who goes to a party in fancy dress, and someone who chucks a note wrapped round a brick through the window of the place where the party is under way.

But every now and then you get some friendly soul who does it, like the GUEST on this thread (who may or may not be the same person at various appearances, but who can tell?). And no one has ever explained the reason for that. I have seen the suggestion that it's to focus attention on the message rather than the person, but the effect is completely the reverse.