FINAL REMARKSCarolC - Rape is an extremely serious matter. A real rape victim would be quite annoyed at an attempt to cheapen the word "rape" with the suggestion that the use of pseudonyms in a chatroom is anything like rape. Earnestness is no excuse for thoughtlessness.
Sean Ruprecht-Belt's response strikes me as the best to way to deal with a thread you find annoying, boring, unfruitful. Leave it.
Beanster, thanks for the thoughtful reply. In fact, I do NOT lie when I post, whether I post with my true name on some forums or post under a pseudonym on Mudcat. I will occasionally exaggerate my position, but I have not done so in this thread. Now, since I do NOT lie, are you comfortable with my posting under multiple pseudonyms?
McGrath of Harlow, nice analogy, but I don't understand the reference to living outside the law. Thanks for taking the discussion seriously.
THREAD DRIFT
The extended discussion of the proper name of participants in the Mudcat forum indicates terminal thread drift. This thread has reached the end of its useful life for me. As long as the name-calling, me-tooing, and off-topic posts are in the minority I am happy to follow it. Once they predominate, why bother.
RANT
I find thread drift EXTREMELY ANNOYING, and I think it is RUDE. It is rude and annoying to start it. It is rude and annoying to continue and encourage it.
GOODBYE
I sincerely appreciate the efforts of everyone who contributed. It has been (for me) a fascinating thread.
I won't be back to this thread. Discuss amongst yourselves. And thanks for the fish.
PARTING EPIGRAM
I realize that you think differently from me and get curious. You realize that I think differently from you and get mad.