February 10, 2004
Dennis Miller, Dawn and anonymity
I don't know much about Dennis Miller. I never saw his stand-up comedy and, though I thought it was kind of cool that he was doing football commentary, I never saw that either. When he said and wrote some things on politics, I found him reasonable, if not a complete ideological match. Still, I remain annoyed at celebrities who talk politics, and I don't feel differently when I agree with them(Vincent Gallo being the only gorgeous exception). TV addict Dawn Summers had seen Miller's new show and hated it. Being Dawn's political polar opposite, I figured I would love it. I tuned in tonight to catch Miller talking to Victor Davis Hanson. This was interesting. I know Hanson isn't in the CNN/Fox rotation that grates on my nerves so I took this as a good sign. And Hanson was good. It's just that is was kind of...slow. Following up Hanson, Miller brought on Jon Bon Jovi to talk about parenting and politics. Bon Jovi said a pretty funny line: 'Going to Iraq was great for our troops, who, by the way, I totally support, but ....' although I don't think he was intending to be funny and imply that going to war was great for our troops. I just couldn't get into it. It was a celebrity talking to another celebrity and it just didn't work. It just wasn't funny nor was it serious enough for the topics he was trying to cover. And then I remembered. Dawn Summers and I may have zilch in common politically but there's a reason we spend hours on the phone every day (especially in light of the fact that I hate the telephone and can't use it to communicate with anyone else): we find the same dumb stuff funny. I'm not going to say that the lesson is trust Dawn, just trust Dawn when it comes to TV.
On a different note, I'm thinking of starting to use my real name to post on this site. I started this blog while I had a nice but stuffy job that would've not liked me posting rightwing political commentary, especially during the workday. So, I used a combination of my first and last name to post. I'm in a different place now, the blog has actually been a plus for a lot of what I'm currently doing. Even before this whole thing started regarding anonymous bloggers, I felt that I should start using my real name. Feel free to let me know what you think. I'm still thinking it over (although Dawn uses my real name on her site today and the couple of times James Taranto linked to me he used both my first and last name) and I'll let y'all know what I decide.
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The horses are out of the barn. You can't close the door.
People know your name.
Your real name is also accessible through your own site. I'll tell you where if you post that Bush is an idiot.
Posted by: Rick Blaine at February 10, 2004 08:42 AMYes, it's a matter of reflected personality rather than an ethical blog issue. I kind of like Kashei because it doesn't try to steal or co-opt an old proper name with abstruse or antique qualities. You have to feel out what it means, and it has a hint of orientalism.
Once people figure out where the name comes from, it is easy to see the logic of it. You have to decide if the consistency of the division between what happens on the site and outside of it makes sense, and if the name reflects qualities you like. It's up to you.
Posted by: Michael D at February 10, 2004 08:45 AMI prefer "embattled President," Rick. Let's see if we can get that going.
Posted by: Dawn Summers at February 10, 2004 12:01 PMI'm still thinking it over, only because I'm not sure where exactly I will end up when I graduate in May and so don't want to be so easily googled (of course, I just googled my real name and my site is all over it). I don't know what I'll do yet. I'm also going to miss 'Kashei' if I do it. You're right Michael, because it's not an entirely made up name, I kind of like it. BTW, I don't need to say that Rick Blaine is an idiot, right? We all know. :-)
Posted by: Kashei at February 10, 2004 12:15 PMKeep your secret identity. It adds a certain cachet, if I may say so.
Posted by: mark at February 10, 2004 12:26 PMDo it. Come out into the light where we can see you. Hey, if you can always be [First Name] "Kashei" [Last Name].
Posted by: ken at February 10, 2004 12:30 PMI have the same thoughts about me and my blog. Recently I "came out" more and put up a photo. I still comments on other sites as "Scott S" just to keep the Google results down. I'm not ashamed of who I am, just don't like it so easily revealed.
Anyone can find out who I am - heck, Whois my domain name and I'm the contact, complete with my address. Whatever. I have nothing to hide.
The scary part is that blogging and commenting is so instant, off-the-cuff, unedited, that you understand why politicians have press secretaries and speech writers. Sometimes you say stupid things. And taken out of context, they can come back to haunt you.
I always wondered if and when a blog post will come back to haunt someone, like a politician. THe day a Presidential candidate is asked by a reporter, "Mr. ____, in April of 2003 you wrote this comment on _____ blog. 'If I caught Saddam in that hole, I would have shot him and said it was suicide.' Does this mean you advocate murder? How can we trust you as President?"
You get the picture.
Posted by: Scott S at February 10, 2004 02:09 PMFWIW, I kind of like Kashei. It's sort of stylish and I don't think someone has to be a rocket scientist to figure out your real name, anyway.
I think you always have to assume that anything you publish on the internet (or elsewhere) will be used against you. So, k, when you are running for senator in 2032, beware. :)
Posted by: bobm at February 10, 2004 05:53 PMI like Kashei too. (It's Hebrew for "difficult/hard", incidentally.)
Sure, someone *could* find out your real name. But it would take a little bit of effort and internet savvy.
And you'd be surprised and how many people would Google for "K... S..." and then (1) not bother digging deeper or (2) not knowing how to dig deeper.
Posted by: Joe Grossberg at February 14, 2004 11:04 AM
