Does anyone here think it would be a good idea to use real names on the PF message board rather than chosen names? I notice that YouTube has began to request that I use my real name when I post a comment. It makes me think about what I'm going to say; encourages me to be more courteous. Do you all think using real names would help posters here be nicer? Please give your opinion. Thank you.
I'm sure for you, it would be perfectly fine. You are not in danger of being doxxed on social media. Jared Schmeck biography: 13 things about Central Point, Oregon man
Do you think you would be doxxed? Do you believe using real names would cause some people to stop posting?
Absolutely not. I don't have anything to hide as is obvious from my username but people aren't always rational or courteous. I have never put my photo or my kids' photos online. I don't do social media. I always send gifts to my kids in care of the ex. I don't put use their names or ages online anywhere. Over 20 years ago, I was a seller on Ebay and they had a discussion forum if people wanted to chat with one another. I made the mistake of using the same username from my selling account and forum account as I was green and didn't know any better. Someone was offended about something I wrote and bid and won the item I was selling. She then gave me a negative review that was a lie. I knew this because she reviewed the item before I ever shipped it. In all the years I sold on Ebay, I NEVER got negative feedback until that one. I never got negative feedback as a buyer either. Her childishness was my wake-up call and I deleted my forum account and rejoined with one not associated with my seller or buyer accounts and never had another negative the whole time I used Ebay. Last year a friend left her boyfriend and joined several dating sites. She has absolutely NO boundaries when it comes to men. Since last year, she has... 1. Sent a guy a photo of her DL and SSN. I had to help her put a freeze on her SSN and he did try to apply for credit with that info. 2. Sent a guy nude photos. She came to me for help again because he was threatening to post it if she didn't send him $. He contacted her two adult children and her employer. I told her there is no reason in the world she should have sent him those kinds of photos, but that he should not have that information in the first place to threaten her family and job. 3. Has given at least 20 men her address. She doesn't live in a secure building so I told her to give them mine. I have an intercom and nobody can walk straight to my door unless they live in the building or have been let in by someone that does. She still takes the risk because she's desperate and has no self-esteem. 4. Has gone to strange men's homes or the truck stop to have sex with men. I asked her to send me phone numbers, photos and meeting locations in case she goes missing. She did do that a few times but most times she doesn't. 5. Three weeks ago she let a man into her apartment because they went on two dates and said he was her bf. I tried to tell her that is not a unilateral decision. He ended up trying to force her to do something she wasn't willing to do and I had to intervene again to protect her. 6. She has sex with a guy within minutes of meeting them and has offered sex and nude massages to every single one she's ever had contact with. I have pleaded with her to use condoms and be selective but she does not say "No" to ANY man. So, based on what I've been witness to for about 19 months now, no...nobody should be using real information until they have had a number of positive encounters with the other person. There is no reason anybody needs to know all that in a fresh connection. It's rife with all kinds of bad endings. And, beyond that, we have to consider the fact that former Vice-President Pence and his family are still bouncing from hotel to hotel and staying with family and friends due to death threats. There have been reports of election workers being threatened. And this is exactly why it was the right thing to do to ban former President Trump from all social media. He's very dangerous because he can corral that level of response from his supporters based on a lie. He's not man enough to just admit he was legitimately fired. He's not even man enough to make a public statement to ask them to stop the hate. He thrives on it and that's why he keeps submitting his hateful, inappropriate and vile garbage in memos constantly. I'm a former police officer. It's just not safe. There was a time when I would have said it's not an issue but not in today's times.
OK. Thank you, MJ Davies. I see your point. Tell your friend to please be more careful. There is nothing wrong with being single and celibate. Sounds like she is afraid of being alone. I've known a few women like that.
Wow. They are most definitely out for him. Next will be activists harassing his place of work and demands he be fired and fire bombs....
In theory it's a legitimate idea, but then the 'wacko's' in all factions would start hunting people down because they hate their viewpoints. Nothing good would come of that....
Well let me put it this way, we've engaged on various threads on this forum for many years, and we almost always disagree, but the difference is that nothing that you've written here would effect you if your employer knew about it. There would be zero impact if you were doxxed. There wouldn't be hoards of online right wingers going after you, notifying your employer about what you posted and trying to get you fired. If you're on the right, it's a different story. Of course that doesn't mean that this would happen to me or other right leaning posters on this forum, but the danger is there in a way it's not for left leaning posters. All it takes is something catching the attention of the mob like Jared Schmeck did.
You're welcome. As for my friend, nothing that is sane or even reasonable connects. I've been telling her the same stuff since last Summer and it just bounces off her head until she meets with trouble. I told her last week that I can't listen to it anymore. There's nothing I can do if she wants to put herself in harm's way. I am also divorced and single and I have absolutely no interest in being in another relationship. My ex put me through hell for these past 11 years, took everything I ever owned and kidnapped my children. I finally located them but I only get to see them three times per year and it takes all my inner strength to be cordial after all that but I do it for my children. There is no way in hell I'm giving another person a few more decades of my life. No thanks! She asks me all the time "Don't you ever get lonely and just want to have somebody spend the night?" I told her that I've have NEVER been lonely enough to endure BS from somebody. I paid those dues and then some with abusive, sociopathic parents and my ex. I'm not volunteering for that as an adult. I think it bothers her that I'm truly content with being alone. It bothers me that she will do anything just to have a man near her. My self-esteem and inner peace disavow that approach. Like this <whatever you want to call it> with Trump supporters - It's painful to witness. I told her two weeks ago that I don't want any details any more. I will step in to protect her, if necessary, but that's my hard boundary at this point. I can't endure Trump's cult (not all of his supporters are psychopaths) for too long either. I don't even watch the news because I don't want to hear all the negativity. No thanks!
No one memorable night (my night) here on PF we didn’t have a mod and a troll got loose. Started threatening everyone. Claimed he could “track” people and would come to their house and shoot them. I could see that he was disturbing many so I focussed him on me suggesting he could come and try to shoot me. Was quite disappointed that he did not attempt to hop in his car and drive across the Pacific Ocean to reach me
I can easily see arguments for both. I use many forms of social media and use my name on some and not on others. For professional platforms I always use my real name. Even for some hobbies such as photography I have used my real identity. For gaming and general discussions such as these OG forums and reddit I use an avatar. For the most part I do not try to take advantage of the anonymity. The majority of the views I express here would be the same as what I would say if my identity was known. The only areas that may I may be more reluctant to discuss would be statements related to my profession. Although I have given away no secrets we all sign NDA agreements and I would be probably avoid speaking to the topic altogether if I used my real name. The other area I would not talk about is family. I have often mention conversations with my relatives like my brother in-law who is a pastor and describe some of our conversations because they were relevant to some topic of discussion. I would never disclose those publicly if my identity was known.
That is an interesting view. Why do you think it is better to not use real names? My guess in the future is more social media will only allow real names.
~ To me it does not matter. You can stay anonymous if you like with a little effort. I do think everyone should have to post country location and gender . ? "
With respect ... I cannot for the life of me process the above, with the information that this woman has adult children. Is there an error somewhere, and you're actually talking about two different people? If not - what on earth is wrong with this apparently mature woman? Why is she still behaving like a dysfunctional 19 year old hopped-up on hormones? This is highly abnormal behaviour at any age, but it's a berserk level of abnormal in a middle-aged woman. As for the friend herself - she needs to find her satisfactions and companionship on nature's schedule. In middle-age that means family, pets, homes, gardens, friends, hobbies, perhaps additional education, perhaps career, grandchildren if you're lucky, managing your investments and planning for retirement, etc etc. All of that is more than enough for even a single woman. Throw a husband into the mix and your cup runneth over. Further, I would submit that she has no interest in securing a life partner with whom to enjoy all the above delights of middle age and beyond. If that's what she wanted she'd being going about it very differently. It's likely she's seeking something else entirely. Perhaps the sexual validation usually associated with teenaged girls, or the competition for sperm seen in female mammals entering breeding age. Either way - it's profoundly out of context.
It has NOTHING to do with loneliness. If someone is simply lonely, there is ample relief from that available in our own families, amongst our own friends, via hobbies and interests, via volunteering, via church or similar, etc etc. Human companionship is always available to those who make the effort to be companionable. People in that age range who do this kind of thing (or fall for younger and more attractive scammer profiles) are doing so for reasons of personal dysfunction. They are almost always personally flawed to the point that they do not make good companions themselves, and don't want to do the work to establish bona fide relationships. If they end up isolated, it will be due to their own actions entirely. But because they're so dysfunctional (aka, narcissistic and immature), they refuse to to fix themselves in answer to that. They insist on sexual validation from strangers, because it requires the least effort on their part, and is the least likely to result in the person recognising how flawed they are.
I know exactly how you feel, MJ Davies. I swore off relationships a long time ago myself. Society tries to make us think we have to be part of a couple, but we don't. I'm very content exactly as I am.
He sounded like a real nutcase. Is it true that mods can figure out our locations? Or do they just have a general idea of where we are?
It seems to me that the only reason someone would be more curteous using their real name would be because they're afraid of some sort of 'real world' retribution like getting doxxed, receiving threatening material, complaints to their employer, etc. The simple fact is theres people out there, and here in this very forum, who take criticism of their political beliefs as an attack and will lash out in response. Anonymity keeps the lashing out contained to this site where its ultimately harmless.