On Anonymity, Part 2

Ordinarily, I like to think I am above the personal attack. Once in a while people come along and make such an indelibly negative impression on you that you are forced to reconsider your principled stance on civility and decorum.

In college, it was that fellow who would come to a kegger without having chipped in for the beer. After drinking himself into a stupor on everyone else’s dime, said person would then proceed to either vomit all over the host’s house or engage in a destructive rampage.

At a wedding, it is the gentleman who thinks that all of the bridesmaids are there solely for his personal gratification. Everyone is reluctant to set him straight because he is a close relative, if not a sibling, of the bride or groom. As such, he proceeds with reckless abandon to make the ladies in the dyed satin pumps as uncomfortable as humanly possible.

In sports, it is the guy who insists on tackling everyone during a game of flag football. Smaller people than our brave friend make exceptionally likely targets.

In the Manitoba blogosphere, it is the person who takes it upon himself to out a fellow anonymous blogger. To be sure, Manitoba’s blogging “enfant terrible’s” latest posting was a bit strong. There are, however, more dignified ways to refute his/her/their musings.

The stunt CC pulled on his blog today has to be the pettiest, classless and most self-aggrandizing posting I have ever seen. I hope CC’s pathetic attempt to defend Hugh McFadyen from the Black Rod is more a reflection of the blogger than of the person he was trying to defend. Otherwise my tepid support of McFadyen has just been flushed down CC’s sewer…