Anonymous

Vigilantes are often portrayed as heroes in the movies. Clint Eastwood has made a career out of acting the part. But Eastwood’s not the best example of a modern day vigilante. I always picked him as more of a 4WD kinda’ guy, instead of someone who zooms around the inner suburbs of your nearest city perched on a bike and decked out in lycra.

As our open thread reported yesterday, an online community of Sydney cyclists are hunting down the occupants of a dark red Mitsubishi, who are alleged to have attacked a cyclist with fists and, oddly enough, batteries. The drivers are no fans of Le Tour de France, that’s for sure. “Energise THIS, Lance Armstrong!”

The cyclist in question, Chris Moore, doesn’t want vengeance. He says he isn’t going to press charges. “I think a better outcome would be if these people were able to gain a bit of insight, and empathise with other road users,” he wrote on Reddit.

Not every vigilante would be so compassionate though. I’m sure Clint wouldn’t. And technology’s made taking justice into your own hands that much easier - which isn’t always a good thing.

Continue reading "Is it ever OK to go vigilante?" »

My name’s Lucy and I’m a Stratfordian. Okay, not really. That’s just a fancy way of saying that I think William Shakespeare was real.

That even though he was born to a middle class family, went to the local school and never set foot in a university - that he wrote every single one of his approximately 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 epic narrative poems, with an unrivalled creativity, a wicked sense of humour and a serious passion for documenting the world around him.

It means that I think Shakespeare’s humble beginnings did not define him. That his quick wit drove his talent and his natural curiosity made him a star.

Continue reading "Shakespeare a fake? What fools these mortals be." »

Online anonymity has been a hot topic on The Punch recently. Here, Lucy looks at the pros and cons of revealing your true self.

Many people will call you a coward - or worse, a bully - for hiding your real identity online. But unless you’re troll or an aggressive poster, most of the time that’s far from the truth.

Like a dress-up box for adults, the internet has become a place for people who want to engage in debate, throw around ideas, complain about their lives or just muck around - without their real name.

And there are several perfectly valid reasons for doing it.

Continue reading "Four reasons it’s OK to ditch your real self online" »