An astute observation, I would say. Mary is someone with strong opinions
and an acerbic sense of humor who, just as you do, posts under "nyms,"
primarily because it is the wisest thing to do in Usenet even if one's
opinions don't tend to piss people off. (But especially if you do.)

She thinks newsgroups are primarily for the exchange of information--
a view which is in direct opposition to those who use them to form
personal relationships. However, those who really do feel that these
synthetic cyber constructs are "communities" find people like Mary
threatening--precisely because people like Mary are posting for
different reasons and are of necessity not bound by the same rules
as those who are posting to make friends.

Mary has posted to this group for years and has proven herself to
be a cat lover. The only people who call her a troll are those who
call everyone they dislike a troll or who foolishly think that the use
of more than one nym is some sign of Demonic Guilt. :) More than one of
these people have since learned the hard way why a certain degree of anonymity
might be a positive thing. :)

Precisely. You my Aussie friend are smarter than the average bear.

Absolutely anything you want to including nothing. That is the beauty of a free
and unmoderated forum. Clearly there are ugly parts too.

You might find that when something is being done that you feel strongly
is wrong that you feel a moral imperative to speak out against it. Mary
clearly does. Those who tacitly allow wrong to be done sometimes find
that they are later held responsible for the said wrong, because silence
indicates agreement to many. But you may also feel that you don't know enough
about the situation to speak with authority. After all, opinions really are
like a.sholes, if only in that everyone has one.

You are a good egg, or appear to be. Hang around. The fun has just
begun.

Those aren't the only choices.