Oh, I had an anonymous email account listed on the website so people could leave feedback or submit additional teacher reviews. So, they didn't know who I was but they could contact me.
I fucked up by outing myself to the teacher impersonating a student, but with a legal threat I guess it could have turned out even worse if I didn't out myself.
Huge drama at the time, my parents were pretty religious so they actually took the values of the school seriously and were so upset that they told me they wouldn't let me go to college.
That was a pretty easy fight to win though as there is no way they could have stopped me.
It's interesting. I don't suppose there is a way to protect your anonymity at the time. They would have got you either way. Using an email list might be a better solution... haha, use a free email for every weekly update. Never reply.
In the late 90s, there was no Tor, or VPN services. There were still pseudonymous remailers (penet.fi having gone down in 1996). I remember using Potato Idaho to craft Mixmaster remailer messages with reply blocks. That's how I posted to filtered cypherpunks :) But it was tedious.
It was just for fun at first and also to air some real grievances about the school itself. It was supposed to be religious but it felt like the school was more about money, there were some other specific issues that felt like they were important at the time as well.
I really didn't mean to hurt my brother or family, still feel bad about it. I don't think the teachers took it too hard as I heard that some agreed with what was said and I don't think I said anything too hurtful about any of them, just honest really.
I'm certainly writing here in a somewhat detached manner as it does still bring up feelings and I could better explain with an entire blog post like the original story here. Maybe I'll do just that.
I don't understand the down votes on my sibling post. I point out some hypocrisy (some people commended for violating community norms in another community, while I am criticized for violating HN norms) in a snarky way I find amusing. So call me immature and narcissistic, but get off your high horse.
I agree. That is exactly why radical organizers like Martin Luther King or Evan Wolfson or Ed Snowden should learn to sit down and shut up. It is narcissistic, selfish, and immature of them to insist on speaking about issues society would prefer they stayed silent on. And the cost to their supporters and friends and those around them is quite significant.
