Anonymity

A recent post on Paralegal Hell regarding one blogger's criticism of her decision to publish anonymously has me thinking (never a good thing).  And a little pissed off (also never a good thing).

The reason I publish anonymously is simple.  I couldn't be brutally honest about what I really think if my real name were attached to these posts.  I would get fired, it would be much harder to find another paralegal job, and that would make this whole blog moot.  There's a lot of things I don't post about in order to maintain that anonymity. 

This profession can be rewarding.  We help people, protect their rights, make a decent living and we aren't waist-deep in raw sewage on a daily basis.  All things I'm thankful for (especially that last one). 

It can also be frustrating at the same time, working for egomaniacal overeducated douchebags who can't tell time, treat others with basic human dignity or find their ass with both hands and a GPS device.  That's not every lawyer in the business, admittedly, but nobody can doubt there's an emerging trend in that direction.

There are plenty of blogs about the upside of the paralegal profession.  They perform an important service, one I utilize frequently.  I'm just not the kind of person to publish one myself. 

In a different way, sharing our frustrations also helps.  More than a few paralegals have contacted me to say that it's nice to know they aren't alone.  My #1 goal is to make a bad day a little less bad.

Another reason is my frank and open discussion of being an Alcoholic.  It is important for those in our profession to be aware of what could happen if the high levels of stress get the better of you.  Very, very few people in my real life know about this struggle, and I'd rather keep it that way for now. 

So for those of you who blog openly, kudos and keep doing what you do.  Just keep in mind that those of us who blog anonymously don't do it out of cowardice.