By Harold Jennings, Editor-in-Chief, Bethel Truth Teller
Ah yes, Facebook, the great digital town square where your Aunt Carol shares Minion memes and your neighbor passive-aggressively posts about “someone” who doesn’t bring their trash cans in fast enough. But now—thanks to Zuckerberg’s latest “innovation”—our beloved local forum, The Bethel, CT Forum – A Social, Economic, and Political Discussion, has anonymous posting.
And I’ll just say it: anonymous posting is the new Klan robe.
Think about it. In 2025, nobody’s out there actually sewing white hoods and meeting in barns. No—today’s cowards have Wi-Fi. The uniform isn’t a robe, it’s a blank profile picture and a name tag that says “Anonymous Neighbor.” It’s the same spirit of shame: you want to spout off, but you’re too embarrassed to attach your actual face to your actual words.
“Oh but anonymity allows for honest opinions,” defenders say. Sure, Karen, and ski masks allow for honest bank withdrawals. If you’re so confident in your big, brave opinion about sidewalks, taxes, or whether Stew Leonard’s is “better than Caraluzzi’s” (it isn’t, don’t start), then why not put your name on it?
We all know why. It’s because you know your opinion is so catastrophically dumb, so cosmically petty, that you don’t even want to own it. And so you slink into anonymity, like a teenager wearing sunglasses indoors, convinced no one will know who you are. Spoiler: we know.
Here’s the truth: attaching your name to your words forces you to think. Anonymity removes that filter. Without accountability, the comment section devolves into the world’s worst open-mic night, but instead of jokes, it’s just conspiracy theories about the high school football team’s budget.
So next time you’re tempted to post anonymously, ask yourself: “Would I say this out loud at Dunkin’?” If not, congratulations—you’ve just confirmed you’re digital-robe material.
Maybe it’s time to bring shame back. Maybe we need more people signing their names, standing by their opinions, and less cowardice in grayscale profile pictures. Because if your thought can’t survive with your name attached, maybe—just maybe—it doesn’t deserve to exist.