I have been on Reddit for eight years, and only came out with my name today. People should be encouraged to use aliases for any number of reasons. To name a few:

  * You should be able to express an idea without that idea being attached to a known identity (partly because people may judge the idea based on the known identity)
  * You should be allowed to "start over" (heck, I might want to start over soon)
  * In the face of an Orwellian government or an unaccepting society, you should be able to safely express your true opinions