[mustaflex]

I think it reached a certain point where even a pen-name is not enough. The author might write something completely safe(under his own name) and some people will still be able to nitpick and led a crusade against him/her.

You can control what you write but not the mob trying to lynch you.

[ghaff]

Well, yes, but not having a pen-name that's connected to a real world identity does limit the potential consequences to a significant degree. It's not perfect, especially if you do something illegal, but an online mob probably can't get you fired if they don't know your real identity.