It sounds like a game and elitism, but I think it's actually showing how seriously people take each other. If Pirate doesn't disclose something himself publicly, I don't think people privy to the information would be keen on doing such a thing without asking his consent.
I can certainly appreciate everyone's wish for privacy, and this in itself does not necessarily imply game and elitism. It may as well also be taken as a sign of professionalism.
My point with my post was not primarily to have Pirate identity outed. It was more that the impression from this thread that an in-group of people was playing with an out-group of people was beginning to annoy me - with small hints and the giving out of small dots requiring each and everyone to spend time connecting all the dots (i.e. who is pirate on this picture). It is this kind of behaviour that I don't find particularly professional.