I will also point out that I am collecting quite a bit of information on the human nature aspect as you point out. I just did not expect it to be quite so, well vocal, at the start. I am finding it very hard to keep myself separate from the experiment due to the overwhelming suspicions of being a scammer. So while it is fun and exciting to see all the different reactions, in my desire to keep the experiment on-track and reassure people enough that I can get enough participants to work with, I am also risking breaking one of the first parts of the experiment.
Okay, I do a lot of MTurking... and experimenters assure people by posting their IRL information. So if what you say it true, you should post your IRL information. No need to explain the experiment. But, for all we know, you're an 8yo kid trying to see if he can get the bitcoiners to give him/her free BTC just for the asking. Surely, you are not a part of the experiment and your IRL info will not sway the experiment.
Previously, you said you could move forward with 5 people. You have 5 donors, but now it sounds like you still can't move forward for some reason?
Also, not sure why you posted that you have $4+ in BTC when you were only asking for $1 equiv?
You have not stated if the donors will ever get their donation back or not.
All the cloak and dagger is not working in your favor. That you didn't expect back-lash for it, seems to say that you're not very familiar with online fund raising. As someone else has posted above said, go on any website looking for donations and you'll get the same scrutiny. That is not a failure of the bitcoin community. Once you've collected your data, post it and your interpretations and I'll bet you that I can match your 'experiment' tit-for-tat through pre-existing community threads where people solicit donations for anything from sick animals, to baby formula, to pizza.
I am personally amazed by the bitcoin community and I don't see anything unexpected in this thread. (Well, except for FalconFly who is wonderful and I wish them every good thing on earth!)