Perhaps to you. Also you might wish to investigate who Guy Faulks actually was, who he associated with, what his "ideals" where and what theat whole plan would have resulted in.
I have. But at this point, it doesn't matter. He has become a symbol and his original message has long since become irrelevant.
While I get your point, I would say a symbol based on a very deep fallacy...that's not a good way to start, and I would say that's not at all irrelevant. It might be to the people who worship the caricature (which in and of itself is half the point I'm making), but to me it also shows how myopic and infused with 'form over substance' that particular movement can mostly be.
And there are a hell of a lot more people on the internet working toward change that have absolutely no interest in the methods of anon let alone participate or support them than are just being connected via the web.
Again, you are right but real life is bigger and more complicated.
For the past 20 years or so, those of us who had an interest in civil rights in the Internet sphere had been doing much fighting against windmills. I used to work with the EFF, tried to found a EFF Europe, got into a few lawsuits, even gained a little bit of publicity. I also watched how the lobbyists and corrupt politicians steamrolled over us without a second thought because we were few and couldn't compete in the bribery. I've heard the tales from the other folks about how the EFF once tried to enter the lobby circus in Washington DC and the only thing it got them was burning out their own people.
You can't say I didn't try. And I still believe in the EFF et al. - but I also think they don't have the resources nor abilities to mobilize masses of people and on their own they wouldn't have been able to put a stop on ACTA.
Anonymous - for whatever reasons of coolness and movie cliches - reach people and get newspaper and TV news coverage. When's the last time you've seen the EFF mentioned in the evening news?
We definitely need both. Someone who can mobilize people to go on the street and give the TV news the footage they want to put your issue into the evening news, and someone who fights in the courtrooms and can provide expert talks to the news.
Good for you (heartfelt). Bob knows we need activism and folks working to change the system and try to make this a better place for all concerned.
That said, Paris Hilton got a lot of media coverage too. not sure that's worth anything on it's face without substance. And King got covered by the media plenty. Principled effective action can take place in the public eye, but takes talent and sacrifice most often. Above all it benefits from being couched in authenticity. Not only in the symbology, but in the motivation for the actions. People smell the bullshit. You may be running in circles where anon cache is high, but i can assure you that is limited and I work in deep nerdom.
The vein these guys tweak is mostly an immature one by my way of thinking. I'd prefer a less self centered and self aggrandizing hypocritical vigilante process, sexy or not.
Many actions limit the freedoms of legally operating web presences. Yet they espouse freedom of speech. That's hypocrisy to my mind.
And I can't tell you how often I've read someone claiming that anon gets the credit for the occupy movement. How many ways is a statement like that telling?
I have no doubt there are good people involved but they sure must be the minority, because the actions and statements are often more akin to a child with a gun, or action bend on proving they have an enormous e-penis than mature action to make a better world. The later seems more like cover to fuck with people who have offended them or behaved contrary to their dictates or to moon authority (not that mooning authority every now and again isn't a good move mind you, just don't sell it to me as mythical virtue in the name of all that is good please). That in turn smells more like bullying to me (bottom rail on top perhaps?)
I understand both that there are benefits to some of their behavior and that creating movement in a world that is so deeply fucked up takes action that isn't always clean, so I acknowledge that we can't pick and choose perfect solutions with so many different people and so many different motivations. Breaking eggs and all (sad). But i'll save my cheers and adulation for people ringing doorbells for gay marriage, and setting up websites to help send messages to congress on SOPA...and I'll look for the next true revolutionary. Someone like King just to name one, who placed the virtue of the matter out on the street non-violently and without bullying or self-aggrandizement.
The real trick is that in the internet age, we conglomerate so naturally. Thus we are moving away from the single individual leader. Eygpt may have a long way to go as well, but boy...now THAT was an internet action!
