Anonymous is not an organization. It is a hacktivist movement. Anonymous is an idea—or, more accurately, a group of ideas—and anyone on the internet can be a part of the movement and a part of that idea. In some ways, most people who use the internet are a part of that idea. And there’s more to it than Guy Fawkes masks (which, by the way, are a reference to V For Vendetta and not directly to Guy Fawkes, who was actually a lunatic).
Different spokespeople within Anonymous talk about different things. There’s no hierarchy or chain of command or leaders—just people and ideas and group efforts. I do not agree with all of those ideas. Sometimes, there are statements against capitalism, arguments against the existence of government, or statements against the use of predator drones overseas or the domestic use of surveillance drones (I’m fine with surveillance drones so long as they are used within certain ethical parameters—just like wiretaps). I love capitalism. I think that anyone willing to submit to anarchy is merely romanticizing what would actually be a deplorable abandonment of all moral and social responsibility—particularly towards those who cannot protect themselves and their property. Some members of Anonymous are anti-police. I am so not anti-police. Sometimes police officers do terrible things, yes. Sometimes teachers or electricians do terrible things.
Every now and then, there’s even a crazy statement about secret societies and the Illuminati (the kind of nonsense that I just live for when it shows up in comments on Evil Beet Gossip. I mean, have you read those comments? People analyze music videos and Madonna’s half-time show and find little things and then make up the most outlandish theories about Illuminati ritual, which apparently encompasses anything and everything). Again, Anonymous has no one official mouthpiece. There are going to be a few crazies in any group—but it just stands out more when that group is a minority or otherwise cloaked in mystery.
But, you know what? Anonymous gives hell to “White Power” and Neo-Nazi groups. Anonymous reminds powerful government organizations (not just in the US and Europe, by the way) that they are not all-powerful when those governments and organizations do something bad. Anonymous members work to protect ecosystems. Anonymous did an awesome job as one of the many, many groups that worked tirelessly to make the Westboro Baptist Church hate-group’s attempts to protest at the Sandy Hook funerals into a miserable and unrewarding venture. Anonymous is a collection of global …
