Anonymous Sends a Letter to the World

[Epictank of Wintown]

Here's my problem with Anonymous right now. They're all about, in this case, freedom of speech, demanding that the governments of the world reveal their secrets, etc etc etc- but if anyone dares disagree with them, they bring down the hammer of wrath and retribution as hard if not harder than any government ever could.

People have secrets. Governments have secrets. This is the way of the world and the way things work.

The difference?

Personal secrets can damage a life. Personal secrets can hurt people.

Governmental secrets can get a lot, and I mean a LOT, of people killed. There's a reason news reporters edit out the names of people involved. There's a reason they don't name their sources.

In this case, Anonymous (and the people at Wikileaks, from what I've seen of the site) just don't seem to care about the people whose lives they're destroying in much the same fashion that the people they're attacking are. It all leads in one giant loop and, in the end, it accomplishes nothing.

Hypocrisy, on both sides, to the highest degrees. There are no 'heroes' here. There are only people on both sides that think they're the allmighty God, infallible, and untouchable.

And, as a note to this. I'm a southerner, born and bred. I'm wholly and completely opposed to big government and a fiercely independant person. I believe it is our right, all of us, to question government, to press and demand things, and to get the truth of most matters. Sometimes, though, it's better just not to know.

 

[thepyrethatburns]

Meh. It's Anonymous. Sometimes they're good. Sometimes they're bad. I don't have a problem with them hiding themselves behind Anonymous but the author of such letter should realize that, by being Anons, they are credited with actions claimed as Anons. Stating that "The recent news of our campaigns has been, at best, misinformed" is disingenuous when, in their own words, the goals of Anonymous can be changed on a whim.

Essentially, the person who wrote this wants Anon to be credited with the good while disavowing the bad but they don't understand that you can't have it both ways. If you are an Anon, then all actions by other Anons will also be attributed to you for good or ill.

And, as a sidenote, stating that you are for Freedom of Speech rings a little hollow when Operation Payback fires the DDOS cannon at Gene Simmons. Freedom of Speech does still apply even if the other person is being an asshat.

 

[Lem0nade Inlay]

Seems pretty pretentious. Anonymous aren't some awesome freedom fighters. They're just a bunch of dedicated people around the World who know how to organize themselves. They don't "fight for freedom". Now, I'm not bad-mouthing anonymous here, a lot of what they're doing/have done is great. But a lot of it is just stupid pranks, I mean how are people meant to take them seriously if one day they're spending all their efforts defending an international figure from "THE EVIL GOVERNMENTS!" and then the next day they're attacking and threatening a young girl over the internet.

Come on anon, get your shit together and fight for more things that matter, like Julian. Hopefully what they're doing now is a step in the right direction.

However, I have to say that in this case I don't support Assange that much. I think that what the Governments have done to him is unfair, although I don't think that he should release certain things on wikileaks. Like "Sites around the World which are important to America". I mean, what is that meant to accomplish? I don't care if that shit is hidden from me by the Government, I'm not asking for it. But if they release that, they're just giving terrorists a multitude of effective targets.

 

[Uncreation]

While the message itself does sound quite pretentious, i do agree with what they're saying for the most part. Hm, i guess we'll wait and see what comes next.

 

[Isaac The Grape]

This belongs here, since people don't seem to have a clue about Anon.

The problem with the above video is it represents Anonymous as an actual entity.

Every single piece of information about Anonymous, outside that which comes from the chan world, that I have ever seen mis-interpenetrates Anonymous.

Anonymous is not an organisation or group of any sort at all.

Anonymous is a meme.

It is a vehicle for ideas and movements.

People congregate as Anons around actions that are preformed in the name of Anonymous and thus become the embodiment of Anonymous.

Cool idea huh?

Took me a while to understand who and what Anonymous is, and everyone will have their own interpretation. But at a basic functional level, Anonymous is a meme.

 

[Isaac The Grape]

-snip-

-snip-

An Anon provides his opinion.

 

[Naheal]

This belongs here, since people don't seem to have a clue about Anon.

The problem with the above video is it represents Anonymous as an actual entity.

Every single piece of information about Anonymous, outside that which comes from the chan world, that I have ever seen mis-interpenetrates Anonymous.

Anonymous is not an organisation or group of any sort at all.

Anonymous is a meme.

It is a vehicle for ideas and movements.

People congregate as Anons around actions that are preformed in the name of Anonymous and thus become the embodiment of Anonymous.

Cool idea huh?

Took me a while to understand who and what Anonymous is, and everyone will have their own interpretation. But at a basic functional level, Anonymous is a meme.

It's all of those things and none of those things. It's an entity of contradiction.

 

[Haydyn]

I've always had a pleasant opinion of Anonymous. I'm big on freedom of speech, and the concept of the internet having guardians has always given me a bonerd. However the mask they wear makes them a joke. Guy Fawkes wanted to bring down the Protestant revolution to restore Catholic Domination. He's worse than the people Anonymous (and Anarchists) think he's fighting against. Therefore, just like people who wear the inverted cross as a sign to disrespect God, wearing a Guy Fawkes mask because you are for revolution only makes you an uneducated fool. http://www.cracked.com/article_18606_8-historic-symbols-that-mean-opposite-what-you-think.html

 

[Naheal]

I've always had a pleasant opinion of Anonymous. I'm big on freedom of speech, and the concept of the internet having guardians has always given me a bonerd. However the mask they wear makes them a joke. Guy Fawkes wanted to bring down the Protestant revolution to restore Catholic Domination. He's worse than the people Anonymous (and Anarchists) think he's fighting against. Therefore, just like people who wear the inverted cross as a sign to disrespect God, wearing a Guy Fawkes mask because you are for revolution only makes you an uneducated fool. http://www.cracked.com/article_18606_8-historic-symbols-that-mean-opposite-what-you-think.html

Pretty sure that they know and don't care.

 

[Zaik]

I've always had a pleasant opinion of Anonymous. I'm big on freedom of speech, and the concept of the internet having guardians has always given me a bonerd. However the mask they wear makes them a joke. Guy Fawkes wanted to bring down the Protestant revolution to restore Catholic Domination. He's worse than the people Anonymous (and Anarchists) think he's fighting against. Therefore, just like people who wear the inverted cross as a sign to disrespect God, wearing a Guy Fawkes mask because you are for revolution only makes you an uneducated fool. http://www.cracked.com/article_18606_8-historic-symbols-that-mean-opposite-what-you-think.html

The mask is a reference to Epic Fail Guy, which is a meme. Yes, it is a Guy Fawkes mask, however they don't wear it just because it's a Guy Fawkes mask. At least that's not the original motivation to wear it, anyway.

Also that video doesn't really give enough credit to the fact that Anon does everything it does for it's own amusement primarily and any good that comes out of anything they do beyond that is just positive collateral damage.


Edit: Also, to be on topic, as usual I agree with them 100%.

 

[Naheal]

The mask is a reference to Epic Fail Guy, which is a meme. Yes, it is a Guy Fawkes mask, however they don't wear it just because it's a Guy Fawkes mask. At least that's not the original motivation to wear it, anyway.

Also that video doesn't really give enough credit to the fact that Anon does everything it does for it's own amusement primarily and any good that comes out of anything they do beyond that is just positive collateral damage.

You're not accounting for the so-called conscience [http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Moralfag] of Anon.

 

[Haydyn]

any good that comes out of anything they do beyond that is just positive collateral damage.

Hehe, I like the way you make it sound. Maybe I'm just focusing on people who wear the mask in general misinterpreting what it means. I don't really have any beef with Anonymous then.

 

[Pyode]

The thing that strikes me the most about this "letter" is how the author repeatedly reiterates how Anonymous is never the same, even hour to hour. It's great because this means at Annon can do whatever the fuck it wants, however it wants, and is never responsible for it's actions. Every evil thing it has done and will do it completely irrelevant in the authors eyes.

This is basically what I get from this article...

"Annon is a peaceful entity that only wants to protect free-speech... until someone pisses it off or it gets bored... then you're all fucked."

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Freedom of Speech... sure, fine, I'm all for it.

Freedom to do whatever you want with the internet... no way in hell.

The internet is a luxury (not necessary to live) that costs people money, it needs rules. Feel free to go out and talk all you want to anyone who will listen.

Um, but you... Can't do that? If you go out in public and talk about the wrong things, they will lock you up and charge you. There's always a line in today's "Freedom" of speech.

The Internet is pretty much the only place where people can have truly uncensored and free exchange of ideas and information. Individual sites can have rules. Browsers can have rules if the one using it wishes. Cruising the Internet can absolutely be censored, partitioned and "clean..." But it should ALWAYS be the decision of the individual if that is how they wish to view the ideas and expressions of others via digital medium. It isn't right for any business, corporation or government to have exclusive control over how the ideas of others are or are not viewed. Corporations and businesses don't care about the individual, and governments are often corrupt or just too busy to worry about little people.

I hate to sound so in favor of Anonymous, but I will always support the free exchange of ideas and information, and the right of people to not be censored. The man printing the paper has no business telling me what to write on my piece.

I might not want to see all the disgusting ideas people want to share via the Internet, but I will support their right to have those ideas as I hope they will support mine.

 

[Zaik]

The mask is a reference to Epic Fail Guy, which is a meme. Yes, it is a Guy Fawkes mask, however they don't wear it just because it's a Guy Fawkes mask. At least that's not the original motivation to wear it, anyway.

Also that video doesn't really give enough credit to the fact that Anon does everything it does for it's own amusement primarily and any good that comes out of anything they do beyond that is just positive collateral damage.

You're not accounting for the so-called conscience [http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Moralfag] of Anon.

Of course, but a vast majority of moralfags are just boots on the ground, rather than any real guiding force.

 

[The Rockerfly]

I completely agree, lately citizens have been letting themselves be screwed over far too much, there needs to be a group of people willing to do something about it

I also realise that keeping parts of the internet up and running is expensive but what about wikipedia? One of the biggest websites on the internet and it doesn't even have adverts

Copyright can take a big load. Protecting small artists maybe however most of what ever is being pirated is the stupid mainstream shit that no one should fork out a penny to anyway. It's just making the rich even richer

 

[UmbrellaAssassin]

Seems pretty pretentious. Anonymous aren't some awesome freedom fighters. They're just a bunch of dedicated people around the World who know how to organize themselves. They don't "fight for freedom". Now, I'm not bad-mouthing anonymous here, a lot of what they're doing/have done is great. But a lot of it is just stupid pranks, I mean how are people meant to take them seriously if one day they're spending all their efforts defending an international figure from "THE EVIL GOVERNMENTS!" and then the next day they're attacking and threatening a young girl over the internet.

Come on anon, get your shit together and fight for more things that matter, like Julian. Hopefully what they're doing now is a step in the right direction.

However, I have to say that in this case I don't support Assange that much. I think that what the Governments have done to him is unfair, although I don't think that he should release certain things on wikileaks. Like "Sites around the World which are important to America". I mean, what is that meant to accomplish? I don't care if that shit is hidden from me by the Government, I'm not asking for it. But if they release that, they're just giving terrorists a multitude of effective targets.

well the problem is a lot of the attacks that are said to be originated from anonymous are not really by the anonymous. noone gets to vote on what they do. the intrest it gains from the potential lulz is what starts these "attacks" anonymous is not a freedom fighter. anonymous is not a bully. anonymous is not a terrorist. anonymous is not your friend.

sometimes for things like this wikileaks problem stirs up anonymous to a greater purpose.

 

[viranimus]

I do love the notion of Anon. It is hard to not applaud people who are at least trying to do something. My concern is as the notion of Anon. grows it is only a matter of time before it is viewed as a legitimate threat and seen as a target to be destroyed.

Spoiler

In my time I grow ever more weary of humanity and I continue to sink deeper into misanthropy. The reason why is how easy it is to look at a world that is beyond screwed up only to see people complacently gawking at a train wreck.

If you agree or disagree with anon and its current motivation is not really relevant. Right now it has collectively looked at a situation that writhes with vile disgust and has agreed that it is wrong and the only logical course of action is to take action.

The fact that a group of individuals can come to a consensus and stand together in opposition of what is wrong genuinely gives me a tiny glimmer of hope for humanity. Whatever your personal thoughts are on Anon you must ask yourself, what have you done? Have you taken action to undo what is wrong in this world? or do you stand complacently gawking as atrocity continues to mount on top of each other until you are buried in the shadow of an avalanche ready to crush you all while you delude yourself in thinking that you do not have to do anything because it will all be ok.

The price of freedom is vigilance. If you wish to keep your freedom you must always be on watch to protect it from those who have and will take any measure of it from you that you allow to slip from your grasp. If you personally disagree with Anon, honestly that is great, Birth your notion and shape the will of the greater good to what you can agree with and learn to accept the greater good goes well beyond the will of the individual, collective or organization. Dont complain. Dont set idly by. Do something, because what we have been doing obviously hasnt worked out the way we thought it would.

/applaud.