I fear Anonymous

[PotatoChip]

Yes, they have, and are currently doing some very good things for liberal causes. That, I appreciate. Big time.

But hypothetically, what if some type of behind-the-scenes coup were to happen? And what if they were comprised of christian fundamentalists, neo-conservatives, rovian-freedom-work type bots, ect?

Or another scenario could be them doing their own type of Anonymous thing.

I'm an older member of Gen X, thus my already limited computer knowledge became trial and error after my (now adult) child left for college and beyond. I admittedly understand little about how Anonymous functions and how exactly they reek their havoc.

But I clearly recognize their power. And in the wrong hands, I shudder to think of what could happen.

[Aerows]

1. Anonymous

Is anonymous. It doesn't have clear affiliates. You shouldn't fear them anymore than you fear driving your car and another car hits you in an automobile accident.

Unless you cause a train wreck that kills a bunch of innocent people. Then? I'd worry.

[pipi_k]

40. An anonymous "organization"

is not a comfort.

Faceless...nameless...

There is no accountability whatsoever.

It's bad enough that people who are NOT anonymous...who have known identities...are out there doing things that may not always be legal. Or moral.

When people don't have to account to anyone for anything, there is no telling what sorts of things they could end up doing. No telling what sort of power they might convince themselves they have.

Anonymous is not always a good thing.

[waddirum]

49. it may not be a comfort or a good thing...

... but it just IS. We are in a new reality where documents and personal information will be leaked by all sides.

[sabrina 1]

2. I am glad that they are the 'good guys'. Someone else may

do it, the potential has always been there, so isn't it better that for once, it was done by those who are on the 'good side'? I don't fear them. I just hope they don't get caught.

[seabeyond]

5. reality... they were not the "good guy" to some totally innocent people that had names netted

for all to see.

it may have been something for the democratic cause but just another hypocrisy for us dems.

the woman that got sprayed by the cops were innocent. the family members that had their name put up by this org were innocent.

it shows a lack of moral compass with ability to abuse

regardless of whose side

and it is our job to call them out. thank you for the help, but there are lines to decency and ethics and integrity adn with power, is the ability to recognize

or they have to be shunned

[sabrina 1]

11. They did not release the names of the family members and made

a statement about it days ago. You must have missed it and are going with the media claims, which as is often the case, were false in this instance. They released the name of the Officer, someone else released whatever other family information was released.

[seabeyond]

23. i read Anonymous statement first day.... nt

[greiner3]

I disagree with a lot you say;

Activism does not mean complete agreement with your views. As to a 'moral compass,' Anonymous calls out its 'victims' for public misdeeds. I have not seen any mention that anyone but those who commit atrocities have been targeted and named.

Hypocrisy, you say, is the shame of Democrats in this instance. However, no one has said anywhere that Anonymous has any ultimate political agenda.

I say that most of Anonymous' members are apolitical teen crackers. I say it's about time this potent and highly intelligent, yet mostly politically under informed, segment of the population starts to make its voice heard.

[PotatoChip]

15. Excellent point. But who decides

what are misdeeds?

Apparently, 'they' do. Which begs the question who are 'they'???


on edit... spelling

[seabeyond]

22. innocent people were named on the net. they had done nothing, only members of cops family. nt

[Aerows]

33. Innocent people get named on the net all day long

If you are on the internet, you are pretty much named. If you have a Facebook account, you might as well forget about privacy.

Those are just facts. There is so much information in the public domain, it's a little bit late to be worrying about closing the barn doors, because the horses have been gone for a very long time.

Bashing anonymous people isn't going to change those facts. In small towns, people knew everyone's business - the internet just so happens to be a pretty small town for anyone with a keyboard. That doesn't necessarily translate into action, it just translates into gossip, just like it has since people have been able to open their mouths and speak.

[seabeyond]

34. it was a call against the cop. they included the family members and addresses including them in the

anger. there really is a right and a wrong. that is an easy, .... wrong. anonymous is young, and just starting. why not as a society help them along that there is a line of right and wrong. why make excuses to justify it allowing their behavior to go too far like all the rest of the shit we are fighting.

this cannot be won thru wrong after wrong after wrong, and who can be the most wrong, wins.

[PotatoChip]

That's just what I mean though. What if

they no longer remain 'the good guys'?... For whatever reason, coupe maybe.

There would be no one visibly accountable.

[Katashi_itto]

3. Anon consists of a cadre of creative intellectuals...That eliminates most RWers right there.

[MrMickeysMom]

19. My thoughts, exactly....

I rather imagine RWers as mis-spelling signs, or using bull horns, or paying ridiculous amounts for others to fix their computers or being pre-occupied with Free Republic while jacking off to 24.

[PotatoChip]

21. Ha!!!

Thanks for injecting some humor into this discussion. :hi:

[marasinghe]

38. i believe MrMickeysMom was injecting reality into the OP's conjectures.

the humor was incidental - as is always the case when dealing with right-wingers.
(don't mean to imply the OP is an R-W; just speaking in general.)

:)

[MrMickeysMom]

45. Keeping it real...

...can best be injected with a spoonful of funny...

:P

[OHdem10]

30. Since Fox has been busy trying to discredit the young women

who were pepper sprayed, I think we can conclude
Anon is not on the Conservative side of the spectrum.

[mod mom]

31. !

[fascisthunter]

4. the minority of rich and powerful should fear Anonymous

especially if they make their money off the backs of other people. Anonymous is everywhere and anyone.

[bengalherder]

6. Anonymous is mostly harmless.

Unless you are the church of Scientology, an idiot corporation who screws their clientele, a child molester, or animal abuser.

I've been checking in from time to time over at 'Why We Protest'- the home of Project Chanology, the anti-scientology/ cult arm of anon- for over three years now. Despite a far different austere than a place like DU, for the most part the participants range from relatively liberal to somewhat libertarian and I don't think I've ever seen teabagger or a religious nut postings on the boards there unless they were trolls.

And they know how to throw peaceful protests IRL. They are great fans of 'Ghandi Tech', they dance the TunakTunak (a bollywood dance number) and bring cake to gatherings.

I would be far more scared of the real stealth fundies and dominionists most of whom could never tolerate the openly bawdy, outrageously questioning and sacred-cow slaughtering atmosphere of an anon message board.

[Scuba]

7. It would be hard for them to be worse than what we have now. n/t

[Luminous Animal]

8. Meanwhile, your govenment spies on you and the corporations track you with impunity.

I worry far more about the power of either of them and both of those powers are in the wrong hands.

[catabryna]

9. The oldest of the "Gen-x" generation are those born in 1965..

Watch out for us. We are flower children, unless you decide to pick on us or our children.

:hi:

[PotatoChip]

10. Yup

65 too. :hi:

[catabryna]

12. I was born in San Francisco...

I spent formative years in San Jose. It was such a wonderfully colorful neighborhood. My friends were Latino, and African American. I moved to Portland, Oregon when Californian's were not wanted. My first friend in Portland was black. It was not acceptable. I moved to Oregon City, where I was also good friends with a black girl and a girl from Vietnam. That was also unacceptable.

I'm disgusted by what I see these days. We have gone nowhere.

[Erose999]

13. The Rove set are already using "bots" to wreak havoc. The "bots" are Diebold voting machines. Also,

the ego's and narcissism involved in the Fundie movement would never go along with anything "anonymous". Pat Robertson and his ilk are attention whores who crave fame and notoriety to satisfy their "holier than thou" complexes.

The conservatives are authoritarian followers. They require a highly visible leadership who project an image of strength and power and establishment to follow. They work through people like Palin, Limbaugh, and Beck.

[amyrose2712]

17. Thank you I was just about to say. It has alreayd been done. Remember 2004 and 2000.nt

[PotatoChip]

20. Yes, you have a good point there

and I hope you are right.

[Erose999]

39. They depend on demagoguery (sp). The "Tea Party" is "grassroots" on the surface but you see the

struggle amongst the talking heads in the GOP establishment to take on the mantle of the Tea Party as their own.

Breitbart is somewhat like anonymous in that he is using the viral nature of the interwebs to perpetrate his skullduggery, but ultimately he's just another talking head like the rest of them.

[Harmony Blue]

14. Anonymous

Is a collection of intelligent individuals.

What Anon does isn't revolutionary:

I can track down Tony Balogna in less than 20 minutes, and all his relatives with ease. No hacking is required to do this. Why? Because government and corporations are spying and using your information to make money.

Anon actually raises awareness so people can protect themselves from identity theft.

[Angry Dragon]

16. The bad guys are already in charge

and the truth is just a light to shine on the cockraches

[baldguy]

18. As well you should. But they only exist because real, independent news outlets don't

You should fear the RW corporate MSM that pretends to be "news" much, much, much, much more - because it has been proven to be both bought AND paid for by the very people you cite your concerns about: christian fundamentalists, neo-conservatives, rovian-freedom-work type bots et al.

[unkachuck]

24. "...what if some type of behind-the-scenes coup were to happen? And what if..."

....you worry too much....

[PotatoChip]

27. LOL! And you are not the first say so.

But I admire your candidness nonetheless. Yes, I worry too much sometimes. Tis true.

:hi:

[Arctic Dave]

25. I fear not having people like anonymous. Nt

[valerief]

26. All the bad things are being done by the 1%. nt

[TK421]

28. do you really? that is strange

Call me old-fashioned, but I don't fear anything that hides behind a keyboard

shit, anyone that hides behind a keyboard is likely more frightened of shit out in the real world more than I am!

think about it..

[bengalherder]

36. They protest IRL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jptv3wqXPVg&feature=player_detailpage, sorry can't embed here.

They are so effin scary and mean!

PS: for those who can't wait to see the magnificence, go to about 1:40. For those interested watch the whole thing to observe the cat herding skills.....

Uncle Abbie would be proud.

[TK421]

41. they very well may, but I just don't feel threatened by words on a screen

like some people do..nor do I feel compelled to act upon those words.

Let "anonymous" come out and show themselves! I'm tired of this "whodunit" kind of crap and all this mystery shit...these people are clearly playing a game here. If their convictions are this strong, then they should fucking show themselves!

You know where the network broadcasts are going to be aired showing this footage? PUT YOURSELF ON IT!

If they want to do good, they should put a body behind their message!

[EFerrari]

29. "Reek" has to do with smells or odor.

So unless you're calling them smelly which is possible and maybe deserved, it's "wreak havoc".

[PotatoChip]

32. Thanks for your input,

You are clearly someone who knows what 'reeking' means. Much appreciated! :patriot:

[Fire Walk With Me]

35. Anonymous ROCK. Thank you Anonymous!

[unionworks]

37. don't fear them.

...expect them.

[TK421]

43. what does that mean? "expect them"...in what form, exactly?

rioting protesters out on the street? or just another internet memo?

I respect the message behind what these people want, but I am REALLY growing tired of the method they are using...stop being cryptic and just come out and say what the fuck it is you intend to fucking DO"!

[AverageJoe90]

42. I have been concerned for some time myself.

While I do believe there are some really decent people in Anonymous, there's also a noticeable dark side; same thing with Wikileaks, too, what with that rat bastard Joran Jermas and all......

I've also noticed the Pirate movement has had the same problems as well; many decent people, including all of the confirmed founders of The Pirate Bay; but on the other hand, one supposed major benefactor, Carl Lundstrom, has had numerous ties to fascist organizations over the years(I also strongly suspect that his supposed contributions have been greatly exaggerated as well, even by one of its founders; perhaps they're afraid of the guy?).

[mmonk]

44. They say the following

The corrupt fear us
the honest support us.

[H2O Man]

46. I fear television sets.

Not just any television set, mind you. I mean, I have one living in my home. And lots of my friendly and neighborhoodlums have them, too.

But I have this fear of stepping out on my porch, and while singing that 'ole Blue Eyes Classical, "On a Clear Day (you can see .... forever ...)" and having a tv drop out of the sky and crush me. I mean, I'm no tv repair man, so I don't expect it to rain tv's and radio-free Europeans, or nothing. But a single tv. Rabbit ears. Pre=cable. A blast from the past.

[TBF]

47. Anonymous is on the side of the people,

and I salute them. Solidarity.

[TheKentuckian]

48. Chaos is a natural and necessary part of the universe

Your perception of order is mostly fleeting illusion hiding systems of control, anonymous brings chaos to that system and by doing so weakens the ability of the system to create its desired illusion, that to my mind is a good thing. How it will be done is where mileage will vary but don't expect lawful good or lawful evil out of it.