Cause.
It's a great thing to have isn't it? Despite what James Dean might have you think, you're not much of a rebel without one. And everyone wants to be a rebel these days -- especially online.
My name is Blair. I'm an internet junkie and an eternal optimist in the grand state of New Jersey. Twenty-two years young and hardly worldly wise. In hope of remedying this I'll be attending the Arts Institute at Bournemouth in the UK this September. I'm a cartoonist and a sculptor, but in my spare time I'm a spectator of this crazy little microcosm of humanity we like to call "The Internet".
So I come to you on this most monumental of days. The tenth of February. Why so monumental you ask? Well any seasoned internet forum-goer of my generation will tell you that it is the day Anonymous took on Scientology.
The Story:
For those of you not so savvy (read: with less time on your hands), Anonymous is a group of youngsters under a larger umbrella of mob-mentality. Their prime objective has always been to seek out any form of fanaticism, extremism, nerd-ism or simply anyone "different", and effectively disrupt and/or humiliate online communities. All in the name of good fun. Simply put, they are the playground bullies of the 'net. It's to be expected, of course.
However, recently Anonymous set their sights higher than their usual prey of nerds and geeks. The long-time controversial pseudo-religion founded by L. Ron Hubbard was to be their new "cause". A call to arms was made after the Church forced YouTube to remove an interview with Tom Cruise, which had been the subject of heated ridicule in the Anonymous community. From here the situation spiraled, with Anonymous releasing a barrage of videos to denounce the Church, some of which claiming that Scientology had been the cause of multiple deaths since its creation. And so, with proverbial guns blazing, a date was set. Anonymous members worldwide were asked to stage protests outside the local Scientology meeting places. And so they did. In droves.
My Spin:
As I sat here, on my comfy living room couch, clicking away, I pondered the state of my generation. With 20-somethings setting new records in voter turn-out and showing an invigorated concern for current events, I've been feeling quite proud. I've long been preaching to my elders that we DO care -- that kids have a valuable viewpoint to offer, and that we possess the motivation to come together and make a difference. The young aren't just driven by the latest fads. We do have minds of our own.
But why, dear peers, why? You were doing so well! You were gaining their respect! Newsweek recently published a article praising you for your new-found awareness. Why drop the ball now, of all times?
Anonymous has set that progress back a few notches. Teenagers, motivated purely by the need to denounce and humiliate others, mobilized protests in over five cities worldwide. So much energy pumped into the chance to stand outside of Scientology churches and chant the "Fresh Prince of BelAir" theme song, among their many meaningless memes. Now I don't support Scientology in any way, But I do support the right of others to believe what they choose in relative peace.
One thing that's set me off, more than anything else, is the overwhelming support they've received by people who otherwise despise Anonymous. Supporters of the protest argue that the participants DO care. That they do it for "those who died". Well then I ask, where is the motivation for speaking out against the war in the middle east? Or the atrocities in Africa? If Anonymous are truly champions for a good cause, how do you explain their persecution of others the other 364 days of the year?
I suppose the sad truth here is that my peers were more motivated to harass than to help. The goal of humiliation was far more appealing than the goal of humility. I read about the 60s and the way the young came together for a real cause, and I wonder why something of the same hasn't happened since. And then when it finally does, it's to yell at a bunch of Scientologists? Come on, now.
On the bright side:
At least we see that young people can come together if properly motivated. Whether it be for peace, prosperity, or just for a laugh. The ability is there, as is the hunger for a cause. You can see it in the faces of the protesters, or at least behind their V for Vendetta masks.
Why do the few always ruin it for the many? It's sad but true.
All too true. It seems that us young people are always represented by the worst among us.
For years, I have heard people ranting on and on about where our generation is heading, and how we are to drive this country in the ground. I listened to this with a closed mouth and a smile for quite some time, but now it is too much. The current leaders of this country are not only driving us into the ground, they are replacing the displaced dirt and setting the tombstone. Ignorance and adolescent-like behavior in the majority of the retired person's of our country are completely sucking our future away. Our social security, the thing that they rely on the most, will be non existant because of their refusal to raise the age of retirement. This country will be long past its economical limit by the time our generation comes into power.
You are a very, very good writer.
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~ Raven
STAND for SOMETHING.
Why thank you. :D It's definitely good to feel appreciated.
I think it is important to keep in mind that Anonymous is not a group made up of only twentysomethings and teens; the membership is diverse although I think we can agree all are immature. It is also important to recognize the ignorant and uneducated persons of older generations who are just as destructive as some of our youth; similarly, there are productive members of all generations.
Anonymous has been around for as long as the Internet, it's nothing new.
Oh yes, I know there are older people in Anonymous, and that Anonymous has been around for a very long time, but the core of their "membership" has always been twenty-somethings and teens, as they tend to be the group with a collective amount of time on their hands.
I wasn't trying to make the point that young people are any more ignorant and destructive than older people ( in fact I tend to lean much toward the opposite). Just that with all the good press my generation has been getting lately, it's sad to see such a pooling of effort into something like this.
It is sad. I suppose the only consolation is to look at the influence they will have on the world in the future- little to none. Negative action tends to get more attention, and based on my personal experience I have general good faith in those I know who are more likely to become prominent figures in society.
There is a way to go about criticism in a constructive manner, and if a group or person doesn't do it well they lose all credibility, regardless of what they are saying is true or not. One must be careful of the image he or she projects. "If you don't want people to know about it, don't do it."
You asked:
"Well then I ask, where is the motivation for speaking out against the war in the middle east? Or the atrocities in Africa? If Anonymous are truly champions for a good cause, how do you explain their persecution of others the other 364 days of the year?"
You choose your causes. And the fact is, there are people who are protesting the war in the middle east or the atrocities in Africa. This is the first time that I have seen anyone protest against Scientology. Is it so wrong that a community chooses one cause over the others? In fact, it seems more efficient.
As for your last comment, what makes it so wrong for these bullies to choose a cause? I mean, just because someone is a bully, it doesn't mean they don't have other redeeming qualities. Now, I don't see them as "champions of justice". I don't even think they see themselves as that. They just picked a target this time that many people happen to be happy about.
Anonymous is doing what Anonymous always does: harassing people. This time, though, they are doing it "IRL" (in real life) and this time, they have chosen to protest something that other people wish they could protest.
Point taken. People are already standing up for other causes. I also agree with you that just because bullies are bullies doesn't mean that they aren't allowed to get behind good causes. Heck, if a good deed gets done, the means don't usually matter.
But your last statement is exactly my point. The goal of the group has always been to harass, persecute, and demean others. I'm sure that there are some members of the group that have a genuine concern, but when a protest mainly involves shouting inside jokes and singing random TV theme songs, any semblance of a cause is lost.
Not to mention that protesting outside of community churches is probably the least effective way to protest the corruption of Scientology. Yes, I understand "starting small". But in this case you have a large separation between the corrupt celebrity leaders and the average believer. People attending community churches are genuine believers in a faith, not the cause of the corruption, and are endowed with the basic human right to practice in peace. The only thing gained by harassing them is to make innocent people uncomfortable.
So it all comes back to the fact that, like you said, Anonymous are doing what they always do: harassing people who are different. The only difference here is that they were able to dig up some evidence that in the church's history there have been some alleged deaths and abuse caused by the upper-echelon members -- information that, from what I've seen, could have come from the front page of a tabloid magazine. There's also the fact that most people already think Scientology is a whacked out cult. It was an easy target to cause a real life scene over because honestly, how many people are going to stick up for Scientologists? (which really should show how unnecessary a protest is) . After all, they weren't going to take their jokes to Virginia Tech.
Anyway, thanks for commenting. ;D I love a good debate.