Anon Culture and Cointelpro

Nov. 22
We all know that OWS is worried about getting co-opted by a political party or other group. On my city's Occupy FB group, we have had one political hopeful, in particular, who has joined the group and has been pretty actively campaigning on the group. I've met with this guy a few times and I honestly think he's supportive of the Occupy movement and, in general, what it stands for. But there's also a huge disconnect between what I guess I'll call "normal" politics and the new politics that the Occupys seem to be shaping.

I give Anonymous the credit and/or blame for this.

Last night on the group was the perfect example. Someone on the group had posted something about the politician, something like "I really appreciate Andrew's grasp on the current problems" or something similar. This was just an individual posting an opinion, but it did give Andrew an opening to post something about his ideas or platform, and so he did.

Then another member of the group, Adam, posted something about being concerned that Andrew and/or his party was trying to take over our Occupy. Andrew objected, Adam persisted, others started chiming in, and so it all devolved pretty quickly into a shitstorm. Well anyone from WITP knows how that goes.

So I'm watching this, and putting in my own 2 cents, when suddenly I get a PM from Andrew the politician saying "Hey, I think this Adam is working for my opponent. I've got a lot of experience spotting them." Cointelpro.

Now Adam is one of our group members that I tried (rather unsuccessfully, I might add) to describe earlier. He's youngish, maybe 30, huge grin, and can typically be seen on the corner wielding his protest sign like a well-tuned weapon of lulz, Guy Fawkes mask strategically placed on the back of his head. He's been coming to the GAs since the very beginning, and he's been pretty active at the marches, protests, whatever. So if I had to choose just one person from our group that I would say is definitely Anon, Adam would be it. It's not just the Guy Fawkes mask. It's his attitude, practically oozing from every pore: "Fuck fear. I will live and never stop."

So when Andrew says he's really "quite sure" this guy is cointelpro, I could hardly keep from laughing. I told Andrew, "No, I'm pretty sure he's just Anon. It's a different culture, you know."

Explaining the hivemind to a NORP, actually, a superNORP, as I expect all politicians must be, is not an easy task. First, even using the term "hivemind" automatically gives the wrong impression, as I found when I told Andrew he just needed to understand the hivemind.

"What?" he asked. "Borg?"

"No, no," I typed. "Completely different."

And, as usual, when I'm trying to explain or describe something about Anonymous, I ended up quoting FFAD/Telemachos. He seems to have a much better understanding than I do:

FFAD/Telemachos wrote:
"If we truly develop a hivemind community that calls itself "Anonymous", then we need to understand and agree upon what Anonymous really means, because really, all of our culture and philosophy, all of our actions, arise from that single point of meta-agreement. Anonymous as it was originally conceived only truly exists within the collective intelligence of those who hold this idea in common. This is a hard and fast rule. Anonymous only exists in the hivemind, and can only be understood in the plural sense, of those who are self-aware Anonymous.

"Anonymous is an idea that anyone can have and share in, and even have their own idea about. If there is a disagreement about what Anonymous is, then with this meta-agreement, we have a basis for agreeing to disagree on certain points. In addition, this gives us a basis for collaboration and organizing further.

"When you are in Anonymous, you are one of a myriad of nameless, faceless individuals. You cannot be singled out nor even attacked for your actions, for to attack one is to attack all. When Anonymous has no cause they are a herd of cats. When they do, they are a swarm of angry hornets. Anonymous is a brotherhood, and yes, a sisterhood as well, that knows its own, and takes care of its own.

"I call for a community of intelligent, constructive trolls and activists. Anonymous knows when to be serious, and when to have fun; hacktivism to keep the Internet free and change the world, and trolling constructively for the lulz.

"We level the playing field by making information free, and we do it for the lulz.

"You are free to have your own idea about what Anonymous is."

"And I must add," I told Andrew, "that not everyone in Anonymous agrees with this definition."

"I'm a lawyer," Andrew responded. "I'm also running for Congress. Much more of me is not anonymous than other people, by and large."

So here's the big difference between the NORP/superNORP cultures and the Anonymous culture, and I suspect this will become even more pronounced as this movement grows and evolves.

"Yes, exactly." I told Andrew. "I think Anons have gotten a taste of the freedom that comes from being Anonymous...literally anonymous, and being able to say whatever they want without repercussion. So, now they do. Whenever."

"I was just advised by a friend that I need to do LESS of that!" Andrew responded.

LULZY indeed!

By now, on the group, our Admin had finally gotten on and deleted the whole shitstorm thread (there are no /b/asements on FB, and from what I understand, there's also no true delete, but I digress). One of our other members who had been thick in the fray with Adam started a new thread:

Bret: that's done
Bret: sorry again.
Adam: LoL Good call.
me: Yep, you guys keep me on my toes! What would I do for entertainment without you two? ♥

And then quiet. PEACE. Just a herd of cats, looking for the next reason to pounce and play.
__________________

So that is the hivemind. I have a working theory that WITP was an intensive, 3-month course in the Anon culture. Not that anyone planned it to be that way. If it were planned, I doubt it would have ever happened. But somehow, what was birthed and developed in that environment was a strange alchemy between the Channers, old-time activists and NORP/activist wannabes. And I think the key WAS (IS?) being anonymous, as has been often theorized. That in some way, the anonymous nature of the Internet and especially anonymous/psuedononymous forums allows a part of the psyche to be fed, perhaps the ID, or perhaps it is just a feeding of the whole psyche. A time and a place where human spirits can escape from the continuous and often harsh repercussions of the real world. And become, if only for an instant or two, free.

Not to suggest that there are not repercussions, too, in that world. Or to suggest that anyone can be truly anonymous, much less Anonymous. But I'll have to go into that another time.

Tomorrow we're supposed to have a "Black Friday OP" and I'll get a chance to talk with Adam about how he needs to stop being cointelpro. I wonder if he'll find that as hilarious as I did?