Anonymous is just a label for people who are fed up with the government. Seeing the posters and the real impact in San Francisco, you can't just call it a "hacker group". At least in some areas they are approaching "movement".
> Anonymous is just a label for people who are fed up with the government.
Ohh... Um, sure. Which anonymous people don't you agree with?
To continue the over-generalization - that Anonymous has not (yet) claimed responsibility for any violent acts is the only thing separating the two in the eyes of the government (and the general public.)
And this is why things will continue to happen to you without your understanding.
> that Anonymous has not (yet) claimed responsibility for any violent acts is the only thing separating the two in the eyes of the government (and the general public.
That you have (yet) to rape someone (or perhaps only to be caught for it) is the only thing separating you from a rapist in the eyes of the public. What was your point?
The government though is a different story, they don't have an opinion, they have spin. If something weakens the USA's unjust power, the government is against it. If it helps them, they're for it. Sociopaths will say anything.
When the people of Anonymous decide to act like civilized adults rather than teen-angst laden teenagers, I might start to agree with you.
The group reminds me of many people I see on Reddit that can't get their way and their only response to this is anti-social and childish behavior.
I make a pretty good living and I don't like the new jobs program and taxes that Obama is proposing. If I acted like Anonymous in response to this, would you think it was okay too?
To paraphrase the saying, they're just saying what we're all thinking. They're just saying it in a way that few people approve of, but if that's the only way they can be heard, then that's what they'll do.
"They're just saying it in a way that few people approve of, but if that's the only way they can be heard, then that's what they'll do."
..and I don't agree with it. Eventually it will lead to senseless violence in addition to the senseless destruction. They are on the same level as any low-level terrorist group.
That you're likely an American, directly funding the current killing of tens of thousands off people every year (still) in the fictional hunt for WMDs, and you're condemning protestors is farcical.
I get the impression that often 'being fed up with the government' is just a label for 'people who want to cause trouble'.
C.f.: certain violent criminals, backstabbing co-workers, banksters, and the like.
One of the more interesting reads I've had is of studies of leaded white paint and childhood brain development pathologies leading to numerous psychological problems, including criminal tendencies. This was known in at least part (similarly to health effects of smoking) for well over a century, but it wasn't until the 1970s and 80s that lead paint was outlawed. Subsequently there's been a dramatic decrease in associated crime rates. Much of the advertising and iconography of paint companies (the Little Dutch Boy of the National Lead Company, a/k/a Sherwin-Williams) was aimed at making the public comfortable with the idea of using lead paint in areas used by children.
Unfortunately, slow housing/building stock turnover means that there are still many buildings with significant lead toxicity, though the problem is slowly getting better.
And this is one of only very many environmental factors. Other contaminants, psychological trauma in infancy/childhood, and genetic factors do all appear to play a significant role.
You do know that there's no official membership list for Anonymous and anyone, even you, could be Anonymous. Right? So yeah, it's vastly unlikely that you'd agree with everyone using the name.
Why do point it out as if that implies nobody could be doing anything worthwhile?