Occupy Wall Street and the Secret of Hacktivism By Carolyn van der Linde January 2012 ~ USA The chat room was humming. A vote was called. The people of Anonymous, a root organization of then around two hundred listed (by handle only) members, put forth their voice. With 98% approval the vote was accepted. Thus began the most influential movement in the history of America perpetuated and coordinated by people primarily through use of the Internet. So who were they? Terrifying hackers with an evil agenda, hippies, conartists? Absolutely not. They were people, often on the side of youth who simply knew how to use a computer – who were also keenly aware of the power that can be had by organizing and communicating at the speed of light and happened to know the Secret. In the time it takes a person to read a computer screen, in the time it takes to click a mouse – www.whatis-theplan.org became a revolution that would span the entire world. They would not use weapons of mass destruction. They would not, it quickly became clear, use civility. Civility had, after all, been the bastion of the suppliant. They would not forgive. They would not sing songs. They would not pray as a group in the name of any religion. They would not forget. They wanted you to know, Big Brother had a new sibling and was no longer the only family member in the room. Discussion followed the vote. Then something new happened, something novel for our age. The time for talking ended as it usually does, but afterward? Afterward came the time for action. This was new. It would change and challenge everything and everyone in their turn. It was youth, it was hope, it
All Occupy Boulder photos are copyright © 2012 by Laurent Weichberger.
was audacious, it was change and it had no other name –really. What Anonymous started was a small fire. Harmless looking really, a fire so small it would be vulgar to call it pyrotechnicand yet explode it most certainly would. Yet no
mainstream source would spill the beans. No television channel in North America would be bold enough to say why. It was a Secret. September 17, 2011 in New York City. There are around 200 demonstrators that are kicked out of the original location and move on a few blocks. They are small, but they are sincere – their voices lifting over the sounds of one of the largest cities on Earth. They are young and man, they are really angry! They stop at Zucotti Park. Determination pumping their arms up
and down chanting and crying themselves hoarse the activists and demonstrators had plenty to say and they were saying it loudly. They were at no loss for words. More join them and more and more, 1,000 by the end of the day. At the speed of light at the speed of type, the word you see -had already gotten out. The Secret was getting out. Immediately, Big Brother flexed his muscles. The effect would be unbelievable. On September 20th, 2011 the police of New York began arresting the protesters who were wearing Guy Fawke’s masks, a symbol of the group Anonymous. They would justify this ‘flexing’ by citing an antiquated law that forbade assembly in masks dated 1845. By the 28th of the same month worker unions began to join in. On October 5th 20,000 people march in the streets of New York. They are waving placards, they have created a small city in Zucotti Park with a library, a sanitation department and a form of true democracy. Where all are leaders and all may choose to follow or contribute. Stripped of megaphones they develop a method of communication relay to reach the furthest fringe of the crowd. No one is turned away. Two days later the mayor of New York is calling the protesters irresponsible and reckless saying they have threatened the employment of people on Wall Street. This is a total fallacy. Wall Street continues as usual with minor traffic issues. Media reported inaccurately the events of Occupy Wall Street from the very beginning. They never seemed to realize that the live feed set up via the Internet
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