Thursday, May 2#blacklivesmatter

Who Are Anonymous?

The Bougie Aunt | Published 12:00 a.m. ET June 11, 2020

Anonymity usually has two polar sides. One of the sides is commonly associated with the status one obtains for the ability to spew any unpleasant words or actions upon (typically an unsuspecting) victim. The other, more enjoyable, side is the status one takes when they do not want to receive credit for work they have contributed to that tends to be charitable. However, in the new age of the media, the former has seemed to triumph over the latter through the following: an increase in nasty comments that are generally directed at an influential person or group of people, ‘receipts’ that threaten to expose someone or something if they do not comply to something previously requested, and a newfound culture that centers around ‘canceling’ someone or something for a blunder they had made. Now, this article is not about debating whether or not the by-products of the first side of anonymity are morally right, the point of this article is to explain how all those facets have combined to form Anonymous.

Anonymous are a decentralized hacktivist who have garnered infamy from the victims of their cyber attacks: the Church of Scientology, governmental institutions/agencies, and arguably, the most shocking, the famous online personalities involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s child trafficking. Anonymous leaked the “Little Black Book”, a book that listed the names of people Epstein was either in cahoots with or aspired to be in cahoots. The names were supermodel Naomi Campbell, musician Mick Jagger, member of the British Royal Family Prince Andrew, President Donald Trump’s daughter and ex-wife Ivanka and Ivana, and a plethora of more people. Although, it is important to note that this information had previously been released to the public, whether that discredits Anonymous is up to your interpretation. 

One would think that Anonymous would not be regarded in a positive light due to the group possessing the qualities associated with the negative form of anonymity, but it seems that the public has developed a soft side for them. The favorability stems from Anonymous threatening to expose current infamous public figures, like President Donald Trump and the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). And, it is not hard to see why. Many people do not believe they are receiving the entirety of stories from both Trump and police departments, as there are many videos contradicting both their words and actions. For example, the MPD claimed that George Floyd, an innocent black man who was murdered at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin, resisted arrest whereas the video surveillance proves otherwise. So, the majority are excited to finally receive news that would not have an underlying agenda meant to protect the elite. Trump has yet to be exposed by Anonymous, but there is speculation that it has something to do with Trump’s past of being accused of raping a thirteen year-old girl in 1994 and the charges subsequently being dropped in 2016 after Trump denied them. And, because the situation has ties to Epstien, since he was also accused in the charges, some people believe the truth surrounding that matter will be revealed to them through Anonymous.

While some of Anonymous’s information has come from public domain sources, the American people continue to have faith in them. That alone should emphasize how dire the current situation is in America where most are willing to place their trust in a decentralized group with no confirmed identity to provide them with news, rather than their own government and police departments. It points to how the system is corrupt, yes a cliche, and how it needs to be dramatically changed through diverse voices receiving empowerment. 

Anonymous’s power being regarded as positive to most shines light on how the generalized negative side of anonymity is not always put to bad use and challenges how we view the concept of exposing people.

What are your thoughts on Anonymous? Let me know either in the comments or through my Instagram page, or both!

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