::fibreculture:: The Leisure Class as Lynch Mob (Scientology vs. Anonymous)

[Mathieu O'Neil]

Hiya Katie
Briefly a few points:
I don't really know enough about these networks to say whether they are 
'new' or not.
DDoS do not require super-technical skillz - look at some of the big 
actions of the [I forget] theatre guys - you just download the program 
and aim it at the target (ie the Watchmen etc) - correct me if I'm 
wrong! Proper hackers are usually dismissive of such hacktivism - 
little tech skill involved - see Tim Jordan's book on the topic.
What interests me is that these apparently amoral networks - devoted to 
porn, super un-pc etc - are engaged in the defense of freedom of 
speech, a just cause - because its OK to be mean to Scientologists I 
guess, for the general public, so for once you can be vandal and a 
hero?
M

On 29/01/2008, at 5:21 PM, Katie Cavanagh wrote:

> Thanks to you both for this interesting thread,
>
> It is not just the ways in which the groups are forming:
>
> <--snip-->This is a massive distributed denial of service attack being 
> organised
> by teenagers who came together over videogames, racist jokes, image
> macros and mind-boggling japanese pornography. Some action groups are
> forming in ways we didn't expect,  or still don't have a language 
> for.<snip>
>
> but also the capacity for organised action which is so interesting. On 
> the one
> hand we have numerous events forming on Facebook (for example 'Walk 
> Against
> Warming' invitations, discussions about the Kyoto Protocol) which 
> spread
> virally through the pre-existing networks asking individuals to 
> physically
> front up to show support. On the other hand, there are groups formed by
> "teenagers" (is that correct?) joined by lolcatz who feel strongly 
> enough about
> Scientology to organize structured denial. Some networks strive for 
> presence,
> the others actively pursue absence. There is skill and motivation 
> required for
> the denial of service, is this the way the hacker movement is heading? 
> Are
> these networks of obstruction hacking? Or are they, as 
> Christian/Mathieu
> suggest, something new? Genus:Networkers Species:Anonomous, how do we 
> begin to
> classify online social structure?
>
> It is very nice to see Fibreculture awake again, even if it is 
> fleeting.
>
> Cheers,
> Katie Cavanagh
>
> Quoting Christian McCrea <christian at wolvesevolve.com>:
>
>> Thanks Mathieu,
>>
>> The 1990s push against Scientology was interesting because it split
>> people interested in anti-corporate activism but for whom protesting a
>> specific "religion" was difficult to reconcile with their political
>> economy. Its quite hard to position anti-Scientology, anti-Landmark
>> Forum or anti- Alpha Course positions as, say, active leftism - at
>> least in English speaking countries. Not least of which because every
>> time a sociologist or academic researcher has so much as looked askew
>> at the group, they are declared 'Fair Game', and come under massive
>> pressure.
>>
>> Also because to become 'Anti' these groups is to devote your life to
>> it; a passing interest in commentary simply doesn't pay.
>>
>> However, I believe its worth keeping the candle lit on this because
>> each of these groups give substantial money to right-wing governments
>> and organsations, wield significant influence on the operation of
>> social programs (in which they are primarily interested) and of
>> course, free speech.
>>
>> In Australia we also have the Exclusive Brethren, which is an entirely
>> different kettle of insane fish.
>>
>> I'm not interested in attacking Scientology at all, but I think that
>> these incidents (grown exponentially since I made the first post, by
>> the way) tell a social narrative of the internet that I think is worth
>> tracing. For every initiative to build a Smart Internet, there is a
>> Stupid Internet growing on its own. Anonymous is perhaps one of the
>> least organised, least effective group actions in history but we so
>> used to asking 'well where are the burning tyres in these online
>> spaces, where is the activism?', that we may be missing it. This is a
>> massive distributed denial of service attack being organised by
>> teenagers who came together over videogames, racist jokes, image
>> macros and mind-boggling japanese pornography. Some action groups are
>> forming in ways we didn't expect,  or still don't have a language for.
>>
>> So on one hand you have this amorphous weird entity formed in the most
>> bizarre way, and on the other you have Scientology. Its a bit like a
>> duel between bezerk bureaucratic monsters; a T-Rex and a Stegosaur in
>> the Land Which Reason Forgot.
>>
>>
>> -Christian McCrea
>> Swinburne University of Technology
>>
>> ::posted on ::fibreculture:: mailinglist for australasian
>> ::critical internet theory, culture and research
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>>
>
>
> -- 
> Katie Cavanagh
> Coordinator, BCA Digital Media
> Director of Studies, Digital Media Studies
> Professional Studies
> HUMN127
> Flinders University
> GPO Box 2100
> Adelaide 5001
> South Australia
> p: 61 8 8201 2077
> f: 61 8 8201 3635
> e: katie.cavanagh at flinders.edu.au
>
> ::posted on ::fibreculture:: mailinglist for australasian
> ::critical internet theory, culture and research
> :: info: http://fibreculture.org/mailman/listinfo/list_fibreculture.org
> :: FIbreculture website: http://www.fibreculture.org
> ::please send announcements to separate mailinglist: 
> announce at fibreculture.org
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>