To Anonymous: A risky message

First of all, I feel really silly posting this right now, but it's happening:

I would like to address a group called Anonymous. Bravo.

I don't know who you are, nor do I wish to. This message is only a result of my bored curiosity of Scientology jokes. Any YouTube search, the name Anonymous pops up.

Here's an example to give people an idea of what I'm talking about. Not only the impact of Anonymous, but Anonymous's gripes against Scientology.






Now, I'm sure that there are a lot of kids out there doing a lot of stupid shit like pirating kids credit cards and putting up Nazi shit on websites (at least so they've been accused of a la wikipedia, so I can't claim if any of this shit is true).

Even if it is true there is an important lesson that the war against Scientology is an important statement of why people want control of the internet for the rest of our significant future. The internet is such a power tool that we, nor they, have really grasped it's power. Our generation and the one behind ours, is just a little a head of the curb to understanding what it can do. Anonymous, while doesn't harbor the tool, is it's greatest protector.

At it's current state the internet is still an amoeba. Unfiltered speech. Free videos. Instant companionship. Information (real and fake). Created by us humans as a way for us to know ourselves at all times. The internet still needs to time to grow. One of the reasons war was declared by Anonymous was the Scientology's attempt to censor or put out false information.




What I love about Anonymous is the idea of Anonymous, its that there is no Anonymous. When you have a group that doesn't exist, any one can join, but only if the whole approves. They make it easy for anyone to fake, but everyone to participate. They've harnessed the energy and the power of the internet by remaining functionless. No real way to communicate. No real way to notice. But more power than any silly cult can stop or understand. There's no point in trying to stop them or try to join them. Because there is no them. It's a true democratic movement that makes any teabagger movement seen pathetic.

A lack of command.

At least it can. The fact that people showed up at these Scientology protests is important. That means there is indeed an Anonymous. Who they are isn't important. It's simply THAT they are. It keeps the internet in it's current form but asks it to evolve beyond it's digital restraints. Making the internet a far more powerful force than simply information recollection, but now we can see that it can have a conscious and not even be aware of it.


So if Anonymous is really watching the internet and I have message for Anonymous:

Watch yourselves. Keep going. People can't have the internet yet. It doesn't have to be owned or controlled, but move by natural courses of time. I don't know how much you power you have or if you have the power that you claim you have, but whatever power you have remember responsibility. Keep fighting I guess. You might end up a paradoy of yourself, or a shell of the former self of whatever the hell the "collective" is. But whats important that you remain an idea. An idea is the only thing that they can't touch. Whatever target you chose, the idea is your saving grace. Blameless, relentless, and anonymous. Remember there are common enemies that everyone has, just make sure you get the right target. Your motives are pure, but power corrupts.

Have fun. Someone will always be watching I guess. Myself included. I just hope knowledge of your existence isn't the cause of your destruction or misuse.


Command Image: War Commands

Why did you resign?

Okay. I will be very very brief. So AMC remade the Prisoner.

Normally, I'm in huge defender of updates and remakes. I generally see nothing wrong with old ideas being reformed for contemporary times as long as it remains true to the original ideas and captures the nature of it's predecessor. Especially with an old show like The Prisoner, which is hard show to watch.



The Prisoner, the original, is about a secret agent (Patrick McGoohan, the brain behind the show) who resigns from his job and then wakes up in a strange place called the Village where is called No. 6. The Village is run by No. 2 who tries to find new ways of getting information out of No. 6, particularly the reason why No. 6 resigned. No. 6 tries to escape and uncover the the mysteries of The Village such as, who do they work for and who is No. 1.

I won't go into how much I love the 1967 show.

The new Prisoner misses. It completely misses of why No. 6 is in the Village. It seems the whole point of the show was just to have No. 6 accept the Village. They never explain why he's a prisoner.

It doesn't bother asking who is No. 1. Nor does it give No. 2 any reason for keeping No. 6 in the Village. There is too much revealed to the audience about No. 2 which is a mistake because No. 2 isn't really supposed to be a person. I was okay with only having one No. 2 (because in the original No. 2 changes every episode). No. 2 is supposed significant and powerful...but not all powerful and certainly not very human. The only aspect of No. 2's humanity should come from his job as No. 2 which is to break No. 6 and the frustrations of No. 2's failure to do so.

Part of the problem is the purpose of No. 6's incarceration and the need for No. 2 to interrogate him. "Why did you resign?"

The new show deals with the metaphor of No. 6's resistance to conformity but doesn't. No. 6 really doesn't struggle with it. What I mean is that, No. 6 represents the epitome of individuality and all of it's flaws and the Village is the crippling comfort of conformity. The new No. 6 doesn't resist, nor toy with the system. He barely tries to escape. In the mini-series, he seems to just do what he is told.

Perhaps it is the way James Caviezel performance felt a little too melancholy and not determined. McGoohan was far from a brilliant actor, but he had a stoic presence that was captivating and charismatic. Caviezel just looked like he was bummed about the whole thing.

All in all, in my opinion, the Village is supposed to make you feel trapped. Not isolated.

While I applaud AMC for it's bravery for giving this a shot, they should have studied the 1967 show and tried to actually update it, rather than try and make the show a gimmick.

My advice. Stick with the 1967 show...if you want. It's a hard enough show to like without watching the remake.

Be seeing you.


Command Image: The Prisoner Commands