Omigod! I am having such fun reading about the Anonymous protests around the world yesterday. I especially loved the reports about the London protests.
I especially love this image 
This is both what I love and hate about Anarchists. They know how to have such a good time when they protest, and they bring such freshness to the entire discourse. And ... sadly, it is hard to sustain this kind of energy over the long term. I sincerely hope I am wrong.
It is just really hard to keep taking it to the streets. At some point, you have to have another strategy. Right now they are good looking, funny, good natured and more importantly ... not taken seriously. I hope to never see a Guy Fawkes mask drenched in blood ... or any of these good natured, smart and funny people in jail.
May their joyous spirits and deep intellect be heard, appreciated and welcomed. And may the gods of old protect their bodies, minds and hearts. From my mouth to the goddess' ears .... ashe!
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On another note, I had another chance to be an urban avenger last night. It has been years since I was able to chase down a man abusing a woman. But last night, I did my current version of heroism.
I heard a woman screaming on my block, I rushed to the door to see her being beaten on a porch almost directly across the street. I stepped onto my porch and bellowed, "I AM CALLING THE POLICE, I AM CALLING THE POLICE, I AM CALLING THE POLICE" at the top of my lungs.
If you know anything about me, you KNOW how loud that had to have been. I then promptly ... called the police. Saying it three times meant it would get through to him that he not only was in trouble, but he had a witness unafraid to let him know who and where I was. The violence deescalated almost immediately. And the cops showed up in less than 2 minutes.
Later a fire engine came and the techs went inside the house with emergency medical supplies. Later the police walked out with the man in cuffs. All in all, a successful intervention.
I am feeling pretty good about myself at the moment.
Maybe I can't go and bust some heads, but I can yell and I can call for help. Yay ME!!
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Jonathan Korman (not verified) | Mon, 02/11/2008 - 7:17pm
Apropos of Anonymous, do you know about Howard Rheingold's book Smart Mobs ? As the title suggests, it's about this very thing.
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»Angela Raincatcher (not verified) | Tue, 02/12/2008 - 11:01am
It's good to know that there are people willing to stand up and cry out that they do indeed witness what is happening. So many people would have hidden in their house waiting for someone else to call and hoping that no one witnessed the fact that they themselves saw what was happening.
You continue to inspire me to stand up.
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