Monday, September 19, 2011

Day 669 (Tidbits)

A seeming "Call To Arms" awaits on the Day 669 post on Blake Ford Hall's The 800 Days blog. This isn't Blake's call, however - it's a call sent out by ANONYMOUS. As well, it's not an average Call To Arms (a call to pick up weapons)...

You'll have to think in metaphors beyond what you usually do (we think in metaphors ALL THE TIME - but often, not very complex ones, for daily living) and really open your mind to receive the message that ANONYMOUS has provided.

Here's an article ABSTRACT (only) that I found when searching for a way to explain how we think in metaphors all the time. The Abstract provides enough information to explain this - without going into the whole article (it's better than a definition I found on a popular online dictionary):

Metaphors We Think With: The Role of Metaphor in Reasoning.

I'm finding the messages of ANONYMOUS increasingly more interesting as time goes on. I feel that whoever is behind ANONYMOUS is very intelligent, versed in psychology and possibly even sociological studies... however I am TRULY beginning to question the purpose and ethics of ANONYMOUS...

  • Anonymous speaks of freedom - using the terminology of oppression (is this ethical?)
  • Anonymous uses emotional phrases to target the underdog (knows which particular words work on the psychological make-up of an oppressed target population)
  • Anonymous seems to understand large-group dynamics (sociological knowledge - ie: "when and where should I, Anonymous, place my messages for universal effect and viewing?")

I'll let you decide if my statements above are anything you want to think more about.

Anonymous is calling out to a number of target groups:

  • Youth
  • To The Intellectuals (those with critical thinking?)
  • The Strong
  • Journalists
  • The Weak
  • The Clever
  • Free Thinkers
  • Poets 
  • The Wise
The only thing that settles my mind a bit over ethical issues here is that ANONYMOUS clearly sends out a call to various target groups - essentially, trying to name most groups, save for "authority" groups. At first, I was worried that - with ANONYMOUS' mix of oppression language with freedom concepts, Anonymous was targeting just "the oppressed" populations (which could turn out a MOB), but Anonymous is - in my opinion - calling out to people FOR the purpose of critical thinking, reasoning, etc. Time will show whether I am wrong or right here... (Yes, I've ended up QUESTIONING the motive of ANONYMOUS even though Anonymous makes very blatant, clear statements most of the time... it has been the "language of oppression" inserted in much of Anonymous' messaging that sends up red flags for me).

Let me know what you get out of Anonymous' message, posted by Blake for the Day 669 entry over on The 800 Days blog on Sunday February 20 2011.


No comments:

Post a Comment