The Straight Dope

Go Back   Straight Dope Message Board > Main > Elections

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 04-06-2012, 09:54 PM
elbravoiv elbravoiv is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
anyone think anonymous could uses their forces for good rather than evil?

I'm wondering why anonymous doesn't try to endorse a 3rd party candidate and get them exposed. This could actually be the one chance to get things changed... yet they seem too busy trying to fight for civil liberties by hacking government websites, which is only going to make civil liberties whither quicker.

thoughts?
Reply With Quote
Advertisements  
  #2  
Old 04-07-2012, 07:04 AM
gamerunknown gamerunknown is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 3,291
Anonymous is not a cohesive entity, it's pretty much anyone that happens to be browsing a certain website that cannot be named and has access to a few programs. Very little can be planned, perhaps outside of a few spin offs and IRCs... When a coherent plan does emerge, a significant number of posters are willing to oppose it vociferously (forced meme, not your personal army).

/pol/ denizens tend to be infatuated with Ron Paul, especially after "sup" was filtered to that phrase a while back. Pretty much no chance of them endorsing anyone else.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 04-07-2012, 07:37 AM
John DiFool John DiFool is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Leading question much? Do you still beat your wife?

Last edited by John DiFool; 04-07-2012 at 07:38 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 04-07-2012, 07:54 AM
Smapti Smapti is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Olympia, WA
Posts: 3,133
For Anonymous to actively endorse a candidate would require a degree of organization that would be antithetical to Anonymous' existence as a crypto-anarchist front. By definition, Anonymous isn't a single group that can set an agenda and goals to meet - it's anyone who wants to call themselves part of it, doing whatever they feel like doing in its name, with the assistance of whoever feels like helping them.

And as far as I can tell, most of them are just in it 4 teh lulz anyway - the only reason they'd try to bring a candidate into the limelight is to destroy them later on by revealing that they have sex with barnyard animals, or beat orphans, or feed thermite to babies.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 04-07-2012, 10:34 AM
Marley23 Marley23 is offline
Administerminator
Administrator
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: New York
Posts: 68,749
Why Anonymous? There are lots of groups that could do this kind of thing - throw their support behind a group and give them a lot of exposure. Anonymous isn't organized that way and it's not partisan as far as I can tell. Are you saying they should hack the Democratic and Republican websites? Leak information that hurts the parties and is favorable to third-party candidates? How is this supposed to work?
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 04-07-2012, 11:22 AM
foolsguinea foolsguinea is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Tornado Alley
Posts: 9,920
pssst. http://www.occupytheballot.org
Not Anonymous, but the sort of thing you may be looking for.

Oh, that guy gave up. Never mind. Well, you could do it your own self.

Last edited by foolsguinea; 04-07-2012 at 11:23 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 04-07-2012, 08:15 PM
BigT BigT is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Quote:
Originally Posted by John DiFool View Post
Leading question much? Do you still beat your wife?
Exactly. But I have a feeling the OP won't get why you are saying that. So I'll be explicit:

Why do you assume that Anonymous uses their forces for evil in the first place? Anonymous isn't always good, but a lot of the stuff they do is. The good stuff gets them a lot more support and a lot more voluntary drones they can use to do things.

Anonymous is at worse an amoral entity, neither good nor evil.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 04-07-2012, 08:23 PM
Boyo Jim Boyo Jim is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 28,652
The way Anonymous "exposes" people doesn't promote those people.

Why do you imagine that Anonymous would be any better at promoting a political candidate than a political party and a good publicist would be?
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 05-16-2012, 04:05 AM
Sr Siete Sr Siete is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
What couldn't a bunch of thirteen-year olds with a penchant for teen pornography accpomplish if they organized? Nothing! They could totally get their own candidate!

Snooki for president!
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:14 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2013, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

Send questions for Cecil Adams to: cecil@chicagoreader.com

Send comments about this website to: webmaster@straightdope.com

Terms of Use / Privacy Policy

Advertise on the Straight Dope!
(Your direct line to thousands of the smartest, hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks.)

Publishers - interested in subscribing to the Straight Dope?
Write to: sdsubscriptions@chicagoreader.com.

Copyright © 2013 Sun-Times Media, LLC.