Apparently Anonymous has a plan to change the world.  Yay!  I’m so excited I can hardly keep from gagging.  For those not paying attention, that’s called sarcasm.  Why would I not be more supportive of a group trying to change the status quo and make the world a better place?  Fair question.

If I thought they were likely to make the world a better place, I’d be more enthusiastic.  If I thought their plan might work, I’d be more enthusiastic.  If the guy wasn’t wearing a V for Vendetta style Guy Fawkes mask while reading his little rant/manifesto, I’d have less of an urge to kick him in the “man-bits”.

A Guy Fawkes mask, really?  I think that annoys me mostly because I enjoyed the movie so much.  I might also point out that the actual heroes of the movie didn’t wear masks.  Of course that isn’t what Anonymous wants to hear.  According to them, their power lies in the idea that they are anyone and everyone.

Well, I can tell you they aren’t everyone, because they sure as hell aren’t me.  Oh sure, I share some of their concerns.  Corporations should be good citizens and take a leading role in charity work and community building.  Consumerism is out of control and we care more about things than people.  We need to close the gap between the very rich and the very poor.  Elected officials should have the interests of ALL the people in mind, not just the ones who gave money to their “war chests”, and never put their party above the people.

There are some key differences though.  I don’t think their protests are going to do anything at all.  I don’t think their plan is going to make even the tiniest bit of change happen.  Why?  Because I don’t think they understand the problem.  They complain about the uber rich and corporate greed and the deficit and consumerism and all their other issues, and they miss the truth.

The truth is, it’s not “them”.  It’s “us”.  We are the problem.  One of the terms I hear in connection with this is “Kleptocracy”.  This is just the sort of delusional misinformation I would want spread if I was one of corporate heads they claim to hate.  The idea is that those running things are robbing the people blind.  That we are in fact being run by thieves.

Truth be told, it’s actually a “Meocracy’.  We’re  being run by people who put themselves and their interests first.  Whether it’s corporate heads, the shareholders who drive them, or the unionized employees who demand more, they’re all me.  “Meocracy” is screaming for tax cuts because you don’t need the services they pay for, then screaming when the services aren’t there when you want them.  “Meocracy” is talking about poverty and starvation from the comfort of your home, with a full belly, a cellphone, laptop and big screen TV.

“Meocracy” is what drives our society.  The reason Anonymous isn’t going to change anything is simple.  Anonymous is the pinnacle of the “Meocratic” movement.  They are the ultimate expression of the denial of personal responsibility which is the hallmark of a “Meocracy”.  They see everything as someone else’s fault.  “People don’t starve because I didn’t feed them.  They starve because corporations didn’t feed them.  Billionaires didn’t feed them.”  This is the Anonymous mindset.

You can’t demand change.  Well, you can, but it won’t work.  The protests and other drama won’t change peoples minds.  If you really want to change the world, I’ll help you get started.  Give up your cellphone and your cable and your internet connection.  Take that money and give it to a homeless shelter, or a soup kitchen, or a reputable charity.  Do that every month.  Only buy domestically produced goods.  Stop supporting third world sweat shops.  Get involved in grassroots politics. Stop giving your money to corporations who don’t treat their workers fairly, or their communities with respect.  Educate voters.  Educate candidates.  Educate yourselves.  Stop believing your own press.  You’re not more enlightened than anyone else.

Do all of these things for five years.  Consistently.  Then  you can come and tell me your plan to change the world.  Maybe by then you’ll have thought up something more useful than protesting against things that mean nothing.  Maybe by then you’ll understand where Anonymous has it wrong.  What’s needed isn’t to band together against some powerful and corrupt “other”.  Change will only come when understand that the powerful and corrupt are us.

Here is a simple fact.  Apple has more liquid capital than the U.S. government.  They are immensely wealthy.  Does this mean that I’m going to give up my iPhone and boycott them as punishment?  Don’t be daft.  They haven’t done anything wrong.  They are a corporation.  Their job is to make money.  They just happen to do it very well.  They didn’t force me to buy their phone.  Me, I made that decision.

It was “Me” because I live in a “Meocracy”.  Apple, Microsoft, Chrysler, Hitachi, Acer, none of them are responsible for where my money goes.  I could as easily give it to a soup kitchen, but I choose to give it to these and other corporations.  It’s my money, and my choice.  That’s the lesson Anonymous needs to learn.  Changing yourself is your prerogative, changing me is mine.

You can’t force people to change.  No matter how much you might think they need to.

Cheers, Winston