Yesterday, a small group of young people marched peacefully through downtown Seattle calling for an end to corporate control of politics, government corruption, police brutality, and homelessness, according to a communique they handed out. I talked with one marcher named Cole who said he's against "wars for business." He came from Nevada. The amorphous Anonymous hacktivist network, he said, gave him "something to rally around." So he came to Seattle to visit a friend, have fun, and be a part of the group's annual march, which took place in cities around the world, at the same time.
The marchers seemed a bit naive and foul-mouthed, sure. Personally, I wouldn't channel my discontent into a group like Anonymous. But activist groups are like shoes: You work with what fits you.
Everyone getting involved in social change has to start somewhere. Dissent is the lifeblood of democracy, which is what the United States supposedly is, though the data suggests it is, in fact, an oligarchy. That strikes me as something worth being angry about and protesting, no matter who you are.
Making fun of them for wearing masks bought on Amazon, as this KIRO cameraman does, isn't much different from making fun of kayaktivists for protesting Shell Oil with boats made of plastic. You do it if you don't like to think too hard and want to laugh at people with comparatively few resources trying to challenge groups who are much more powerful than they are.
The marchers did not, as Amazon evidently feared, accost anyone they thought worked for the company. I did not find the protest scary, nor would I have advised readers—particularly young people—to avoid it. Unlike these reporters for KIRO and the Seattle Times, respectively:
I'm amazed someone brought their kid here @KIRO7Seattle on Westlake and Denny. pic.twitter.com/muw1ETJjoE
— Rob Munoz (@RobKIRO7) November 5, 2015
UPDATE: Protesters still marching around South Lake Union; route unclear so best to avoid the area: https://t.co/Kd3ZOjjaAx
— John de Leon (@DeLeon_Times) November 6, 2015