The Anonymous mask, adopted by the internet group “Anonymous,” is based on the Guy Fawkes mask from the comic and film V for Vendetta. It represents the group’s opposition to corrupt and oppressive actions and governments, and provides anonymity during protests.
An Anonymous mask is a type of mask typically worn by members of the Internet group “Anonymous” during protests and public rallies. It’s basically a Guy Fawkes mask and was adopted by the group based primarily on its use in the comic and film V for Vendetta. While this mask was initially associated with the actions of Guy Fawkes, its adoption by Anonymous members has more recently come to associate it with their activities.
The meaning behind an Anonymous mask is somewhat complex, but must be understood in terms separate from the story of the mask itself. Basically, an Anonymous mask looks the same as a Guy Fawkes mask. Guy Fawkes was a Catholic in the late 16th century, one of several conspirators involved in an attempt to destroy the House of Lords and assassinate the King of England. This conspiracy failed and Guy Fawkes was executed for his part in the attempt; his image has been burned in effigy in England ever since, in commemoration of his failure.
How the celebration of the failed conspiracy is done is by people making a “Guy” out of old clothes and rags and placing a Guy Fawkes mask over it, then setting the “Guy” on fire. Artist David Lloyd used this mask for a comic book series written by Alan Moore called V for Vendetta, in which it was worn by a revolutionary anarchist who plots to overthrow a tyrannical and oppressive fascist regime. The original Guy Fawkes was in favor of the destruction of English power to allow the Catholic Church to reclaim control over Britain, while the “V” character was bent on overthrowing the corrupt power.
This distinction is important, as an Anonymous mask is not meant to mimic or indicate Guy Fawkes beliefs, but is more closely aligned with the “V” persona. Anonymous is a group of individuals who grew up on the Internet and have used a variety of tactics, not all of them legal, to protest actions and governments they deem corrupt or oppressive. In line with this view, members of Anonymous have adopted the Anonymous mask to hide their identity during public protests and rallies.
The term “Anonymous,” used by this group, comes from the idea that the Internet provides anonymity and allows people to remain protected from those who may try to control them. An Anonymous mask extends this sense of anonymity beyond the internet and into the physical world. Rather than using random forms of face covering, however, the use of a specific Anonymous mask not only protects the identities of Anonymous members, but reinforces the idea of a single collective organization of individuals with a unified identity that lacks of a finished definition.
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