What is it that causes groups that begin with good intentions and peaceful protests to be hijacked by jerks and turn to bank robbery?

This whole hacktivist crap began well after the scope of this history project but interest in it is probably going to drag people here. The main thing I have to say about it is that the media interpretation of the group is pretty hilarious. The Wall Street Journal mentioned numbers of “core members”, etc. (23 Jun). This is just a case of old people failing to understand computers, as usual. It's all just kids being little assholes for the most-part. It's my guess that the actual hackers (the bank robbery portion) in fact uses the group as cover rather than having any real association with it. This is my guess. The whole thing is stupid: the participants, the media's handling of the situation, and law enforcement's total incompetence. Every one deserves what they got or are about to get.

Weren't they originally trying to shut down Scientology? Also, why were they trying to shut down Scientology? Who gives a fuck about Scientology? Who ever did, really? Why not protest in front of R.J. Reynolds? I'm sure that they'd turn the legal team on you if you talked shit about them or if you posted their trade secrets online. That's the same thing, isn't it? I think that point alone goes to show that it was a very small core of very charismatic people that touched this whole thing off. I'm sure it was simply hijacked by others that realized its power (or saw an opportunity to cover up their own crimes). Sucks to the original leaders, to be sure. I imagine the law is interested in them now even though they're now in charge of nothing.

Moral of the story: Whatever. I forget.

This is a new generation of protest and it’s all the act of children (ages 15-25 with few exceptions). In my opinion, this is what governments around the world wanted and it’s what they got. These children grew up in an era of zero tolerance and where their freedom of speech was consistently curtailed. They’re all under constant scrutiny and no-doubt on watch lists if they dare speak their mind or have any opinion at all. Every time a government goes to great lengths and expense to control its people, it tends instead to find all its effort entirely wasted. For instance, the millions of pounds spent on Britain’s CCTV system can be subverted with a hat and sunglasses.

When you can’t protest in real life without serious risks to your freedom, reputation, and career, a way will be found to speak your mind and this is it. This is what you wanted. There are no public protests anymore. Rocks aren’t being thrown, cars aren’t being turned over, but the damage is just as bad and it’s likely to get worse. What’s the next step? Are we going to march on until we’re East Germany? Don’t we remember how poorly even that case study in total thought control went?