Frank Cortes
3/7/16
Eng 306
Dr. Brown
Behind The Mask: Guy Fawkes, Occupy, and Anonymous
In the 21st century, one of the most recognized symbols all over the world finds itself at the center of most protest rhetoric. This is most true when the goals of the protest movement revolve around a reformation of authority and power. Anarchy has been a part of society in various forms, but with the introduction of the Guy Fawkes mask it has been given a face. It is a face that has found itself at home among activist groups such as Anonymous, and protest movements like Occupy. The mask holds a historical past as well as one in popular culture, both playing a part in understanding how a mask can be a symbol for revolution in protest. It becomes synonymous with the rebel identity and many others, which leads it to be a perfect protest object used by both Anonymous and Occupy.
Historically we can trace the man behind its name, Guy Fawkes, as a real person who on November 5, 1605 was arrested for attempting to set off gunpowder kegs underneath parliament with an intent to assassinate King James I (History-Guy Fawkes). His attempt was a failure and he was soon executed for treason along with all his conspirators. Later in 1980, a graphic novel was created by David Lloyd and Alan Moore with the title, “V for Vendetta”, which in 2006 became a movie (Lovett). The graphic novel, and movie, both centered around a dystopian future where a rebel known only as “V” fights against a British totalitarian government. The creator, Lloyd, suggested, “having the rebel wear a Guy Fawkes costume” (Lovett). It is at this point that the Guy Fawkes of the historical past, is revived by popular culture into an iconic rebel, who takes on the same task to bomb parliament but succeeds in his efforts.
Socially the mask grew into popularity among protest movements with its adoption by Anonymous. Although the organization has an amorphous persona, with the members often remaining a secret and its organization having no recognizable leadership, the decision to add the Guy Fawkes mask as one of their brand labels gave Anonymous an instant visage. In what an article recognizes as their first full protest with the masks incorporated, the group went on an attack against the Church of Scientology (Walker). The arrival of the strong brand only picked up from there, finding itself years later more popular than ever, and working on the side of the Occupy movement.
When looking closely at how the Guy Fawkes affected both Anonymous and Occupy a starting point would be who its intended audience is throughout the protest. Most of the protesters who participated in the movement did so because they were in agreement that the current economic system favors greedy corporations and social inequality. Overall the intent for the mask is to send out a message. The extent of its influence allows most anyone who is familiar with its origins to be its audience. The Occupy Wall Street protest attracted so much news coverage, and they also benefited from broadcasting their own social media campaigns. One of their Facebook pages used an image of a character wearing the Guy Fawkes mask with the message reading, “all OCCUPY Protesters to come together on November 5th, 2011, to rally again our efforts to end corruption and social injustice” (Lovett). The organizers of this particular event for the protest made it clear through the image given and the message sent out that the audience should wear the mask in order to unify to their cause.
After the intended audience receives the mask in either form, visual or physical, it performs its various purposes. One of the most important purposes this mask serves is to allow its user the benefit of anonymity during protest. The Occupy protesters felt it would be beneficial to wear the mask not only because it sent a clear cut message to the contemporary audience familiar with its connotation but also because it hid their identity. As one protester stated, “The point of wearing the mask is to be able to go to a protest without fear of retribution or aggression from the establishment,” however with the included identity already provided by the mask the anonymity for the user doesn’t go without a unifying effect (Thompson). The second purpose is the unification of a group under an argument. It wearers use it to identify with the movement and just generally a relatively close ideology with other members of the movement who wear it. Its ability to unify is shown in the 2006 movie in the final scene where a march of those against the system descended upon parliament to watch it burn (Lovett). Just as the movement in the film was shown forming together in solidarity wearing the Guy Fawkes mask, so too do the protesters in Occupy and the group “Anonymous”. The identity of the anarchist or those against the current political system can now use this tool to express themselves peacefully while always keeping the violent implications the mask originated with intact. Although it pertained to protesters and sympathizers alike, the mask was still subject to interpretation of the user, “Some people wear it to make a fashion statement, other because they know what it’s about,” so the unification is not always universal and sometimes falls victim to its own popularization (Thompson). The purpose however still remains the unification of those who empathize with the anarchist movement or Occupy.
The success of the object’s purposes was highly dependent on Ethos and the authorities behind it making it an obvious choice for those who identify with anti-establishment rhetoric. First and foremost although the history behind the Guy Fawkes mask is not well known among usual people, Guy Fawkes is still an authority as a figure of violent anarchy in society. The more well recognized authority, however fictional it may be, is the character “V” in both the “V for Vendetta” graphic novel and movie. The rebellious vigilante serves as a perfect source for ethos and his expertise in bringing down totalitarian governments. At that moment the mask became linked to his identity as an anarchist and those who wear the mask will be aware of this in most cases. Lastly, the final way ethos is relevant to how this object of protest is adopted through its affiliation with hacker group Anonymous. The group has gained fame through their constant dedication to activism through the internet and their obsession to remain anonymous to the public eye, which is exactly the two goals the Occupy protesters took on themselves.
(Source: http://hilobrow.com/2012/04/30/mask/)
Along with ethos as a way to persuade protesters to the importance of the mask, pathos is used well to give the mask more influence. The mere idea of anarchy is so emotionally charged, filled with anger and discontent towards the established set of norms in a society. The mask encompasses the anger and discontent into a wearable object. The more people begin to wear it, or advertise it during the protest on the street, the more it begins to spread to other protesters. It plays on their emotions of anger but of also belonging. One individual stated, “I thought I would show my support for the book and for Anonymous by picking up a mask and being part of the movement,” by the book the protester means the “V for Vendetta” graphic novel (Thompson). Another way pathos is used for the object is the way in which it is presented alongside powerful anarchist slogans such as, “The people shouldn’t be afraid of their government, the government should be afraid of its people” (Lovett). A slogan so general, but yet so provocative uses the simplicity in the message shown, alongside members of the protest wearing the mask, to get others emotional.
In terms of the success this object had on the progress of the actual movement, there is not much evidence that it aided very much in the streets to get much done. However the success can be judged by how fast it spread throughout the Occupy movement and Anonymous. In both instances from the moment of acceptance as an object of protest rhetoric it anchored itself firmly as a reemerging symbol of anarchy and rebellion. The Guy Fawkes mask will most likely continue to show up in future protests, and with any news event affiliated with Anonymous.
Work Cited
“History-Guy Fawkes.” BBC. n.d Web. 22 Feb 2016
Lovett, Edward. “How Did Guy Fawkes Become A Symbol of Occupy Wall Street?” ABC News
Network, 5th Nov 2011. Web. 22 Feb 2016
Sauter, Molly. “Guy Fawkes Mask-ology”. HiLo Brow, 30th April 2012. Web. 23 Feb 2016.
Thompson, Nick. “Guy Fawkes Mask Inspires Occupy Protests Around The World.” CNN. 5th Nov
2011. Web. 23rd Feb 2016.
Walker, Rob. “Recognizably Anonymous How did Hacker Group that rejects definition develop such a
strong visual brand?” Slate, 8th Dec 2011. Web 23 Feb 2016.
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