Forum Post: What do the Gas Masks symbolize?
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 24, 2011, 10:12 p.m. EST by JRonda342
(1)
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I noticed that there are a few gas masks used by people in the Occupy Movement and I'm wondering what the gas mask represents?
Also besides the Guy Fawkes and Gas Masks, what other masks are used by people in the Occupy protests?
Very simply : It symbolizes FEAR. Fear of getting gassed, fear of being beaten down for standing up for truth, and freedom, and the constitution. But a willingness to fight on, even if it means facing gas, even if it means facing our fears. Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.
Hey Straynge Shaman, why try revive this old thread on the matter of 'masks' ?! What should I intuit 'shamanicly' or conclude 'anthropologically' or deduce, psychologically, from that ?!! When you were Jung, were you easily Freudened - by your own shadow ?!!!
verum ex absurdo ...
Oh I see, well I know what the Guy Fawkes mask represents, I just want to know what the Gas Masks represent, some people have told me it's probably to symbolize pollution, war and disease or anything hazardous the government allows.
Haha, I think the gas mask might represent a desire not to get tear gassed while protesting...though I guess symbolically it might be taken as evidence that regardless of what is thrown at us, we're not leaving.
The way the protests have been treated, they may be more of a necessity than a symbolic representation.
In many places in the us, covering the face is against the law.
There facial recognition scanners can't tell who you are. That's why all people in the usa must have picture id's . Instead of fingerprints- a camera scans and tells the cops you are there and they pick you up, Big brother is watching you.
The Guy Fawkes mask has recently become a symbol for the Occupy protest (In USA at least) and represents the Hacktivists group "Anonymous." The Gas Mask has been a symbol for general protest for decades because they are often used by rebels who don't want to be put down by Riot Police Terra Gas.
Guy Fawkes was a terrorist. So, great mascot...
Hahaha. The mask they have has the design that was used for the guy who wore that mask in "V for Vendetta," where supposedly the guy who wares it fights against a Totalitarian government. There's a bit of irony in it since some Anonymous members have Marxist ideas.
Though I'm too cynical for Communism, I can't believe people are still equating Marx with Totalitarianism. I recognize that many Totalitarian regimes have worn the trappings of Communism, but really the two are ideologically incompatible. And please: most of the original Anon Hacktivists got locked up quite a while back, and the originators of the meme deliberately avoided creating a organization, and though some Anons organize for this or that, there - is - no - Anonymous - organization. About the only thing that Anons have in common is a set of similar symbols and methods, and a general social dissatisfaction.
The mask in the movie was based on a terrorist named Guido Fawkes, who plotted to assassinate the King of England. For Occupy to adopt a terrorist as their mascot is pretty revealing.
"One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter."
"Subjectivity Is The Only Truth" [J.P. Sartre]
ne quid nimis ...
I wonder if anti-establishment hipsters in the future will wear Osama bin Laden T-shirts. The same kids of run around wearing Che T-shirts now, and using Guy Fawkes avatars on the Internet. It seems likely.
The Guy Fawkes mask has evolved as a symbol, okay? The original was going to blow up Parliament and hopefully the King to free Britain from religious oppression. In the graphic novel, V was not a hero, just a vindictive superguy. Then the film made him a rebellious superhero freeing Britain from a totalitarian Theocracy. Now the mask represents more that character's ethos than anything else.
[Removed]
yeah, he needs to be caught, and thrown in jail. I'm all about hackers for good, but to needlessly endanger people just because you can hide like a little bitch is criminally irresponsible.
Don't worry, he's already dead.