I was just reading today’s Wall Street Journal when I noticed this picture attached to an article about a labor strike in France. I was immediately struck by the fact that most of the protesters in this picture are wearing masks.

Maybe its because recently I have been reading and listening to a lot of stories about the American Civil Rights movement — where protesters put their lives and the lives of their families on the line — but I have a difficult time taking these people seriously. I don’t see a bunch of people passionately fighting for what they believe in; I see a collection of cowards.

About a year ago I ran into the same thing on the streets of Boston. I was on my way across the Charles River to buy boxes for the move to San Francisco when I got stuck right in the middle of a protest aimed at The Church Of Scientology. The protest was sponsored by the Internet group Anonymous. They too were wearing masks (the picture at right is of the actual group I ran into).

Since it was a Saturday I actually hung around the protesters for a little while and I tried my best to understand what they were actually protesting and why they were wearing masks. They didn’t have a good answer for either, frankly I think they were just bored. When I challenged them with the crazy idea that if they truly believed in what they were fighting for they should be proud to show their faces they asked me to move along. I even offered to join them in their protest if they removed their masks. All I got for my offer was more blank stares from 20 or so Vs.

In my view anonymity is one of the more problematic features of the Internet, and is the cause of much of the hate and vitriol we find there. Anonymity gives people the freedom to do and say things they never would have otherwise and while this has benefits, the ranks of ugly episodes are growing. Lets hope we don’t see more of this type of protest spilling into the physical world.

If you believe in something, stand behind it.

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