“Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!”
November 5th just passed and most of us know that it was Guy Fawkes Day. The ‘guy’ who almost bombed the English parliament in the 16th century and died for it. While the day was originally commemorated in the United Kingdom for his failure to bomb the parliament and assassinate the king in the process, his mask now stands for something quite the opposite.
The present day symbolism of the Guy Fawkes mask is influenced by the movie V for Vendetta. It stands as a symbol against oppression and autocracies committed by politicians, governments and financial institutions against common man. Guy Fawkes mask, November 5 and Bitcoin have a lot in common.
Widely adopted by the well-known hacktivist group Anonymous and the symbol of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Movement, Guy Fawkes mask has become the symbol of rebellion. It is similar to the poster of Che Guevara which has become the mascot of revolution. Guy Fawkes Day is now an international event where people take to the streets protesting against the system and the failure of democracy in many countries.
Bitcoin is a revolutionary currency which also aims to prevent banks, financial institutions and governments from controlling money and dictating terms to citizens. Decentralized nature of bitcoin ensures that the power does not lie in one single man’s (or organization’s) hands and it is the collective, the people who decide what’s good for them.
Implementation of CISA, attempts to silence Julian Assange– the founder of WikiLeaks and the example of Edward Snowden who is now called a traitor instead of hailing him as a whistleblower are all the things which Guy Fawkes mask stands against and it will continue to do so till people have free will and the drive to fight against oppression.
