--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The government targets 'Anonymous' for…" description: "\"The government targets 'Anonymous' for the same reason it targets al-Qaida - because they're the enemy.\" — John Perry Barlow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/731/john-perry-barlow-9208_anonymous_the-government-targets-anonymous-for-the_1573428.jpg" --- # The government targets 'Anonymous' for the same reason it… ![“The government targets 'Anonymous' for the same reason it targets al-Qaida - because they're the enemy.” quote by John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/731/john-perry-barlow-9208_anonymous_the-government-targets-anonymous-for-the_1573428.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/731/john-perry-barlow-9208_anonymous_the-government-targets-anonymous-for-the_1573428.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/731/john-perry-barlow-9208_anonymous_the-government-targets-anonymous-for-the_1573428.jpg) > “The government targets 'Anonymous' for the same reason it targets al-Qaida - because they're the enemy.” [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authorities label dissent as threats, similar to how they treat extremist groups. **In simple terms:** Both are seen as enemies by those in power. Key Takeaway Question how labels are applied. Themes power labeling dissent Mood critical skeptical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - activism - journalism - policy debates - public discourse Key Concepts political theory social control Questions to Reflect On - Who decides who is an enemy? - How does labeling affect public perception? A Different Perspective Labeling can suppress legitimate criticism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anonymous/) [Anonymous Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anonymous-reason-2534867/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Targets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-targets-5928405/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Qaida Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/qaida-enemy-5928404/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/same/) [Targets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/targets/) [Targets Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/targets-anonymous-5928403/) ## Related quotes > [I can't be anonymous by reason of your confounded photographs. (To Julia Margaret Cameron)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/i-can-t-be-anonymous-by-reason-of-your-confounded-photographs-to/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [It is becoming clear that many diseases - especially cancer - are highly complex and may respond better to a multi-drug approach which targets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-vertes/it-is-becoming-clear-that-many-diseases-especially-cancer-are-highly/) [Eva Vertes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-vertes/) > [Setting points targets is sometimes the worst thing you can do - it puts pressure on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-phelan/setting-points-targets-is-sometimes-the-worst-thing-you-can-do-it/) [Mike Phelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-phelan/) > [The objective of a terrorist is to create political change in the society he targets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-objective-of-a-terrorist-is-to-create-political-change-in-the/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [FISA targets those who are 'agents of a foreign power.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/fisa-targets-those-who-are-agents-of-a-foreign-power/) [Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/) > [“To reach a target, you must never see it as unreachable!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/to-reach-a-target-you-must-never-see-it-as-unreachable/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Time spent doing whatever it is you do to escape your daily life would be better spent acquiring a life that needs no escape.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-hick/time-spent-doing-whatever-it-is-you-do-to-escape-your-daily-life/) [Shaun Hick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-hick/) > [They were targeting those people I referred to as 'little Eichmanns.' These were legitimate targets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/they-were-targeting-those-people-i-referred-to-as-little-eichmanns/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [People are roasting each other at parties, at work events, around the fire. It's so fun. People are busting each other's chops, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-ross/people-are-roasting-each-other-at-parties-at-work-events-around-the/) [Jeff Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-ross/) > [If you want to improve, you have to set high targets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-dybala/if-you-want-to-improve-you-have-to-set-high-targets/) [Paulo Dybala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-dybala/) > [It is also right that we continue to consult with front line workers and the public to ensure that targets are reasonable and achievable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hutton/it-is-also-right-that-we-continue-to-consult-with-front-line-workers/) [John Hutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hutton/) > [There's Hezbollah, there's Hamas, there is a whole range of terrorist targets out there related to Palestine and to Israel that we ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-eagleburger/there-s-hezbollah-there-s-hamas-there-is-a-whole-range-of-terrorist/) [Lawrence Eagleburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-eagleburger/) > [In setting goals and executing a strategy, Wanda is sophisticated. We have good systems and departments. If targets are not reached, a yellow light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wang-jianlin/in-setting-goals-and-executing-a-strategy-wanda-is-sophisticated-we/) [Wang Jianlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wang-jianlin/) > [“You can not have empty or neutral mind, as long as you work the mind will contain dreams, if you stop working it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/you-can-not-have-empty-or-neutral-mind-as-long-as-you-work-the-mind/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) ## More by John Perry Barlow > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [“the first responsibility of a human being is to be a better ancestor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/the-first-responsibility-of-a-human-being-is-to-be-a-better-ancestor/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [Our universities are so determined to impose tolerance that they'll expel you for saying what you think and never notice the irony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/our-universities-are-so-determined-to-impose-tolerance-that-they-ll/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [You do not know our culture, our ethics, or the unwritten codes that already provide our society more order than could be obtained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/you-do-not-know-our-culture-our-ethics-or-the-unwritten-codes-that/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [The real issue is control. The Internet is too widespread to be easily dominated by any single government. By creating a seamless global economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/the-real-issue-is-control-the-internet-is-too-widespread-to-be-easily/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I don't know that I believe in the supernatural, but I do believe in miracles, and our time together was filled with the events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/i-don-t-know-that-i-believe-in-the-supernatural-but-i-do-believe-in/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I'm a member of that half of the human race which is inclined to divide the human race into two kinds of people. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/i-m-a-member-of-that-half-of-the-human-race-which-is-inclined-to/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I ... believe that angels, or something like them, sometimes live among us, hidden within our fellow human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/i-believe-that-angels-or-something-like-them-sometimes-live-among-us/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I think that humor is part of what saves us from despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/i-think-that-humor-is-part-of-what-saves-us-from-despair/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I personally think intellectual property is an oxymoron. Physical objects have a completely different natural economy than intellectual goods. It's a tricky thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/i-personally-think-intellectual-property-is-an-oxymoron-physical/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [Any powerful technology has sauce for the goose and the gander... It's just an extension of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/any-powerful-technology-has-sauce-for-the-goose-and-the-gander-it-s/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [Art is a service, not a product. Created beauty is a relationship, and a relationship with the Holy at that. Reducing such work to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/art-is-a-service-not-a-product-created-beauty-is-a-relationship-and-a/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [We will create a civilization of the Mind in Cyberspace. May it be more humane and fair than the world your governments have made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/we-will-create-a-civilization-of-the-mind-in-cyberspace-may-it-be/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [Incompetence is a double-edged banana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/incompetence-is-a-double-edged-banana/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [The first serious infowar is now engaged. The field of battle is WikiLeaks. You are the troops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/the-first-serious-infowar-is-now-engaged-the-field-of-battle-is/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) [Explore all 74 John Perry Barlow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) ## More Anonymous quotes > [You know, its really strange now with the Internet, with everyone having an unsolicited, anonymous opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-daniels/you-know-its-really-strange-now-with-the-internet-with-everyone/) [Jeff Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-daniels/) > [There's a lot of attention on me which can be good, it can be bad. Sometimes my daughter's acting up in public and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-holzhauer/there-s-a-lot-of-attention-on-me-which-can-be-good-it-can-be-bad/) [James Holzhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-holzhauer/) > [It's no accident that most self-help groups use 'anonymous' in their names; to Americans, the first step toward redemption is a ritual wiping out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/it-s-no-accident-that-most-self-help-groups-use-anonymous-in-their/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“Courtship is the time during which the girl decides whether or not she can do any better. Anonymous”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shmuley-boteach/courtship-is-the-time-during-which-the-girl-decides-whether-or-not/) [Shmuley Boteach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shmuley-boteach/) > [“You Can't Live a Positive Life With a Negative Mind.” ― Anonymous”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-live-a-positive-life-with-a-negative-mind-anonymous/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I used to follow people home. I just like being anonymous so much that I would follow people home because they didn't know who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-epstein/i-used-to-follow-people-home-i-just-like-being-anonymous-so-much-that/) [Theo Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-epstein/) > [When someone is anonymous, it opens the door to all kinds of antisocial behavior, as seen by the Ku Klux Klan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/when-someone-is-anonymous-it-opens-the-door-to-all-kinds-of/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [My gifts to causes in which I believe have almost always been anonymous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryanne-trump-barry/my-gifts-to-causes-in-which-i-believe-have-almost-always-been/) [Maryanne Trump Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryanne-trump-barry/) > [“If my name were Isaac Newton, would I be a famous no name? I’d have worldwide and historical name recognition, yet I’d be anonymous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/if-my-name-were-isaac-newton-would-i-be-a-famous-no-name-i-d-have/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [It is hard to violate somebody's privacy if the person is completely anonymous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-milbank/it-is-hard-to-violate-somebody-s-privacy-if-the-person-is-completely/) [Dana Milbank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-milbank/) > [Writers are generally anonymous. It just that I think I got out there because I also act as well and put myself in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-grevioux/writers-are-generally-anonymous-it-just-that-i-think-i-got-out-there/) [Kevin Grevioux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-grevioux/) > [Gay men are guardians of the masculine impulse. To have anonymous sex in a dark alleyway is to pay homage to the dream of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/gay-men-are-guardians-of-the-masculine-impulse-to-have-anonymous-sex/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Being anonymous, I thought I'd just release the music and see what happens organically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriella-wilson/being-anonymous-i-thought-i-d-just-release-the-music-and-see-what/) [Gabriella Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriella-wilson/) > [“I am convinced that different people bring out different sides of you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-convinced-that-different-people-bring-out-different-sides-of-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As anonymous as the universe is. Our identity is anonymous to concept of being anonymous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/as-anonymous-as-the-universe-is-our-identity-is-anonymous-to-concept/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) [Browse all 336 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anonymous/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The government targets 'Anonymous' for the same reason it targets al-Qaida - because they're the enemy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Perry Barlow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/the-government-targets-anonymous-for-the-same-reason-it-targets-al/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anonymous" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/the-government-targets-anonymous-for-the-same-reason-it-targets-al/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/731/john-perry-barlow-9208_anonymous_the-government-targets-anonymous-for-the_1573428.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/731/john-perry-barlow-9208_anonymous_the-government-targets-anonymous-for-the_1573428.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/731/john-perry-barlow-9208_anonymous_the-government-targets-anonymous-for-the_1573428.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The government targets 'Anonymous' for the same reason it targets al-Qaida - because they're the enemy.” — John Perry Barlow", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Perry Barlow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The government targets 'Anonymous' for the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/the-government-targets-anonymous-for-the-same-reason-it-targets-al/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/the-government-targets-anonymous-for-the-same-reason-it-targets-al/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```