It would appear that the random self-proclaimed anarchists are out there again, this time going after the Silicon Valley. A group of such protesters recently distributed leaflets, deeming Kevin Rose ‘a parasite.’
Rose is a Google Ventures partner and has helped the search giant snag many acquisition deals with startups. That didn’t exactly woo the hearts of the protesters and they paid his neighborhood a visit. They held a banner which stated how Rose was a ‘parasite’ and also handed out leaflets bearing the same message.
The exact content of the leaflets read, ‘As a partner venture capitalist at Google Ventures, Kevin directs the flow of capital from Google into the tech startup bubble that is destroying San Francisco. The start-ups that he funds bring the swarms of young entrepreneurs that have ravaged the landscapes of San Francisco and Oakland.’
The flyer further speaks, in rather strange terms, about the plight of the service workers in Silicon Valley. The key point of contention seems to be the fact that Kevin Rose has a lot of money and others don’t.
The message from this anarchist group was more elaborately and vividly stated on an activist site. It read thus:
‘To this end, we now make our first clear demand of Google. We demand that Google give three billion dollars to an anarchist organization of our choosing. This money will then be used to create autonomous, anti-capitalist, and anti-racist communities throughout the Bay Area and Northern California. In these communities, whether in San Francisco or in the woods, no one will ever have to pay rent and housing will be free. With this three billion from Google, we will solve the housing crisis in the Bay Area and prove to the world that an anarchist world is not only possible but in fact irrepressible. If given the chance, most humans will pursue a course towards increased freedom and greater liberty. As it stands, only people like Kevin Rose are given the opportunity to reshape their world, and look at what they do with those opportunities.’
It goes without saying that if there are valid grievances, there are some valid ways of registering protest about them and trying to devise a practical method for resolving them. The episode cited above simply goes on to show that the anarchist group in question doesn’t exactly seem serious in finding a practical solution and is perhaps merely look for press coverage.
Source: Kevin Rose
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