Underground

From RationalWiki

Underground is a term used to denote a secret or hidden organisation, usually of a subversive nature, althogh the subversive is often very POV dependant. The term is obviously derived from the parallel with mining, and undermining of defences, both activities which proceed with minimal disturbance to the surface.

Some famous underground organisations were:

• the underground railroad that ferried slaves to the nonslave states of the U.S. before slavery was outlawed.
• The homegrown resistance to occupying armies is often referred to as the underground, particularly in reference to the western European countries in WWII, where the undergrounds with the covert support of the allies initiated sabotage, assassination and recovery of allied POW's and shotdown aircrew.
• The weather underground was a U.S. domestic terrorist group who were active in the 1960's and early 70's, and sought to overthrow the U.S. governemnt.

The term is now not commonly applied to specific groups, and is more often applied to suspected groups as a scare tactic, as labelling the boogeyman an underground organisation means you don't actually have to present any evidence that they actually exist--in a reversal of logic, absence of evidence is considered evidence of how well organised the underground movement is. That is not to say that underground movements do not exist, just that the term underground is not normally used if they are known about--which stands to reason if your think about it.