Vox Populi

“Remember, remember the fifth of November, the gun powder, treason, and plot.  I know of no reason the gun powder treason should ever be forgot.” The tag-line of V for Vendetta stirs the patriotism of the individual whose sense of duty, though not impenetrable to fear, remains rooted in the power of people united. Vendetta uses striking images and tightly knit dialogue to create a masterpiece for its viewers that not only draws you in, but conveys a intuitive parallel with our own political climate. 

V, a well-spoken masked vigilante, devises a year-long plot to awaken the British people from the fear-induced sleep that is the force behind their constant compliance with rules that strangle their freedoms and make being different dangerous. The Chancellor, like most successful politicians, uses “we” in his addresses to reinforce the suggestion of the British people's unity with his decisions- making them feel responsible for and therefore supportive of the government's actions. An eccentric character to say the least, Evie brings a grounding force to V's lofty speeches and dauntless crusade helping the viewer feel connected with the story; and more so than just the story, her transformation from a meek, compliant citizen to a freethinking, independent person who sees the truth behind the lies. I won't reveal the process by which she overcomes fear to embrace freedom, but suffice it to say it is not without suffering. Freedom is never free.

Chaos is the purpose of V's plan. The plan is fatalistic in that all V needs to do is set up the pieces like dominoes and set the spark for them to fall into place. His first exploit is to blow up the Old Bailey to the 1812 Overture on Guy Fawkes Day, the remembrance of a man who attempted to blow up the English Parliament in the 1600's.  He dedicates the concerto to justice and in recognition of the impostor who stands in her stead. Though fanatical, he doesn't hurt innocent people, nor anyone in this instance, and he does his job of awakening the sleeping public with an unforgettable symbol, a symbol representing an idea, steadfast and unyielding in its principles. Every revolution needs a spark and he does it literally, with showmanship. In reaction, the Chancellor's meeting with his head chiefs seeks to deal with the revolutionary symbolism inherent in V's action. The overture is banned and the Old Bailey will be deemed an edifice of England's decadent past, an inference of religious judgment. The New Bailey to be erected will be the symbol for the present era and the future that England's convictions have awarded it. Drawing from Orwellian themes, the scene lays the background of how government controls people and how using the correct spin on current events retains that control. Doubt is what they seek to avoid for it will have all the psychological paradigms they strove to create clattering to the ground. Before new order, there is chaos: individual, interpersonal, societal.

V's follow-up to the media's coverage is a special message directed to the television viewers. His eloquence need not be summarized,

“Good evening London... I do like many of you appreciate the comforts of the everyday routine, the security of the familiar, the tranquility in repetition... but in the spirit of commemoration whereby those important events of the past... are celebrated with a nice holiday. I thought we could mark this November the fifth, a day that is sadly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat. There are of course those who do not want us to speak... Why?  Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning and for those that will listen, the enunciation of truth and the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression, and where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well, certainly there are those who are more responsible than others, they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid, who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease, there were a myriad of problems conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense.  Your fear got the best of you and in your panic you turned to the High Chancellor who promised you order, he promised you peace and all to be demanded in return was your silent obedient consent. Last night I sought to end that silence... I sought to remind this country of what it has forgotten. More than 400 years ago a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than just words, there are perspectives. So, if you see nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you, I would suggest that you allow the fifth of November to pass unmarked. But, if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek then I ask you to stand beside me.”

I am hard-pressed to find words that convey a comparable effect the power of this message evokes.

Enraptured with the beauty of the language but more than that, the message, his speech brings goose bumps and an indescribable chill to my body. The political turmoil in which I find myself is not so far from this well-crafted story. I hear many people complaining about the current state of the world yet I meet a small fraction of people who summon the motivation to create a positive change in it, most people simply acquiesce to hierarchical demands. Though I am not bravest of souls, I do find some outlets to breathe some positivity into the negative air that stifles those that the world has deemed or made weak.

A conversation in Vendetta has Evie telling V about her parents, political activists “black-bagged” and killed by the fledgling authoritarian government. People using their voice were made an example of, inspiring the rest of the population's obedience for their own alleged safety, which in reality couldn't be farther from the truth. Evie's father told her, “Artists use lies to tell the truth while politicians use them to cover the truth up,” the lies so difficult to distinguish from the truth oftentimes makes an ordinary citizen doubtful of what is right before their eyes and in their minds. The truth being: people should not be afraid of their government, governments should be afraid of their people.

Media is the main instrument by which this fabricated government, and real government, solidifies its goals in the minds of the people. Loudspeakers on every street corner bombard open windows and the ears of milling people. “Curfew is for your protection,” scrolls below the large television in the center of the main square. Televisions portraying the Chancellor and his propaganda-porting mouthpiece, Prothero, make sure the people understand what their position should be on any given subject and why they should hold this position.  In one of the opening scenes, V and Evie are both tuned into Prothero's nightly address where he utilizes the spiritual dimension to establish ingrained belief in the government's mission; a theme all too prevalent in today's papers. The ruling powers did what they had to do disposing of immigrants, homosexuals, Muslims, and disease-ridden degenerates to create order. He accounts the United States' bad condition to godlessness and the fact that no one escapes judgment. He goes further in saying, “You think he's not up there? You think he's not watching over this country? How else can you explain it?  He tested us, but we came through. We did what we had to do.” Every transmission drives the message home with, “Strength through unity, unity through faith,” encouraging the viewer to zealous approval of all government action, no matter how cruel or unjust it seems to common decency.

As someone who has also been guilty of remaining silent out of fear, identifying with the message of this movie involves little effort. Valerie, a female homosexual apprehended, tortured and killed for her sexual orientation, clearly calls upon our ethical sense to dispel our fear in saying, “Our integrity sells for so little, yet it is all we really have. It is the very last inch of us. An inch, it is small and it is fragile but it's the only inch worth having. We must never lose it or give it away. We must never let them take it from us.” I intend to hold fast to this inch and hope that I have the courage to remain free within it.

From the perspective of an American, I know my peers have become newly invigorated by the flagrant misuse of power the Bush administration and not-so-removed-from-government corporations eight-year stint in office that cost domestic and foreign lives, monetary value, and distressed international relations that are so pertinent in this very global age. To me, it was easily predictable that the American people would choose a Democrat for its next presidential term as the Republican Party had become synonymous with corporate greed, corruption, and skewed foreign policies. But what of the true renegades in American politics that don't play by the rules of an established two-party system, which though in-place, is not necessarily what the constitution envisioned? Why are Americans so convinced that we only have choice A and choice B? We are told that giving votes to people outside these party lines simply throws our vote away by media figures who have long since left their ethics behind for a large paycheck given for providing the public with glamorized spin, yet if we all voted according to who we thought would actually push for the most policy improvements we support, the consensus I hear is usually in support of a “third-party” candidate.

Unfortunately, when I state this position amongst a group of peers in a friendly political discussion, the looks and comments I receive are aimed at a person deemed a radical idealist. Well, the constitution was created by radicals and I find it bolsters my confidence in the state of international affairs to remember the roots of the birth of a nation that gave humanity hope for a government platform reflecting a true representation of the voice of the people. My peers, my elders are tired of this endless, draining war, so why is it still raging? America is in the worst recession since The Great Depression, so why is our President putting money not yet acquired into negative means for a supposedly justifiable and positive end?

Though there may be no apparent massive takeover and government conspiracy nor masked vigilante calling people to action, we can take from this movie a renewed sense of what we owe to those that have fought for the voice we have, those that await the chance to use their voice, those whose voices have been silenced, and ourselves. There is no time to be inured of the things we know to be wrong.  There is no place for us to rest peacefully in our complacence. If there is something we wish to see done and it isn't happening, it’s because we're not doing it. No more excuses, no more acceptance of dehumanized images which make people's faces appear far away and detached from our own lives, just words which signify ideas – ideas to adhere to, live by, and to let go at no price. Beneath our flesh lies more than just bones, in each of us lies an idea, and ideas are bulletproof.

 

Citations:

McTeigue, James. V for Vendetta. Silver Pictures, 2005.

 

Comments

Glad to hear others share the same insights... now, what are we going to do?

Freedom is never free. Awesome. True. Mici

"Well, the constitution was created by radicals "
Hell yeah it was

I agree wholeheartedly with your comments about the movie, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and the state of America. We still need change, and like you say, the 2 party concept is just not working. Let's work to get voices into our political system to make the changes that are needed. Just how we go about doing that is the real question! Mom