Talk about life imitating art!
It is November 5, 2020 – and This Writer half expects to hear of a man in a Guy Fawkes mask setting off an explosion that destroys Parliament later this evening.
That is what happens in the movie version of V for Vendetta, Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s seminal graphic novel. And there are more similarities…
In the movie, Britain is under the control of a ruthless fascist dictatorship that offers security but not freedom. Does this seem familiar to you?
This administration has used a viral pandemic to seize power and keep the people of Britain under control. Does this remind you of a situation in the real world?
(Just to hammer the point home, the first dialogue in the first episode of the graphic novel includes these words: “The Brixton and Streatham areas are quarantine zones as of today. It is suggested that these areas be avoided for reasons of health and safety.” The locations may be different but that’s not too far from what’s happening today.)
The country is kept under curfew, enforced by a brutal police force known as “Fingermen”. As England goes into lockdown for a second time, do you remember Boris Johnson’s plan to give special enforcement powers to a select few people, to ensure that we all follow his rules?
It seems plenty of people do:
Remember, remember the fifth of November…
Wait, I didn’t know V for Vendetta was a documentary 🤔 pic.twitter.com/UO6PHkmkun
— Luca Fury (@FurysFightPicks) November 5, 2020
The situation in the real world – now – demonstrates the point the film – and the original graphic novel that was originally serialised from 1982 onwards – made:
In V for Vendetta, Alan Moore shows us how the State effectively exploits the public’s sense of fear in times of crises and states of emergency to destroy our liberty & replace it with absolute control over our every thought, emotion, and action.
Happy 5th of November. pic.twitter.com/Z4L3QSamw8
— Marx 🟡⚫️ مارك (@MarkBFadel) November 5, 2020
This Writer was among the first people to read V for Vendetta. I was 12 years old at the time, and an avid consumer of Alan Moore’s stories.
The thought of living in a country like that, frankly, terrified me. But I could see its roots spreading, in the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher and the so-called “surveillance society” she created.
So could Moore. In the introduction to the 1988 serialisation of V, he wrote: “The new riot police wear black visors, as do their horses, and their vans have rotating video cameras mounted on top… one can only speculate as to which minority will be the next legislated against.
“Goodnight England. Goodnight Home Service and V for Victory.
“Hello the Voice of Fate and V for Vendetta.”
All very grim.
But the story ends on a hopeful note, and so will this article – because the message that has resonated with the public today is this:
Happy V for Vendetta Day, folks. pic.twitter.com/DfL87ihl78
— Alan Ferrier (@alanferrier) November 5, 2020
“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.” I hope Boris Johnson hears those words today.
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