What If V for Vendetta Was Released Under Obama Instead of Bush?

This November the 5th, I thought that it might be interesting to revisit a film that took the world (and certainly the internet) by storm in 2006 – V for Vendetta. While I feel that no introduction is probably necessary, the movie was about a masked freedom fighter in a dystopian future, known only as V, who hopes to inspire the people of London to overthrow a corrupt dictatorship. It was based on a graphic novel by the brilliant Alan Moore, who was unhappy with the changes the screenwriters made to his original work, which mostly focused on the clash of two extremes – anarchism vs. fascism. The Wachowski brothers instead took the core of the story and made it more of an attack on right-wing American conservatism, with V representing American liberalism and democracy instead of anarchy and the government he was fighting against became an obvious satire of the Bush administration. The movie was overall a critical and financial success, but the religious right was quick to stir up controversy (re: butthurt). For example, Ted Baehr, chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, called it “a vile, pro-terrorist piece of neo-Marxist, left-wing propaganda filled with radical sexual politics and nasty attacks on religion and Christianity.” And with the fictional British Television Network in Vendetta being a pretty distinct parody of Fox News, you can imagine how favorably they were discussing the film.

But now the tables have turned – the Bush regime has been out of power for almost a year now, and they have been replaced by one of the most liberal administrations that the United States has ever seen. The conservatives now know what it’s like to live under a government that doesn’t support their exact ideology, so their views on protesting have gone from “un-American” to “a necessary exercise of freedom,” and the vision of one man taking on the government has gone from “supporting terrorism” to “fighting against tyranny.” Just a few short years ago, you hated America if you didn’t support the president, and now you hate America if you do. This complete flip-flop of ideals begs the question – What if V for Vendetta was released today?

Well, first of all, it wouldn’t have been written by liberals like the Wachowski brothers. Sure, the message is timeless, but the script felt relevant because it was – we know that at least one of the brothers lives an “alternative lifestyle,” and I’m sure he felt singled out by the party that constantly condemns homosexuality. Between the passing of the Patriot Act and the rush to a war that was more about greed than it ever was about defense, one couldn’t help but feel powerless under a government that seemed to do whatever it wanted, whenever it wanted. Even the popular vote didn’t have a voice, and fear overtook reason as buzzwords like “terrorism” and “freedom” were thrown around in place of rational discussion.

So let’s say that conservatives were to adapt the comic to film instead. Gone would be the depictions of clergy pedophilia and religious hypocrisy. Instead, V would be on a mission from God, a pious man who would be a much more accurate reflection of the historical Guy Fawkes than the character of V ever was. Like an angel of death, he would storm the headquarters of the atheistic regime with guns blazing, spouting one-liners instead of philosophical quips over a soundtrack of hard-rocking guitars, not a symphony orchestra gracefully conducted from a rooftop. Would the crowd of citizens taking to the streets during the climax have been wearing straw hats instead of masks, raising pitchforks and torches in the air as they prepared for a lynching? V would become the cliché superhero movie than fans were dreading when the project was first announced, and if Alan Moore was unhappy with Wachowskis’ adaptation, just imagine him tearing out his extensive beard to that piece of shit.

But in all seriousness, the conservatives just would have never made the movie at all. In fact, they probably would have never heard of the source material to begin with. The sad truth is that these traditionalist morons just wouldn’t have been that creative. When a liberal wants change, he or she creates a work of art representing their frustrations or writes a comedy skit cleverly satirizing their opponents. What did Republicans do when Obama was elected? They immediately started thumping their Bibles, preaching that he was the anti-Christ who would abort their babies with his eyes. Jokes about welfare, fried chicken, big lips, and watermelon started circulating in e-mails and pundits found whole new meanings for terms like “fascist” and “socialist.” The peaceful, hippy-like protests of the Bush era that called for the arrests of war criminals were replaced by angry teabaggers threatening violence as they touted their big guns in front of the cameras. Everyone from cops to abortion doctors were gunned down by right-wing extremists as television personalities and radio hosts continued to profit by fanning the flames of ignorance. Watching V in action was symbolic wish fulfillment to liberals (Who doesn’t like to see bad guys punished?), whereas conservatives would be loading their guns in the theaters. It seems like Republicans will always be the party of weapons over ideas, and that is simply missing the point of V. Ideas are bulletproof, after all.

I will admit that the fascism metaphor does go a bit too far on both sides, however. As bad as things got under Bush, to compare him to Hitler is an insult to everyone who died in WWII, and especially to victims of the Holocaust. (Comparing him to Nixon would be a bit more accurate.) But keep in mind that Republicans have always been the ones advocating the revoking of people’s rights, not protecting them. Anyone who says that they believe in freedom while telling one group of people who they can and can’t marry and telling an entire gender what they can and can’t do with their own bodies clearly needs to reconsider what it means to be free. Let’s not forget that the party of “less government” not only wants to tell you who you can fuck and how many babies you should have, but they want to wiretap your phone and listen in on your conversations without a warrant or probable cause as well. And if you don’t like it, there’s no need for a trial if you look like a terrorist – we just toss you in Gitmo with a bag over your head. The Democrats are no angels, since most of them went along with it, but at least Obama has made serious attempts to end these kinds of restrictions, while Republicans have only fought to extend them. You tell me which one sounds most like Norsefire.

So let us remember, remember our past Novembers so a movie like V for Vendetta will not be necessary to shake even the most non-political citizens out of complacency and into the conversation. I say “conversation” because that’s what this should be – a conversation starter, not a call to arms. And that is what the book and the movie have been doing for years now, and I’m sure will continue to do into our dystopian future. No matter which version of the man in the mask you prefer, and no matter which of our two corrupted parties is in power, the philosophies behind freedom and authority will always be applicable to our daily lives…sometimes we just need someone to remind us that we, the people, are in charge of our own destiny. America prevails!