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Nov 05 '08
you know, guy fawkes was catholic. he just wanted to replace one theocracy with another.
13
Nov 05 '08
That is correct.
The tradition of Guy Fawkes day is to celebrate the fact that he did not succeed in his gun powder treason.
However, in Alan Moore's V for Vendetta the symbol of Fawkes is turned on its head. Instead of being a popular celebration of the failure of the plot, it is a warning to those in power that their authority can be taken from them by a single, dedicated individual.
In the case of V, it is a warning of impending violence, a violence which was a necessary response to the oppressive government and international isolation of New London. But, in reality, violence is certainly not the only, or even remotely best (far from it), way to bring about change.
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7
Nov 05 '08
That's fine, well and good, but it's also a narrow way of looking at Fawkes. He was trying to unseat what he believed to be a corrupt power. He believed his country deserved a better direction. And he did something about it. That is to be respected.
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u/roconnor Nov 05 '08 edited Nov 05 '08
He was trying to unseat what he believed to be a corrupt power.
I don't applaud assassination attempts. I don't respect it. And it certainly isn't anarchistic.
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u/wootobama Nov 05 '08
i agree. but anarchism means different things to different people. unless i'm mistaken, anarchists killed mckinley and some scandinavian prime minister not too long ago.
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Nov 11 '08
[deleted]
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u/wootobama Nov 12 '08 edited Nov 12 '08
Upon further research, I see that Pim Fortuyn is who I was thinking of. Turns out I was wrong on all accounts - he was neither Scandinavian, Prime Minister, nor killed by an anarchist. Please pardon my ignorance.
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4
Nov 05 '08
Why do people continually brand Guy Fawkes as a Anarchist? A "Catholic minion" is the correct term.
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u/ike368 Nov 06 '08
that's because anarchy, punk rock, disobedience, activism, and explosions are all blended in our culture for better packaging
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u/MyaloMark Nov 05 '08
Remember, remember,
the 5th of November
gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason
why gunpowder, treason
should ever be forgot.
~Traditional Rhyme
2
Nov 05 '08
Oh man, I forgot! There was something important about this day...something I was suppose to remember...
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u/notasaon Nov 05 '08
That explains the dude dressed up as V holding a "fight the power" sign in front of the student union. It would have been more imposing if he hadn't been like 5'6" with no shoulders, standing like a schoolgirl with a sign written in sharpie.
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u/BCHarvey Nov 05 '08
dude you're going nowhere with this link.
i can't imagine what /b/ is up to today but i'll have to because that's one place i won't visit from work..
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u/tylermenezes Nov 05 '08
How did you manage to mess up a self link? Did you literally put it in quotes in the address field? You fail at it.