V For Vendetta

"Remember, remember, the 5th of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot;
I know of no reason, why the gunpowder treason”
Should ever be forgot."

V for Vendetta is packaged more as a credible stylish drama with big ideas and superheroes in it. V, falls between the lines of an anti-hero, a revolutionist and a terrorist. It is never clearly defined and it is never meant to be so. Depicting terrorist as superheroes these days are sensitive issues. The idea of blowing up the Old Bailey’s is reminiscent of the blowing up of the World Trade Center in New York. As explained by V, the blowing up of a symbol is iconic and symbols give people the reason to fight for freedom and stand up on their own. A psychological cue to greater things. Ideological wars have existed since the beginning of time. Religion is an ideology, politics is an ideology, even economics. The essence of V for Vendetta is the spirit of Guy Fawkes, the man who attempted to blow up the castle of the English monarch, failed and later hanged. Those who have perished are remembered for what they believe for. So much so are the suicide bombers who believed that they have a cause to fight for and what they believe in so strongly can never be replaced by mere mortality. I’ve grown to understand that wars are essential in our history.

The fact that a million and one wars existed in the history of mankind suggests that they are no mere coincidences. They are people rallying for a better future, fighting against a corrupt government, stating their case on inequality or unfairness. The wars have in fact changed the face of the world today. Violence breeds violence, as they say. But the process of violence makes people stand up and understand what is wrong with themselves. It is through a radical movement that people wake up from their perpetual dormant states of minds, consumed by the numbness of domestic rituals and conformity of economics. Like that of a Christmas paperweight with decorations and snowflakes, only a violent shake will you see activity in an already controlled environment and snowflakes swarming all over the semi-spherical object. It is like what Milan Kundera said in his novel, Unbearable Lightness Of Being, that all that was heavy and bloody in the actual war becomes weightless in our history textbooks. They become lessons and then becomes systematic answers that we memorized from the textbooks onto our answer sheets, replicated by millions more all over the world, in a hope to be the forerunners in our economically-consumed world. People will not remember Teng Kie Zin who spoke his mind in the Students’ Union forum but people will remember the Teng Kie Zin who punched the nose of the president of the Students’ Union and threw chairs at the panel. Violence is not merely a disruption of status quo. A disruption of status quo will not bring about radical changes. Only radical movements bring about radical changes. Think Thailand.

It is true that at this particular time we do not condone terrorism and murdering of innocent lives. The bad guys in our history textbooks and in our movies love to say: “These people are dying for a cause.” The good guys say: “We shall not condone the actions of these rebels.” It just got me wondering the definition of good and bad, righteous and evil. Were the good guys fighting for status quo? Were the bad guys fighting for a better future? Is it justifiable that innocent lives are sacrificed for an ideology, for a better future? Or is it justifiable that systems are not challenged to keep lives intact? Which way is better? A Quentin Tarantino bloodfest theatrics or a slow-moving Wong Kar Fai visual treat with nothing much changed in the end.

We use violence because we live in this imperfect world. We use violence because our history, our religions are glittered with violence. The crucification of Jesus Christ is such a perfect example. It is with disgust that we look at violence being inflicted on a human being yet it is the extent of the violence Jesus Christ suffered that laid the core foundations of Christianity, that Jesus died and got nailed on a crucifix for our sins.

It would be very wrong to say that peaceful methods cannot solve complex and difficult issues. It would but peaceful methods cannot wait in today’s time-strapped world. Violence gets the point across fast and direct, it also paves the way for generations to follow suit and make them understand what their forefathers have been fighting for. Violence uses deaths as its measure and the math of death is most alarming statistic in the world. Not even the math of money can compare with that.