V for Vendetta” looks similar to current U.S. administration
March 30, 2006
I recently paid $2 of my hard-earned money to see the latest creation of the Wachowski brothers – the same pair responsible for “The Matrix” trilogy.
Apart from the trailers and hearing good reactions from people who had already seen the movie, I didn’t really know what to expect when going to see “V for Vendetta.”
I knew I would be in for a good movie-going experience, as the Wachowski’s have yet to let me down, although I should mention I’ve yet to see the third installment of “The Matrix” trilogy.
Anyway, I did not expect this movie would make me think so much. The movie has a message, and that message is people shouldn’t be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people.
The basic premise of the plot centers around England set in the future as a dictatorship under the rule of Chancellor Sutler. Sutler and his corrupt government officials have used fear and terror to control the people of England.
The rise of Chancellor Sutler to power sounds very reminiscent of the rise of Hitler to power in Germany. He was first elected to office by his own people and then once in office, created the position of High Chancellor so he could have even more power and total and complete control over the country.
As scary as this might seem, what’s even scarier is how much the government of England in the movie resembles our current presidential administration. Chancellor Sutler and his government officials have no regard for the law of the land, even making up the law as they go.
This is strikingly similar to what is going on within our own government today.
It began with the Patriot Act, which would appear somewhat unconstitutional in the first place, but President George W. Bush did not stop there.
Most recently, it has been discovered that he authorized the planting of wire taps on phones without going through the proper procedures or getting proper approval for such acts.
The current administration even wanted to know the search history of the widely used google.com Web site, though thanks to Google, they aren’t getting it.
I feel it was the Wachowski’s intent to use the tyranny of the government of England portrayed in the film as a metaphor for the current administration of the United States. And I feel if this is not the case, then a strong argument can be made in favor of such a claim.
I’m sure many people will turn out in droves to see this movie as it’s destined to become a blockbuster at the box office, but I hope that when those people are enjoying the movie, they pay close attention to the message behind it and heed its warning.
We must be careful, especially now, with what we allow the government to do. They will say it’s for our own protection and it’s for our own good, but you can be quite sure there are ulterior motives and a hidden agenda behind it.
Does it make sense, or even more importantly, is it right that in an effort to protect this country and our freedom, which is the most wonderful thing about this beautiful country in the first place, that we must give up those very rights and freedoms in the name of such protection? I think not and I hope you feel the same.
Remember, people shouldn’t be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people.