An Introduction and explanation by John Galt V also known simply as V (For Vendetta) about the Irony of V

But on this most auspicious of nights, permit me then, in lieu of the more commonplace sobriquet, to suggest the character of this dramatis persona. Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

In my case however, I much prefer the pseudonym or pen name of “John Galt V” out of a deep sense of awe and respect for the vision of Ayn Rand and the Wachowski Brothers … and I assure you that you shall rarely hear those names mentioned together … much less to ever be joined in such a respectful setting.

If you do not fully understand yet, please read on and I assure you that you will. For the Comic Connoisseurs  I have opened with a reference to the comic as well. However, the focus of this section is on the movie itself. I have included the most notable speeches from both at the end of this article however. 

For those die-hard fans of the comic books, like lovers of many books, the movie can inevitably be nothing short of a major disappointment. However, being a true lover of books and an occasional movie-goer, I do feel that this much can be said in those regards. Never have I seen a movie that matched the book or even lived up to the same standards.

In many cases such as with people like Robert Heinlein or in this case, with V, the entire premise has been changed in order to seem more relevant to the day it was made. At first this thoroughly irritated me to no end and made it nearly impossible to enjoy any movie after I had read the book. Any of my friends who ever sat through a movie will testify to this fact with a mixed sense of disdain, awe and occasionally even admiration.

After a while, I began taking my own advice on life, politics and nearly everything else and applying it to the movies and to the books as well. Rather than comparing them as different views of the same work of art, I viewed them objectively. That is to say that I viewed them as two completely different works of art based on the same model.

In this way, I was able to enjoy the book every bit as much as I always had while being able to view the movie without the disgust that I had previously known. I mention this only because I know there are a lot of dedicated followers of the Comic Book V that were thoroughly disgusted with the movie.

I am also of the humble opinion that there are indeed a great many people who love the movie despite (or in many cases, because of) its seeming attack on the Conservative movement. In order to address all of these people equally as I point out the irony of these views and this movie. It is an irony that is so thick that it would be laughable were it not so easily foreseeable in our future. The major difference is only that the party attacking us has been misrepresented here. It seems to be ironic in that sense but still manages to be a shining example of the liberal attacks based on the projection of their own actions onto the backs of others.

An Analysis of the Irony of V For Vendetta, the Movie

You may know that many die hard liberals see this as an attack of a liberal (or an anarchist as was strongly suggested in the Comic Book) upon the Conservative establishment and government “control” of their lives. While many of the Liberal Left Lackeys may wholeheartedly believe this, I do believe that the Liberal Left Leadership is fully aware of the irony and reflection being demonstrated here.

Hardly card-carrying members of the vast Right Wing Conspiracy, the Wachowski Brothers created this film seemingly to poke their Hollywood Leftist fingers into the face of Bush and the American Conservatives … much to the dismay and consternation of Alan Moore who created the original comic strip series V. Okay, in all fairness, their political views as espoused in their movies seem to point more directly towards anarchy rather than towards the left but both will inevitably lead to socialism, Marxism or open Communism.

Do not get me wrong, I love many of their movies and perhaps this one most of all. However, when many of the leftist elite try to express their political convictions, as much can be read into what is not said as to what is. In this case, it seems that the opposite is true. However, the reflection of what is actually happening in the world today is quite revealing when looked at from an objective point of view.

Cries of “Neocon”, “Fascist” and “Nazi” abound when it comes to liberal lefties spouting out about the “Radical” right-wing movement. Meanwhile, evidence, the truth and those pesky little critters known as facts all point towards just the opposite conclusion. Granted, there are radicals that can easily be chosen from either side of the political playing field who can be used to vilify the entire political “party”.

See if you can put those aside for a few moments and look at this objectively. Look at the regular, every day people of each party and see what more closely resembles the truth. Read the books on both sides of the aisle and see who is taking what actions.

There are many people on the left who, whether it is known to them or not, actively promote a socialist lifestyle and honestly believe that it is a good thing. The fact remains that the road to the left can, much like anarchy, lead only to a socialist, Marxist or openly communist solution.

The movie V claims that the proverbial NeoCon, Right-wing radical religious type zealot has taken over the Country of London based on lies, deceit and fear from horrors that were in fact, created by that very same government. This is one of the reasons that the movie “rings so true” to many leftists. They can honestly believe that this would happen.

Let’s take a look here for a moment though? Who has openly declared that “No Crisis should be allowed to go to waste”? Why I believe that Robert Gibbs uttered words to that effect, as did Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. But surely, what they are doing is for the public good and the general welfare of we the people right? Where did these crises come from?

Let’s start with the current housing crisis as it is still fresh in many people’s minds and many people are still suffering from its ill-effects. Where did it come from? What started it? Well, government “real-good/feel-good” legislation is where it started. Why? They decided that it was prejudiced against the poor of this great nation to prevent them from owning a home because they did not qualify for loans that they would not be capable of paying back.

The government, in its infinite wisdom decided to fix this through government interference in and regulation of the private free-market economy and forced the banks to hand out loans with unreasonable terms to people who had no reasonable chance ever to pay them back. The government then used this crisis of their own design as an excuse … not to regulate more … but to actually implement a government takeover of private banking institutions.

Was this part of some vast right wing conspiracy at more government control? If you say yes, than you should be aware that if true, it would mean that Barack Obama is part and parcel of the vast right wing conspiracy. This same government (Chris Dodd) specifically included bills forcing the payment of bonuses to AIG executives and then turns this into its very own mini-crisis as a further excuse to regulate payment.

 … not just for those companies directly bailed out with taxpayer funds but for anybody who received anything in any way that can reasonably be construed to have come from stimulus funds. That would mean that legally at least, the government now has every legal right to decide how much you may or may not earn, pay your employers or profit from your very own business.

The Auto Industry was deemed too big to fail as well and when they went into bankruptcy (again, as they have been doing it from time to time since sometime in the mid eighties if my memory serves me well) the government decided that this “crisis” had to be addressed. So how do they address it? They take more government control over more private industry in the name of the common good.

A vast right wing conspiracy?

GET THE GOVERNMENT OUT OF MY BEDROOM!

This cry has been called out over and over by the left when it comes to sexual conduct. As long as the sexual conduct is confined to your home, and sexual acts between consenting adults of legal age and (at least functional mental capacity … able to make their own decisions about the right or wrong of their actions) I do not even care whether or not it is in your bedroom.

In fact, I would add that anywhere that you can reasonably expect to have a sense of privacy, any actions by you that are acceptable under our laws are none of the governments concern and should not even be an issue. If you are camping out and sleeping in a tent or a camp-trailer or RV, who has any real right to come in to tell you what you may or may not do as long as it is legal and between consenting adults?

The answer is and should be in all cases, that nobody has the right to come into your home or even your business for that matter, and tell you what legal actions are right or wrong or what you may or may not do within that very private property. Yet what happens when the issues change?

The left leaning politicians call for that same government to come into my home, tell me when and where I can smoke and what light bulbs I can use.  This goes on to the point of me being legally required to fill out EPA paperwork. Additionally, there is need for a full HazMat team to respond should I break that light bulb. Whether you know it or not, you really are legally required to do this … though I imagine that like so many real-good/feel-good laws, enforcement will be totally arbitrary and used solely against the most unpopular people of the day … and somehow that is supposed to make it okay.

The left also advocates the government to come into my private business to tell me what I can and cannot do, who I can and can not hire, who I can and cannot allow into my business. But again, the actual enforcement of these laws is solely arbitrary and at the discretion of the government and not we the people.

But hey, since it protects those people who were oppressed some four hundred years ago, it is all good right? While there are certainly social issues that need to be addressed, the current setup is what I can only see as somebody using a crutch their entire life because they broke a leg when they were three or four years old, despite the fact that while they may limp, they should no longer need the crutch.

For those people that were oppressed, just remember that the day will come when you are on the same list and those same powers will be used against you.  May God forbid that it ever happen but it is not an unreasonable assumption or conclusion to this setting by any stretch of the imagination.

The government has already made it abundantly clear that they can blatantly disregard the Constitution and be held completely blameless and unaccountable. The government has already far overstepped its reach and used the strong-arm techniques to prove that power is their right and they have the right to do whatever they want with it. The only things left standing between our government and complete oppression is an illusory wall of obfuscation, there only to muddy the waters, cloud the issues and deceive we the people.

The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

A government takeover such as that seen in the movie V for Vendetta is almost certainly inevitable at this stage of the game. However, it is not going to be some non-existent vast right wing conspiracy that does the taking over. It will be a socialist takeover implemented by a large portion of the general populace who is willing to trade not only their liberties but their very freedom itself and actually watch, applauding as our Constitutional Republic collapses under the weight of their action.

Just as in the movie, we will quickly discover that the government will not stop there in order to “protect us from ourselves” but will continually force its way into our private lives on an increasingly oppressive scale. Just the same as in the movie, something will be terribly wrong with our country if we do allow that to happen.

Just as in the movie, many people will pay the ultimate price just to get our country back to the point where we can once again make our own choices and create our own futures without big brother watching every move under some misguided, faith-based belief that they can actually protect us from ourselves when they cannot even clean up their own political back yard.

The irony is rich that a left-leaning Hollywood should put out such a movie clearly expressing everything that they are doing to take over our nation while effectively passing the blame on to “the other guy” and accusing the other guy of doing exactly what they are doing. The sad part is that so many people actually believe it.

The historic level of irony, the sadness it creates and the implication that somehow, somewhere there may be another V to get us out of this mess makes this one of my favorite movies of all time.

Sign me, John Galt V

The movie version of V’s Television Speech:

Good evening, London. Allow me first to apologize for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of every day routine- the security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of commemoration, thereby those important events of the past usually associated with someone's death or the end of some awful bloody struggle, a celebration of a nice holiday, I thought we could mark this November the 5th, a day that is sadly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat.

There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones, and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission.

How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.

I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now high chancellor, Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent.

Last night I sought to end that silence. Last night I destroyed the Old Bailey, to remind this country of what it has forgotten. More than four hundred years ago, a great citizen wished to embed the Fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice and freedom are more than words; they are perspectives.

So if you've seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you then I would suggest you allow the Fifth of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see … if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me one year from tonight, outside the gates of Parliament, and together we shall give them a Fifth of November that shall never, ever be forgot.

V’s Television Speech from the Comic Book V:

Good evening, London. I thought it time we had a little talk. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin...

I suppose you're wondering why I've called you here this evening. Well you see, I'm not entirely satisfied with your performance lately.... I'm afraid your work's been slipping, and...and well, I'm afraid we've been thinking about letting you go.

Oh, I know, I know. You've been with the company a long time now. Almost...Let me see. Almost ten thousand years! My word, doesn't time fly? It seems like only yesterday...I remember the day you commenced your employment, swinging down from the trees, fresh-faced and nervous, A bone clasped in your bristling fist... "Where do I start, sir?" You asked, plaintively.

I recall my exact words: "There's a pile of dinosaur eggs over there, youngster," I said smiling paternally the while. "Get sucking."

Well, we've certainly come a long way since then, haven’t we? And yes, yes, you're right, in all that time you haven’t missed a day. Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Also please don't think I've forgotten about your out-standing service record, or about all of the invaluable contributions that you've made to the company... Fire ,the wheel of agriculture...It's an impressive list, old-timer. A jolly impressive list. Don't get me wrong.

But...well, to be frank, we've had our problems, too. There's no getting away from it. Do you know what I think a lot of it stems from? I'll tell you... It's your basic unwillingness to get on within the company. You don't seem to want to face up to any real responsibility, or to be your own boss. Lord knows, you've been given plenty of opportunities...We've offered you promotion time and time again, and each time you've turned us down. :"I couldn't handle the work, Guv'nor," you wheedled. "I know my place"

To be frank, you're not trying, are you? You see, you've been standing still for far too long, and it's starting to show in your work....And I might add, in your general standard behaviour. The constant bickering on the factory floor has not escaped my attention...Nor the recent bouts of rowdiness in the staff canteen. Then of course there's....Hmmmm. Well, I didn't really want to have to bring this up, but...Well, you see I've been hearing some disturbing rumours about your personal life.

No, never you mind who told me. No names, no pack drill...I understand that you are unable to get on with your spouse. I hear that you argue. I am told that you shout. Violence has been mentioned. I am reliably informed that you always hurt the one you love...The one you shouldn't hurt at all.

And what about the children? It's always the children who suffer, as you're well aware. Poor little mites. What are they to make of it? What are they to make of your bullying, your despair, your cowardice and all your fondly nurtured bigotries? Really, it's not good enough, is it? And it's no good blaming the drop in work standards upon bad management, either....

Though, to be sure, the management is very bad. In fact, let us not mince words...the management is terrible! We've had a string of embezzlers, frauds, liars and lunatics making a string of catastrophic decisions. This is plain fact.

But who elected them? It was you! You who appointed these people! You who gave them the power to make your decisions for you! While I'll admit that anyone can make a mistake once, to go on making the same lethal errors century after century seems to me nothing short of deliberate.

You have encouraged these malicious incompetents, who have made your working life a shambles. You have accepted without question their senseless orders. You have allowed them to fill your workspace with dangerous and unproven machines.

All you had to say was "NO." You have no spine. You have no pride. You are no longer an asset to the company. I will however, be generous. You will be granted two years to show me some improvement in your work. If at the end of that time you are still unwilling to make a go of it...You're fired.

That will be all. You may return to your labours.

Valerie’s Soliloquy from the Comic Book:

I don't know who you are. Please believe. There is no way I can convince you that this is not one of their tricks. But I don't care. I am me, and I don't know who you are, but I love you.

I have a pencil. A little one they did not find. I am a woman. I hid it inside me. Perhaps I won't be able to write again, so this is a long letter about my life. It is the only autobiography I have ever written and oh God I'm writing it on toilet paper.

I was born in Nottingham in 1957, and it rained a lot. I passed my eleven plus and went to girl's Grammar. I wanted to be an actress.

I met my first girlfriend at school. Her name was Sara. She was fourteen and I was fifteen but we were both in Miss. Watson's class. Her wrists. Her wrists were beautiful. I sat in biology class, staring at the picket rabbit fetus in its jar, listening while Mr. Hird said it was an adolescent phase that people outgrew. Sara did. I didn't.

In 1976 I stopped pretending and took a girl called Christine home to meet my parents. A week later I enrolled at drama college. My mother said I broke her heart.

But it was my integrity that was important. Is that so selfish? It sells for so little, but it's all we have left in this place. It is the very last inch of us. But within that inch we are free.

London. I was happy in London. In 1981, I played Dandini in Cinderella. My first rep work. The world was strange and rustling and busy, with invisible crowds behind the hot lights and all that breathless glamour. It was exciting and it was lonely. At nights I'd go to the Crew-Ins or one of the other clubs. But I was stand-offish and didn't mix easily. I saw a lot of the scene, but I never felt comfortable there. So many of them just wanted to be gay. It was their life, their ambition. And I wanted more than that.

Work improved. I got small film roles, then bigger ones. In 1986 I starred in "The Salt Flats." It pulled in the awards but not the crowds. I met Ruth while working on that. We loved each other. We lived together and on Valentine's Day she sent me roses and oh God, we had so much. Those were the best three years of my life.

In 1988 there was the war, and after that there were no more roses. Not for anybody.

In 1992 they started rounding up the gays. They took Ruth while she was out looking for food. Why are they so frightened of us? They burned her with cigarette ends and made her give them my name. She signed a statement saying I'd seduced her. I didn't blame her. God, I loved her. I didn't blame her.

But she did. She killed herself in her cell. She couldn't live with betraying me, with giving up that last inch. Oh Ruth. . . .

They came for me. They told me that all of my films would be burned. They shaved off my hair and held my head down a toilet bowl and told jokes about lesbians. They brought me here and gave me drugs. I can't feel my tongue anymore. I can't speak.

The other gay women here, Rita, died two weeks ago. I imagine I'll die quite soon. It's strange that my life should end in such a terrible place, but for three years I had roses and I apologized to nobody.

I shall die here. Every last inch of me shall perish. Except one.

An inch. It's small and it's fragile and it's the only thing in the world worth having. We must never lose it, or sell it, or give it away. We must never let them take it from us.

I don't know who you are. Or whether you're a man or a woman. I may never see you or cry with you or get drunk with you. But I love you. I hope that you escape this place. I hope that the world turns and that things get better, and that one day people have roses again. I wish I could kiss you.

Valerie

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