You Have No Spine. You Have No Pride. - V's Talk With Britain

[jlroberson]

I am, for reasons from the past couple of weeks I'm sure most of you know about, pretty angry and disillusioned with pretty much our entire government right now, but also what appears to be our utter powerlessness to control it. (As someone on the left, you can imagine I feel particularly marooned politically right now) So of course my mind goes straight to Alan Moore & David Lloyd.

So here's V's REAL speech from V FOR VENDETTA.(well, most of it; I applied some cuts but the important stuff is here) Which, unlike the one in the film, doesn't let you off the hook it hangs our leaders upon. Something I feel everyone should read.







All (c)DC Comics. I'd rather say it was (c) Moore & Lloyd, but there you are.

BRIEF PROMO BLURB: If you feel inclined, why not visit Bottomless Studio for some fine comics both print and free, and more besides?

Comments

[fiddlingfrog.livejournal.com]

When I'm in a "fuck the world and everyone in it" kind of mood I usually watch Get Carter with Michael Caine.

[fifthie]

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[tsunamiwombat]

This is a much ballsier speech than the one in the movie thats for sure.

Living your own life

[blue_bolt]

V's speech makes me think of oh, so many songs:

1. Have a Nice Day - Bon Jovi
2. We're Not Going to Take it - Twisted Sister
and many many more.

Honestly, you can do three things when faced with a global situation that you dislike:
1. Complain
2. Change your values to enjoy/accept the situation
3. Change the situation to adhere to your values

1. Doesn't do anything.
2. Changes you, for good or ill.
3. Is the most proactive and the least common.

I say we blow Gadhafi to Kingdom Come (not the comic), stop producing internal combustion engine automobiles and switch to battery power and put battery swap stations across the developed world, bring back the 1980 UNICEF/WHO 3rd world vaccination programs and eradicate Polio, Malaria and TB, threaten Assad with military action if he doesn't stop killing his own citizens, declare Somalia a Mandate of the UN, revamp the UN so no non-democratic nations are allowed on the Security Council (i.e China), stop using corn for ethanol, legalize marijuana globally so it can be privatized and taxed, fine Merrill-Lynch, Goldman-Saachs and the rest of the criminal corporations several billion dollars for their flagrant perjury and attempted cover ups.

V's right that we have some major problems, but the solution isn't to eliminate government, but to deconstruct our current governments and rebuild them from the ground up - hopefully getting it right this time around.

[20thcenturyvole]

Despite all criticisms of the movie, I will forever hear V's dialogue in Hugo Weaving's voice.

[mrstatham]

One thing amongst many that disliked about the film was the way it changed the sequencing of events. The film's version of this comes near the beginning and effectively lays down V's mission statement early on.

Whereas with the book, it's an absolutely magnificent oh-crap moment because as Finch assumes, everything beforehand was just the setup.

[jlroberson]

An interesting thought: like many Moore works, there is a BEAUTY AND THE BEAST subplot in V--V & Evey. If you look at lots of his works, you'll find that recur. SWAMP THING, NEONOMICON, and more. Even Hyde & Mina, or Silk Spectre & Dr. Manhattan. It's a prominent motif in at LEAST half his works, I'd say. He even wrote a screenplay(unproduced) for Malcolm McLaren called FASHION BEAST which dealt with the story itself.

It'd be interesting if someone examined that thread running through his work.

[biod]

The message remains the same in the film, the blame and responsibillity is of the people, but while this speech is threatening in tone and builds up V to be something not human, the movie speech takes a turn for the inspirational and it's V asking them to stand WITH him. Both have their merits. I for one like the inspirational tone of the movie, but prefer V to be what he claims to be, an idea behind a mask, not a man.

[riddler13]

Always wondered who is the would-be tyrant at the bottom left corner on the 18th panel. Of course, Adolf, Josef and Benito are easily recognizable.

I like V for Vendetta, and have never (oh noes!) seen the film. But I'd still take Watchmen over it any day.

[cypherfdp]

Man, I look at this, and all I can see is fucking Chanology.

[cleome45]

It's a great comic. Still one of my favorites.

Sadly, IRL, "All you had to say was 'No'" is not actually how it works.