Friday, September 14, 2012

Watchman Watching

So I finally watched Watchmen (I know, I know catch up FS). Now while I found the movie thoroughly enjoyable, I found the ending well thought provoking, especially in relation to the average persons need for authority.

If you've seen it you get what I am saying. Asshole motherfucker who wants to be the next Alexander The Great pins his blowing up of a shitload of major cities on John, a guy who is basically a God. John's gonna kill his sorry little ass, but then he turns on the news. Russia and the US and every other country now looovvvveeeee each other because they are united against this new common enemy, a guy who can destroy everything.

Now on a larger level what is the message of this movie? That the average person needs a wrathful, vengeance seeking God looking down to stop them from doing stupid shit? That all of humanity will destroy each other and themselves without an authority figure to stop them.

In a secular society what that authority is now is easy to see. The big brotherish government that has developed. With its satellites, databases, etc tracking our every move, keeping an eye on us, throwing people that are somehow unfit for this society into prisons or crushing them under the wheels of poverty, degradation, and forced slavery. Without money one cannot survive in the average Western society so all of us have to do a little slave time. Or suffer a fate that can be worse than death.

I see that a good deal of humanity needs this authority, that it has always existed, will always exist and acts as a way to balance the bloodthirsty, selfish, savage beast that humanity really is.On a mental level its concepts infect our minds on such a level that leaving its influence is truly an impossible task. The machine, that wrathful vengeful authority figure is in our head, not just 'out there' trying to hold us all down.

Then there's Rorschach. A character that is well awesome. In the face of this event occurring he refuses to just keep his mouth shut and roll over and allow the little wannabe Alexander win. He refuses to just stand by while John takes the blame for something he didn't do in some sick attempt to pervert human nature. He says, 'Never compromise even in the face of Armageddon.' He walks away to let others know what happened.

Of course John just waves his hand and turns him into a bloodsmear. However, I find the death in that movie to be a real hero's way out. To refuse to allow this shit to go down. He knows he's going to die (him screaming DO IT is haunting to say the least), he just doesn't care, he finds it something worthy to die for. To decide to allow humanity to be what they really are, even if they destroy each other.

I find a little lesson there. The 'enemy' is literally unstoppable, to big to ever really go down, but... it's necessary to question, oppose, say fuck you to these authority figures. Not because of anything more than it needing to be down.

Was Rorschach an idealist? Yeah, I think so. However, considering he's the only motherfucker willing to stand up for those ideals he has makes him the one I want to emulate, the one I want to be just a wee bit like. Could I stand up to some big blue, God d00d that can wipe me out with a flick of his finger? Could I stand and stay by my convictions in the face of sudden death?

That's what I am left with from watching this movie.