Sunday, November 06, 2011

Remember ...


"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, think, and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillence 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 ... 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 ..." - V in V for Vendetta

2 comments:

CyberKitten said...

It was a great speech from a great movie - *so* quotable!

It looks like Guy Fawkes might be on his way to becoming a global hero and not just a British one.... Interesting.

dbackdad said...

Indeed. It seems a lot of those quotes are applicable to political and social situations in a lot of countries. The ones that have always been resonant for me are those against intolerance and fascism.

Our American heroes that we celebrate on holidays are largely embarrassing. Columbus Day? Please ... they committed genocide when they came to the New World. And we have not one, but three separate holidays honoring the military and jingoistic nationalism (Independence Day, Veterans Day, Memorial Day).