Posted on 11/04/2011 7:25:38 PM PDT by Alex Murphy
For those following the Occupy movement that has been protesting on Wall Street in New York and many other cities, the masked face of Anonymous has become an increasingly common symbol. If you have not seen the face of Anonymous, he has pale white skin, black hair and a long moustache, a long thin angular face and a 16th-century black hat. The visual image used by the protesters is drawn from the film "Vendetta," which was in turn derived from a graphic novel, or long comic book, set in a futuristic Britain, where a rebel against a tyrannical government uses the image as his mask when opposing the forces of repression.
In the film, the image is supposed to be the face of Guy Fawkes, the famous Englishman who set out to blow up Parliament. One source I read said that this is because Fawkes is a British "folk hero." David Lloyd, the original artist, has said that he did not intend the face to look sinister and that "it's a great symbol for anyone who sees tyranny." The plot of the film "Vendetta" was a thinly veiled left-wing British criticism of the American government of President George W. Bush.
Now the darling thing about this image of Guy Fawkes is, of course, that he is absolutely not a British folk hero, nor was he democratic, nor was he on the side of the financially disadvantaged. He was in his day universally regarded as a traitor, and he certainly was not on the side of greater democracy in the English kingdom.
Fawkes was a Roman Catholic who was part of a not very brilliant idea to kidnap one of the daughters of King James I and blow the king and the rest of the royal family to smithereens in the famous Gunpowder Plot. They would then take power, raise the little princess as a Catholic and restore the divine right absolute monarchy that was then favored by Catholic nations such as France, Spain, Portugal and the many smaller states of Italy.
To be sure, the Catholics were oppressed in England in the days of James I. But given that his plan was to return to oppressing the Protestants, this hardly seems an appropriate image for modern protests.
The actual Guy Fawkes was born in York in 1570 to an Anglican family who were involved in local government. His mother's family were hidden Catholics and had young Guy educated at a school run by other underground Catholics.
The young man soon converted, and knowing it was not safe to be a Catholic in England fled to the continent, where he took up a military career fighting for the king of Spain in their efforts to crush the young Dutch Republic. After the wars quieted down Guy approached the king of Spain, Philip II, denounced King James as a heretic and asked for Spanish aid in overthrowing the Protestant king and elected Parliament.
King Philip listened patiently and gave him no aid. Fawkes returned to England.
In 1604, the young retired mercenary was noticed by a small group of secret Catholic nobles, led by one Robert Catesby. One of Fawkes' old school friends, now an underground Jesuit priest, Father Oswald Tesimond, saw him in London and told the plotters that this strong and brave and very Catholic soldier was just the man they needed to pull of their plans, and he was soon recruited.
A basement storeroom under the House of Lords had been rented and filled with casks of gunpowder, and Fawkes was placed in charge of it.
The detonation of the gunpowder underneath a procession of the king was set to take place on Nov. 5 of 1605, the anniversary of which is today.
There were a number of underground Catholics in England in this period and some were members of the government. The plotters became concerned that they might need Catholics in their new regime with governmental experience, and they did not want to kill one of their own and so sent secret notes telling the few Catholic members of Parliament in advance to stay away. One of these was intercepted by the secret police and the plot was uncovered.
Guy Fawkes was arrested and put to torture, which he endured bravely. His torturers, including a visit from the king himself, were impressed with his resolution and the determination of his faith to suffer and risk so much. One of the interrogators said of him, "He told us that since he undertook this action he did every day pray to God he might perform that which might be for the advancement of the Catholic faith and saving his own soul."
However, the torturers had all the time in the world, and Fawkes eventually broke and informed on his fellow conspirators. They were tried and condemned to death. On the day of his execution, when he was to be hanged drawn and quartered, Fawkes managed to leap from the scaffold to the stone pavement below, breaking his neck and saving himself from being cut to bits while being slowly strangled.
In popular English culture, the night of Nov. 5 became something of a tradition, which began in London the year after the plot was discovered. People would make rag dolls of Fawkes, hang and then burn him in effigy.
Like on the American Halloween, children would go door to door in advance asking for a "penny for the guy" to buy the rags and papers for their doll and bonfire.
Burning effigies was discouraged in the 1970s when religious conflict in Northern Ireland made what had become a harmless custom seem bigoted again. Still, fireworks and backyard bonfires with glasses of cheer are still common in many parts of the now secular kingdom.
I would have never dreamed that the image of Guy Fawkes, the "papist" and monarchist, would ever come to these shores as a symbol of those who oppose the current state of affairs, but symbols do change their meanings. Let's hope no one gets hanged, drawn and quartered over the current protests.
The young man soon converted, and knowing it was not safe to be a Catholic in England fled to the continent, where he took up a military career fighting for the king of Spain in their efforts to crush the young Dutch Republic. After the wars quieted down Guy approached the king of Spain, Philip II, denounced King James as a heretic and asked for Spanish aid in overthrowing the Protestant king and elected Parliament....
....In 1604, the young retired mercenary was noticed by a small group of secret Catholic nobles, led by one Robert Catesby. One of Fawkes' old school friends, now an underground Jesuit priest, Father Oswald Tesimond, saw him in London and told the plotters that this strong and brave and very Catholic soldier was just the man they needed to pull of their plans, and he was soon recruited....
....There were a number of underground Catholics in England in this period and some were members of the government. The plotters became concerned that they might need Catholics in their new regime with governmental experience, and they did not want to kill one of their own and so sent secret notes telling the few Catholic members of Parliament in advance to stay away. One of these was intercepted by the secret police and the plot was uncovered....
....I would have never dreamed that the image of Guy Fawkes, the "papist" and monarchist, would ever come to these shores as a symbol of those who oppose the current state of affairs, but symbols do change their meanings. Let's hope no one gets hanged, drawn and quartered over the current protests.
Excellent info. Great post.
BTTT
Ping
Now its time to produce, and they simply can only produce rage, rather than face their wasted (pun intended) life. Did they really think turning school into a party would not have consequences in the future? I am of the 53% that is forced to pay their way, I did not go to college, I joined the military in trade for training. I have a job. Where, like most trade jobs, they test for drugs. I dont see any people like these guys at work. Wonder why...
That is because the idiots of today have no clue as to what the mask actually means. From what I understand, that idiotic movie V for Vendetta tried to portray the Fawkes wanna be as a Muslim.
V for Vendetta is a great film, it has one of the best monologues ever written about tyranny.
V: 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.
Just the sort of thing the mindless artsy fartsy crowd are attracted to after a little medicinal whatever.
Yup
But also a symbol of the Anonymous Hacker Group
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty.
Benjamin Franklin.
Never watched that movie V For Vendetta and never will. Got better things to do with my time then to relearn history through a pair of leftist idiot glasses.
No secret the Protest are being coordinated by straight up anarchists and socialists, but much more worrisome is this group calling themselves “WE ARE LEGION” and “ANONYMOUS” the ones behind the Guy Fawks mask. Do a little googling of who they are and you will be shocked at how demonic and evil they are and what their objective is.
It also answers a question I had about who Leftist talk radio host Norman Goldman was talking about when over the last several weeks he has been asking on his radio show for “Anonymous” to rig the 2012 election and wipe out Republican votes.
Comic-book mask puts a face on Occupy rallies
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2016643547_masks30.html
“The stark-white mask, with a Mephistophelian upturned mustache and dagger-thin goatee, was worn by V, the faceless leader in the comic book “V for Vendetta,” who overthrows a future totalitarian society. The anti-establishment message has been embraced by the Wall Street occupiers.”
Sad thing is words loose their power when people no longer care to listen.
We have become so saturated with banal amusement that few have the will to actually think anymore. The Fedgov isn’t worried, they know we will line up for our soma of Reality TV and fall back asleep no matter what is said.
First off if you watch movies to get a history lesson, you will be sadly disappointed. Movie sometimes can speak to us higher truths, mostly there just entertainment, but once in a while a film comes along that can reach deep down a pull up something that you have forgotten about yourself, or a truth that everyone knows be rarely spoken.
The wachowski brother, directors, may have used a film to slam Bush, but that does not mean there point was incorrect, giving absolute power to the state when your preferred candidate holds power may make you feel safe, without thinking what will happen when he is gone.
The left was screaming about security overreaching under bush, but now that there trusted candidate is in power nary a peep can be heard.
We are those people who should look in the mirror, remember the power you can can be very difficult to take back!!!
First off if you watch movies to get a history lesson, you will be sadly disappointed. Movie sometimes can speak to us higher truths, mostly there just entertainment, but once in a while a film comes along that can reach deep down a pull up something that you have forgotten about yourself, or a truth that everyone knows be rarely spoken.
The wachowski brother, directors, may have used a film to slam Bush, but that does not mean there point was incorrect, giving absolute power to the state when your preferred candidate holds power may make you feel safe, without thinking what will happen when he is gone.
The left was screaming about security overreaching under bush, but now that there trusted candidate is in power nary a peep can be heard.
We are those people who should look in the mirror, remember the power you give can be very difficult to take back!!!
....Plus creating the conditions just right for a new American revolution. This will not end well for those troublemakers.
Tea Partiers are moving in the correct direction. The Occupiers are headed in the wrong direction. Free Markets based on Capitalism are the keys to freedom and enhanced productivity. The entire world now acknowledges that. Except of course for the brainwashed leftist US dolts, that idiot cancer ridden Chavez and of course the 1 % that are currently running North Korea. Just look at Cuba. They have made the purchase of land by private interests legal.
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