Remember, remember the fifth of November and all that...
But recently, Guy Fawkes seems to have developed a new life of his own, in the form of the masks worn by protesters at various demonstrations. The group "Anonymous" started it, for example at their demonstrations against Scientology, but they're also a common sight in the "Occupy" camps.
It makes a certain amount of sense that anti-capitalist protesters in London might take Guy Fawkes as a role model, but he's hardly a household name outside the UK, so how has he become such a global symbol?
The thing is, they're not really Guy Fawkes masks as such, but V For Vendetta masks - the image is taken from David Lloyd's illustrations for the graphic novel, and it's undoubtedly the 2006 film that's popularised it as an anti-government symbol. The character of V in the book is an anarchist fighting against a dystopian fascist dictatorship* who, taking Guy Fawkes as his inspiration, tries to blow up the Houses of Parliament - and, unlike the original Fawkes, he actually succeeds, so at least to that extent I suppose he makes a better role model than the real-life figure...
Ironically, the masks are actually official film merchandise, and Time Warner get a licensing fee every time one is sold - so this symbol of anarchy and anti-capitalism is actually contributing to the profits of one of the biggest media companies in the world.
*As opposed to a utopian fascist dictatorship...
But recently, Guy Fawkes seems to have developed a new life of his own, in the form of the masks worn by protesters at various demonstrations. The group "Anonymous" started it, for example at their demonstrations against Scientology, but they're also a common sight in the "Occupy" camps.
It makes a certain amount of sense that anti-capitalist protesters in London might take Guy Fawkes as a role model, but he's hardly a household name outside the UK, so how has he become such a global symbol?
The thing is, they're not really Guy Fawkes masks as such, but V For Vendetta masks - the image is taken from David Lloyd's illustrations for the graphic novel, and it's undoubtedly the 2006 film that's popularised it as an anti-government symbol. The character of V in the book is an anarchist fighting against a dystopian fascist dictatorship* who, taking Guy Fawkes as his inspiration, tries to blow up the Houses of Parliament - and, unlike the original Fawkes, he actually succeeds, so at least to that extent I suppose he makes a better role model than the real-life figure...
Ironically, the masks are actually official film merchandise, and Time Warner get a licensing fee every time one is sold - so this symbol of anarchy and anti-capitalism is actually contributing to the profits of one of the biggest media companies in the world.
*As opposed to a utopian fascist dictatorship...
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