OT: watchmen on trial

Dan'l Danehy-Oakes · 22 Mar 2005, 12:44 · from 2005-March.txt.gz

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From: danldo at gmail.com (Dan'l Danehy-Oakes)
Date: Tue Mar 22 12:44:12 2005
Subject: (urth) OT: watchmen on trial
In-Reply-To: <24.6d41ec8c.2f71ca0d at aol.com>
References: <24.6d41ec8c.2f71ca0d at aol.com>
Message-ID: <1f761737050322124467cb1977 at mail.gmail.com>

> Herbert's initial impulse in writing Dune was to write a criticism of
> Messiah figures, from Jesus to JFK, showing that one SHOULDN'T follow
> them. 

Correct. 

> Illustrating their actions, in the case of Dune, isn't the same as condoning
> those actions. 

Also correct. However, it is a fascist book in that it is set in a world in
which the basic assumptions of facism (and especially the leader
principle) all turn out to be true. It does so to critique those 
assumptions - to show how badly things would turn out if they were 
true - but nonetheless, in the _Dune_ universe-of-discourse, they
are true.

Perhaps the problem is that when I say it is a fascist book people 
think I'm dissing it.

> I feel the same way about Watchmen; I found it an illustration of the
> fascist underpinnings of the ubermensch supposedly serving the masses
> while in fact being above them (sort of like in a socialist country).  

Bingo. 

It's interesting to read this in conjunction with Moore's other, more or
less contemporary, works, _Miracleman_ and _V for Vendetta_, which
approach the problem of heroes and facism from very different directions.
Moore appears to be, inna final analysis, a libertarian-anarchist type.

--Dan'l

-- 
You probably do not want to know what that odor is.

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