Recently seen on Facebook. For those who can’t view the pic, it says “1. Guy Fawkes was not an anarchist, or even an anti-monarchist. The Gunpowder Plot was a religiously motivated attack, with the intent of replacing a Protestant King (James I) with a Catholic ruler (Princess Elizabeth). The notion of Fawkes as an anarchist revolutionary comes entirely from Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s imaginations. 2. Time Warner owns the rights to the popular Guy Fawkes image used by groups like Anonymous. With each purchase of a mask, you are actively giving money to one of the largest media companies in the world, thereby feeding the beast that you claim to be opposing”
It’s things like these that make me love watching the dance of humanity. We’re fascinating to watch. It’s much like the fact that Che Guevara shirts/images make tens (hundreds?) of thousands of dollars for capitalist companies every year. In the end, does that really matter, or is it what people nowadays make of it that matters? Jesus (or the person he’s based on) certainly didn’t intend to become a religious icon, but his re-interpretation by Paul has had more impact on human affairs than the original man could have ever imagined, or likely even wanted. Aren’t Moore/Lloyd/Time-Warner modern Pauls, and therefore creating modern myths that channel the zeitgeist in a very valuable way?
This is all to say – I like my myths, and I don’t care about original intent. This is the application of Death of the Author to real life. I think these tales are more romantic and I like that they’ve been twisted and mythologized)