If you've been watching livestreams from Occupy protests (or keeping up with Anonymous, for that matter) you'll likely have noticed that a number of the activists are wearing Guy Fawkes masks. Popularized in the comic series V for Vendetta, the masks are now a symbol of real-life protest, used both to create a collective identity and to pay tribute to V, the revolutionary hero from the comics. Thoughts on the mask's proliferation are varied and numerous, but none may be more important than those of series creator, geek icon, and cranky sage Alan Moore. (He's basically Walt Whitman, if Walt Whitman had been a daring, rebellious superhero.) What does Grandfather Geek have to say about the Guy Fawkes mask and its place in modern protests?
Basically, the Moore abides. TDW Geek summed up the author's opinion in his own words:
I suppose when I was writing V for Vendetta I would in my secret heart of hearts have thought: wouldn't it be great if these ideas actually made an impact? So when you start to see that idle fantasy intrude on the regular world... It's peculiar. It feels like a character I created 30 years ago has somehow escaped the realm of fiction.
Moore also enjoys how the Guy Fawkes mask "turns protests into performances" and finds it remarkable that the 99% seems to be having a good time with the protest. "That sends out a tremendous message," he said.
So, there you go, OWS and co. Go ahead and use the mask as you see fit!
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