V For Vendetta 4-9-11

By:London Brady
1A

V for Vendetta is set in a dystopian future United Kingdom. It has a totalitarian government
which is when a single leader or group controls every aspect of public and private behavior. As the
story progresses, you will find similarities and differences to present day America.
In the book, the people do not have a say and whatever the government says goes. Adam Susan is the
leader of the whole country. In America, we have three branches of checks & balances (Judicial,
Executive, & Legislative) and power to the people. The branches show separation in power and limit
each other. The important thing that America has is the power to the people. If the government does
something we dislike, we have to power to protest and change their decision. Even if Obama says
something, it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen because of the split powers.
The whole world has been expanding in their technology, America especially. The government uses
new technology and other ideas for our “security”. I agree when they do things such as putting a
camera on a stoplight so if one runs a red light they’ll get in trouble and others will be safe. Sometimes
the government just does very unreasonable things. In many airports in America, for “security” reasons,
they have two new ways to check one for airplane safety. It’s your choice, naked x-ray scanners or
government molestation. The x-ray full body scanner not only violates privacy but also is harmful to
citizens. X-ray scanners use radiation which could harm pregnant women and women genetically
vulnerable to breast cancer. The scanners can also store the x-ray pictures of your naked body. What
they do with the pictures is up to them. Recently, an Indian movie star’s naked x-ray picture from the
airport was printed out and circulated around the airport staff.
Men or women who refuse the scanners would have to go through a “pat down” system. This is
where the airport/government security would sexually assault you. They get to aggressively feel your
body up to make sure others are safe to ride the plane others are safe to ride the plane. There are many
cases of which the security is blamed for molesting people. There is this one story of women who had a
TSA (Transportation Security Administration) agent pat, touch, and probe her upper thigh and groin. If
it was a normal everyday citizen doing such things to this woman, it would be considered illegal.
The Fourth Amendment says, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers,
and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall
issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place
to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” Making air travelers and strip or using x-rays is
a violation. It invades privacy and is unnecessary. I relate these airport issues to V for Vendetta’s
government because the government violates many laws we have in America now, and get to do
whatever want. The government can take away privacy, freedom, and do harmful things to the citizens.
An example is when the Fingermen ambush Evey, and were going to do whatever they wanted to her,
and then kill her. V considers himself the villain, but the government is also a criminal for what they
do.
The V for Vendetta government uses Fate is a computer system using the voice of Lewis Prothero.
The citizens think Fate is God. They use it to report news but the government sometimes hides what
really happens. An example of this is when V set off those fireworks and destroyed the Parliament
building. They didn’t say V caused the destruction and fireworks but instead said, “...it was a freak
effect of the blast.” The media of America gives us all the news they have available and the government
obviously hides secrets from us. Proof of this is Julian Assange’s creation, WikiLeaks is a non-profit
organization to bring anonymous news to the public about government secrets. One of the things the
site posted was a 2007 incident in which Iraqi civilians and journalists were killed by U.S forces. The
last thing they leaked that related to America was United States diplomatic cables. So you can see that
Fate and the government is has a few things in common with America’s media and the government.
The only difference is that the government in V for Vendetta is literally tricking the citizens using Fate
and the United States government just hides some secrets but the media tries to reveal all the news they
get their hands on. If one revealed government information in V for Vendetta, it would be considered a
crime and the person would be killed for that. The reason the Julian Assange got away with this is
because of Universal Declaration of Human Right’s article nineteen. It states, “Everyone has the right
to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference
and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” If
Julian lived in America, it might have been considered treason because it could be considered as
betrayal to his nation.
Not only is the government messed up in V for Vendetta, but so is the churches priest. Religion is a
big thing in society; a priest should follow the religious rules. If a priest molests girls (and almost rapes
Evey) that is considered a sin in ones culture. He also was cruel to the prisoner in room V in Larkhill.
The strange thing is the government allows Bishop Lilliman to do so. In America, that is considered a
great crime (and sin) and would not be allowed. Even so, there have been scandals of Catholic priests
committing sex crimes.
In the movie, people have curfews. Fingermen are allowed to kill under certain circumstances which
is very threatening. Fear is what they use for order. In a way, this is the only bright side of the books
Government. In America, this is very different. Crime rates are increasing and so is the influence. The
influence is music, movies, TV shows, and other citizens that you might see. Drugs are becoming more
available which is reaching out to teenagers, robberies and murders still occur, and people abuse the
right to bear arms. (Amendment 2 of the U.S. Constitution) Even with these crimes, we still do have a
fair Criminal Justice system which allows punishing the criminal, but only if proved guilty. Death
penalties are rare, but fines or imprisonment are usual forms of punishment.
To conclude, V for Vendetta’s world and America have their similarities and differences. Even if the
two have different types of governments, America’s privacy and security of the people, the media, and
church are all changing and being more disrupt. The government itself is violating rules, and
attempting to keep secrets from us. I don’t see our world turning to V’s world, but I don’t see it getting
any better either.

Vi veri veniversum vivus vici