I can understand the Alan Moore/David Lloyd comic book becoming popular with people interested in resistance—it's based, after all, in deep frustration with Margaret Thatcher—but the movie version of V for Vendetta is like the Hot Topic version of the book. It's your basic superhero movie with some meaningless political jargon slathered on top, and the climactic action involves everyone dressing up the same way to go watch someone else do something. It's the exact opposite of a revolutionary text. It's an ode to consumer culture, brought to you by Warner Bros, a division of Time Warner Inc, the second largest media company in the world.

And don't give me any shit about people wearing those masks because they're fans of Guy Fawkes. Those masks are as much about Guy Fawkes as the V for Vendetta film adaptation is about revolution. The only thing most people know about Guy Fawkes is that he tried to blow up Parliament, which, you know, blowing shit up is cool and in-your-face, just like the V for Vendetta movie, I guess. (Down with the Protestant monarchy! Hooray for Catholic monarchy!) I just can't believe that this movement rallied around such a stupid, backwards symbol.