in every Judge Joe Dredd The stories I’ve read There’s at least one almost comical moment when the author makes it clear that the protagonist is a looted fascist and not an admirable person. This may seem to the average reader to be heavy-handed. But when the richest man in the world misread the character as a hero, You can understand why such heavy-handedness is sometimes necessary.
It wasn’t long before former Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida withdrew his nomination for Attorney General Elon Musk. Posted on Gaetz is “Judge Dredd America needs to clean up its corrupt system and put powerful bad actors behind bars” basically. People’s forms of justice One should not be that fascism was invented to show the difference between the impunity of the elite and the atrocities faced by ordinary people. (Is Dredd’s zero tolerance for breaking the law equally valid? Obscenely rich complainers. Like Musk himself, it will certainly be less attractive to him.)
Musk’s illiteracy isn’t particularly shocking. But it seems to be part of a broader trend related to the rise of Donald Trump, the kind of stories that aim to highlight the dangers of fascism, cruelty or selfishness. Instead of being misinterpreted or even condemned by those who find fascism attractive. Or view cruelty and selfishness as inspiring virtues.
Texts in Dredd’s stories libel on teaching. But it is still at least an implicit opposition to fascism in the reader. One of the series’ Co-creator: Pat Millshave Said his model for Dredd and the other referees. It was a monk in his parochial school who subjected children to physical or sexual abuse. The story is set in a dystopian future where multiple “megacities” are surrounded by radioactive wastelands. ruled by strict judges This judicial system was first established by the character Eustace Fargo in response to rampant street crime. It gives agents the power to judge and convict those they view as criminals. and murdered many of the people they encountered.
As mentioned The implications of these stories are not subtle. As for one story from 2019 small houseDredd confronts Judge Smiley. Head of the Justice Department’s Black Task Force Regarding Smiley’s use of an invisible assassin to kill pro-democracy activists in Mega-City One, it appears that Dredd’s main objection to Smiley’s operation is that Smiley’s assassination did not follow proper protocol. Dredd has no moral objection to killing a pro-democracy activist. But this book must succeed. Smiley calmly explained to Dredd that “We are fascists. We rule. It is the only way we can survive in this dead and irradiated world.”
Dredd is a true believer in the judicial system. and hence the lack of corruption of his contemporaries. This made him superior to other fascists. Only ethically He is an unthinking militant who will not allow the system to change just because the majority likes it. He acts fanatically to serve the unjust system he upholds. Not for any greater ideal than honor or honesty. In the 2006 storyline OriginThe cryogenically frozen Fargo was briefly thawed and begged Dredd to abolish the magistrate system. “It was never meant to last forever,” Fargo pleaded before dying. “We are monsters, we are greedy, we want everything. So we killed Joe in the dream. We kill America!” Dredd, being Dredd, ignores Fargo’s pleas, and when asked later about Fargo’s last words, Fargo states that Fargo wanted him. “Keep the Faith” by embedding Fargo’s desire to end the judicial system forever in favor of democratic governance.
As Trump shapes the country in his image Some of his supporters seem inclined to take the caution to heart. By sympathizing with villains or anti-heroes to such an extent that they completely miss the point of these stories. While the author’s message is clear, we might as well call this problem Tony Soprano Syndrome, after the patron saint of flawed anti-hero protagonists. said one undecided voter. g new york times A focus group discussed earlier this year that Trump is “a dissident, a soprano, a ‘bad guy,’ someone who does bad things, is a bad person, but does those things on behalf of the people he represents.”
Almost everything here is wrong. But it is wrong in a way that shows the illiteracy I am talking about. soprano Either way One of the greatest television series of all time. It focuses on the daily woes of a mafia boss trying to balance his mental health with maintaining his marriage and raising his children. But Tony is a murderer whose greed and ambition hurt the people he harms. Claiming to love He is not a moral role model. And he didn’t intend to be. His selfishness helps no one and is a danger to those around him. Just like Walter White, the hero of the story. Very badAt one point in the show he looked at the camera and talked about his crime. “I do it for me”
Again, the creators couldn’t have made it more clear that these characters are terrible people that others shouldn’t try to imitate. There’s a difference between thinking Darth Vader is a great character in the fictional context of star wars and you know I want to be like Darth Vader.Psychotic child murderer In the same way Trump could not have made it more clear that he is out for himself. seeking the power of the presidency to enrich himself and his allies. Protect yourself from legal hazards and admires the cult-like adulation of his followers, but it is Tony or Walter fans who live vicariously through the power and brutality of their admiration. Invert the moral meaning of those characters’ stories, such as whether selfishness and vengeance are reasonable or admirable. In the same way How Trump Supporters Treat Trump in Real Life Those who seek power for their own benefit It is like a fictitious Trump who is evil who serves a selfless purpose.
Tony and Walter are also wishful thinking figures for a certain type of man going through some kind of midlife crisis. Because even though their bodies grow old and their appearance fades, But they are still able to shape the world around them with a seemingly endless capacity to endure or perpetrate violence. They want to tell themselves they are protecting something—perhaps the house and hearth—but really And then want to prove yourself by having a reason for harming others. Even if they had to invent something.
This is one reason why actress Anna Gunn, who plays Skylar, Walter’s wife There was a violent backlash.—She is an example of a picky wife whose jealousy held her husband back from greatness. (As an important factor in killing the methamphetamine maker)
Walter represents a certain type of viewer’s emotional state. Those who want to enjoy his ability to make himself feel good through violence and suffering. And I don’t want to give you a good time. His life is destroyed by a foul-mouthed woman who reminds him that what he’s doing is truly awful. This type of reactionary masculinity is emblematic of the Trump era. It’s as if conservatives listened to the feminist critique of “toxic masculinity” and decided to strip all virtues from traditional notions of manhood. and retain only those parts related to domination and exploitation of others.
There are many examples. Last year saw another heavy-hitting comic book adaptation, a television series. boy-About a covert ops group targeting “Supervisors” produced by irresponsible organizations which kills more people than they actually save. Openly criticized fascism to the point where many fascist sympathizers became upset. These fans Complaining that the program is “woke” As the plot begins to show more clearly the political points it has been making all along. Much to the shock of those fans who lived vicariously through the brutal actions of their antagonists.
Likewise, the creators of Marvel Comics’ murderous vigilante Punisher have pointed out over and over to no avail that while it does have some merit, But Frank Castle’s character isn’t a good person, aside from being a murderer. He also occasionally shows that he is a fascist– during civil war Castle’s storyline is told by his idol Captain America, who describes Castle as a “psychopath” who fulfills a “twisted idea of justice.” Punisher creator Jerry Conway called an embrace of the upholding of the Punisher by real-life armed agents of the state “disturbing” because “The Punisher represents a failure of the justice system He should blame the collapse of social moral authority and the fact (that) some people cannot rely on institutions such as the police or the military. To act fairly and competently.”
Collapse of trust in institutions It’s one of the stories of the past decade. But so is this moral decay. It was motivated by an ideological need to vindicate the position of a corrupt autocrat in the world’s most powerful government. What looks like declining media literacy could actually be something much worse. That is, confirming the values hidden in dystopian literature that inevitably lead to dystopia.
