Distopia, cyberativismo e revolta popular: o caso de V de Vingança, de Alan Moore e David Lloyd, e o anonymous

Abstract

In the 21st century dystopias are experiencing a kind of renaissance, in which classic novels from the first half of the 20th century are being rediscovered, new works are being written, and critical theories developed. The reason seems obvious, since the futurism of works such as Brave New World and 1984 is increasingly becoming an integral part of our contemporaneity. We live in an age that not only writes dystopias to understand its own dilemmas, but also uses past works to understand where we stand and how we got there. While this recognition is almost always involuntary, since no one wants to live in an oppressive world, there are cases where the simulation of aspects of dystopian works is purposeful. This article discusses Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s V for Vendetta, the source work of the Guy Fawkes mask, which has been used as the official symbol of the cyberactivist group Anonymous. Presented as an outlaw hero, a kind of digital Robin Hood, the character V is a dubious figure, presenting more authoritarian and narcissistic characteristics than it would be desirable. The article intends to raise the discussion about the limits of recognition and symbolic staging of genre works in real life.